The family-owned San Carlo restaurant group has been a Birmingham staple since the 90s, and has since expanded throughout the UK and beyond. One Sunday, I went to visit Fumo, the contemporary child of San Carlo found on Waterloo Street. Boasting a world-class cocktail bar and delicious Italian plates, I was interested to see how Fumo would interpret the classic Sunday roast. And as I had never actually tried this British classic before, there was a lot riding on the experience.
DesignMyNight’s Review Of Fumo Birmingham
Fumo is the little sister of the ever-popular San Carlo.
Need To Know:
- Address: 1 Waterloo Street, Birmingham B2 5PG
- Area: city centre
- Cuisine: Italian, Sunday roasts
Ambience & We Think Perfect For
- Atmosphere: if I had to pick one word to describe Fumo, it would be ‘sleek’. It's a very modern space, with abstract art lining the walls, a clean cocktail bar running down the centre and quiet 'elevator' jazz playing in the background. Although not stuffy by any means, this restaurant is more well-suited to a formal meal than a casual one.
- Perfect For: an upscale dining experience.
Service & Price
- Service: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Value For
Money: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Cost: £83 for two, including two drinks and four dishes.
While Fumo may be Italian in nature, they take on a British staple every Sunday.
Menu Highlights
Food: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Half roast chicken (£18.95) - the chicken was amazingly juicy and tender. Each roast came with an assortment of roasted vegetables - from sweet, glazed carrots to well-seasoned potatoes. The Yorkshire puddings were also cooked to perfection; crispy on the outside and fluffy in the centre.
- Lamb rump (£20.95) - I’m not a lamb connoisseur myself, but my friend told me that it was on just the right side of gamey. With the same tasty sides as the chicken, the lamb’s flavour was slightly more savoury.
- Torta pistachio (£10.50) - each layer of this cake is visually distinct, but when you take a bite, the layers come together to deliver a uniformly nutty pistachio taste.
- Torta setteveli (£9) - translating to ‘seven-veil cake’ in English, this dessert was a gorgeous combination of chocolate and hazelnut. The only thing I would change about this cake would be making the outer chocolate layer a bit thicker to counteract the other creamy elements.
Drink: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Cidra Iced Tea (£11.75) - our waiter kindly accommodated my friend’s request for this drink to be made into a mocktail, and that change definitely did not alter its quality. Fruity with a bitter undercurrent from the black tea, it was perfectly refreshing.
- Piña Express (£11.75) - just as refreshing as the iced tea, this drink immediately transports you to sunset on the beach. The coconut flavour is delicious for anyone with a sweet tooth.
Our Overall Experience At Fumo Birmingham
DesignMyNight Review Out Of
5: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This meal at Fumo was my first-ever Sunday roast, and I’m so glad I got to experience that here. Each roast was served in extremely generous portions, and although the space is quite modern, the quality of the food made me feel right at home. The meal felt quintessentially British, which did lead me to wonder what the Italian Fumo twist was. Delicious as it was, I can’t help but imagine how Fumo will experiment with their roast as time goes on, so be sure to visit for yourself and find out.
