The Jewellery Qtr. Emporium Blog

From our Jewellery Qtr. Emporium

If there’s one thing that our lovely Lyndon likes doing it’s trying new things out. So this year, for the first time we are going to utilise our little kitchen this pancake day to give you… yes, that’s right: PANCAKES.  £3.50 for any large coffee and a wonderful home cooked pancake flipped by our Lyndon himself.  We’ll have all your favourite toppings for you to dive in to as well.

So anyone in/passing by/nowhere-near-but-really-loves-pancakes- the Jewellery Quarter, come and visit our lovely Emporium… we’ll be waiting!

• Comment (0)
• Tweet

From our Jewellery Qtr. Emporium

For all of those lucky people who are coming along to film night tomorrow; just a quick note to let you know what’s going to be on the menu. Oh, and everything is home-made by the way in our very own little kitchen *blush*.

A Brief Encounter at the Jewellery Quarter Staring;

The retro delight that is, Miss Chicken Chasseur.

The couple everyone’s talking about Mr & Mrs Pork and Mushroom Stroganoff

The  exotic(ish) Signor Spicy Bean Cassoulet.

And, after the success of ‘The Artist’ who can forget… Madam French Onion Soup with her entourage, the unforgettable Goats Cheese Croutons dance band!!!.

We will of course have our rather special cakes and other goodies for you as well…

For more information on film night see our blog posted on the 30th of January….

• Comment (0)
• Tweet

From our Jewellery Qtr. Emporium

For those of you who haven’t been down to the #jq get ready to meet the Warwickshire based artist Shirley Cherry…

What is important to you in your art? …  I love people, trying to capture their personality in pencil or paint. I’ve sketched people all my life.  I used to pick on my parents and friends at school or on holiday and the habit has persisted ever since. Of course sometimes I just spot an interesting face and am compelled to draw them. I might only have a few minutes then they get up and walk away and I am left wondering who they were and what their life is all about.

What are your most amazing art moments?… As an innocent nineteen year old I took myself to Amsterdam and the Rijkstz Museum and saw Rembrandt’s Night Watch – it was thrilling, so vast and dark; possibly even more exciting as I was on my own in a strange place with my nerve endings tingling!

Then I went to Italy. I thought I knew about the Renaissance as I’d studied it in my first term at Uni, but when I got there I felt so small and naive, the Italians have such a head-start they eat, breathe and smell art through every pore, its hardwired into their pysche, and I had only just scratched the surface. So inspiring.

Why pick on the sixties?… It’s such an era of optimism and excitement – Mary Quant, Vidal Sassoon, David Bailey, Jean Shrimpton, The Beatles, Michael Caine, Andy Warhol, the Avengers – the list just goes on!  The world changed in the sixties but the sixties influence still keeps its irresistible, up-beat  appeal. I know its nostalgic but it just makes me smile and I think we all need a bit more of that today. . .. .and afterall I am a child of the sixties.

 Dogtastic – how does that fit in?…. Dog lovers would rather have a picture of their four-legged friend (or friends) than they would their closest relatives.  I’m almost as bad! Charlie, our Springer with extra bounce, has bewitched us all. Our attempts to discipline him are overturned by his ridiculous winsome ways!  For me, trying to reflect a dog’s personality in a painting is challenging enough but getting stuck in to the texture of their coat is something else: wiry, silky, shiny, flat or wild it’s really fun.

Why Coldplay? …The biggest rock band in the world – need I say more? I am completely smitten. I was blown away by their gig at Glastonbury. The whole production was sensational: music, lighting, lasers, different colour sets, mood changes and such charisma! A true feast of the senses, jam-packed with material for an artist to work on.

What’s the connection with Urban Coffee? … My friend Nicky Dowd introduced me to Urban Coffee Company in the Jewellery Quarter. It’s a fabulous melting pot of people. It attracts so many different characters all with their own agendas and yet everyone seems perfectly at their ease. It’s a great place to people watch for my portraits!

