"You Choose" — Tiger Bites Pig

Venue: Tiger Bites Pig, 34 Stephenson Street, B2 4BH; Facebook
Choice: Red braised belly pork bao (£4.50) Chooser: Owner

There's such a thing as being too excited by the prospect of a launch, and after our tenth email to the team at Tiger Bites Pig enquiring about a precise date for their opening, we were concerned we'd gone fan boy on the new bao bar embarrassingly early. Not so, old chum. A Honjozo sake (£4) and a classic white cut chicken bao with genius-grade sesame chicken crackle (£4.50, pictured) later, we were beaming at the full bar, and gesticulating wildly for more of those giving, sticky buns. From the slow-cooked, fish fragrant aubergine (£4.50 with tofu), to the house XO sauce that goes with the twice cooked duck bun (£5.50), to the house pickles with marrow from Chef Keith's garden in Billesley, flavour and texture reigns supreme at Tiger Bites Pig. But it was the old school pork belly bao that you should hit up if you've only got room for one. Steamed, then given six hours in a stock bath of star anise, rice wine, orange peel and every other ingredient you can think of, the richness of the dish is cut through with stir-fried mustard greens, crushed peanuts and coriander, plus the obligatory Ginjo yuzu sake you'll by now have moved on to. Moments from New Street Station, this is a much-needed, happy, affordable addition to the city. Open daily from 11am until 9pm, except Sundays. Menu