Such is the success of SOI 1268 – the inaugural restaurant of street food superstars Buddha Belly – that on a Wednesday evening, some thirty minutes after opening, the only space left for Birminghams best (only?!) food writer is the stools at the bar. This is great. Firstly, because bar seats are the best place to experience the bustle of a busy restaurant. Secondly, it means I don’t have to move to order and pay at the counter. More importantly, it means they are doing well, and right now, in these times of austerity, that’s glorious to see.

The success was never a given, but the quality of the cooking was. Sai – one half of Buddha Belly with husband James – is one hell of a chef. Originally a contestant on a popular BBC cooking show, I’ve been eating the street food since the original tents on New Street, back before the market became saturated with people shopping in Costco. They were arguably the best around; just ask all the other street food traders where they eat. The answer was always Buddha Belly.
And here, on the end of Stirchley that grazes Selly Park’s quieter moments, they have their restaurant. The menu switches between stuff seen on the Buddha Belly menu and stuff more likely found on the stalls of Koh Rattanakosin. We save the addictively hot and refreshing som tam salad for a warmer day and dive into prawn toasts with fat king prawns at the core and loads of fresh medicinal herbs, along with a stir fry of mixed mushrooms drenched in a liquor of oyster sauce, galangal, red chilli, and loads of garlic. A chicken thigh from the barbecue feels a little strong at a tenner when compared to the rest of the menu, but the flavour is there in spades. The smokiness of the meat cut through by a nahm jim that doesn’t hold back on acidity or heat. It’s cooking from memory, not a recipe book.



Pork pa lo is more thickened broth than curry, the fatty belly meat braised with an egg that boils hard and discolours to a muddy grey. What makes it is the sauce that coats everything; cinnamon, corriander, a little numbing clove. It’s a little sweet and a lot comforting. It’s also a meal in itself. We finish with an impossible choice of beef massaman or chicken panang curry, both two of the great dishes of street food. We take the massaman, a rich decadent, bowl of slowly cooked beef and the warm hug of spice. It’s impeccable.


The bill hits £80 with a couple of drinks and too much to eat, exactly where they need to be. SOI 1268 is a brilliant addition to the city, and with excellent cocktails from Ikigai next door is as good as any combination you’ll find in Birmingham. I’m calling shotgun on those bar stools.
9/10
Listen to Sai talk about the restaurant on The Meat and One Veg Podcast