Is there anything else you want to add?…I hope people enjoy seeing my paintings at Urban Coffee. They are for sale, so if anyone loves them so much they want to take them home, then they can. Cherry Paintings are good to go!  You can see more of my work here. I hope that Peter and his team of Urbanistas will let me carry on exhibiting my work in this great social space, while I keep coming back for more Urban coffee shots!

• Comment (0)
• Tweet

From our Jewellery Qtr. Emporium

Over here at The Jewelry Quarter we are getting ever so excited as we get ready for our third storytelling event on Wednesday the 29th.

Fairy tales, folk tales, myths and fables; our oldest stories have long been brought to life by entertaining storytellers. Birmingham Storytellers’ Studio is dedicated to the practice and presentation of this ancient art form. Headed by experienced storyteller Graham Langley, Storytellers’ Studio entertains audiences of all ages with performances of traditional tales that create sheer magic, taking you on flights of imagination capable of surpassing JK Rowling and Philip Pullman in one swoop. This combination of timeless stories delivered in a lively contemporary setting is a sure-fire recipe for a great night out with Storytellers’ Studio at the Urban Coffee Company.

Food served from 6.30pm. Stories start at 7.30pm. (Tickets £7.00)

• Comment (0)
• Tweet

From our Jewellery Qtr. Emporium

As we all start planning our Valentines surprises (if you haven’t, you’d better) it’s impossible not to start getting in to a slighty ‘loved up’ mood.  With that in mind we thought it might be a nice idea to have a bit of a Romantic film for our 3rd Film Event and 1st Supper and Film Evening which is coming up this February.

We are going to be showing David Lean’s classic “Brief Encounter” where in a café at a railway station, housewife Laura Jesson meets doctor Alec Harvey & although she is already married, they gradually fall in love. They continue to meet every Thursday in the small café, although they know that their love is impossible.

So why not join us in our own small café on Thursday the 16th of February. And, don’t worry, it’s not on the big day itself so come with friends, come with loved ones,  come on your own, hey – come with your teddy it really doesn’t matter…. we’re very free and easy.

Pop in to either of our emporiums to pick up your £10.00 supper ticket which will get you a delicious supper and a glass of wine, beer, soft or  hot drink.

And, because we’re just that civilised there will even be a little interval during the film where you can pop to the WC or pick up a piece of cake from the bar.

Date Thursday the 16th Feb. Doors Open 6pm. Food served form 6.30. Film Starts 7.30.

Email peter@urbancoffee.co.uk  or pop in to either of our Emporiums for more information.

• Comment (1)
• Tweet

From our Jewellery Qtr. Emporium

I’m so sorry this is late, but alas I have been slightly under the weather the last few days and so our little weekly update about the kitchen’s goings on has been delayed. But joy at last, here it is.

Our New Year’s resolution to keep fit as you will know by now has turned our thinking to crafting some exciting healthy options here in the JQ kitchen (we hope it might even steal your ravenous eye away from that delicious slab of cake but perhaps more realistically, you could have both!)

You may have already experienced the potentially life changing tropical fruit pots in our emporiums We’ve had them on since the beginning of January, but now I’m going to tell you all about just HOW good they are for you and why you’ll feel invincible even when it is 8am and you only staggered to bed 5 hours earlier after one too many bottles of red…!

Tropical fruits are high in antioxidants which help to neutralize the free radicals that form during the normal process of oxidation. Free radicals can damage healthy cells and have been shown to promote cancerous growths, asthma attacks, heart disease and joint pain. Our pots contain 6 free radical fighters including the kiwi, orange, melon, grape, pineapple and, a fruit that various studies have suggested can even rejuvenate those precious brains of yours, the amazing blueberry.

Some of these studies have shown that blueberries help alleviate the cognitive decline occurring in Alzheimer’s disease and even lower brain damage in stroke victims. They can also help with high blood pressure as anthocyanins, which are found in blueberries, cause blood vessels to relax and increase production of nitric oxide that helps in maintaining normal blood pressure (grat if you in one of those stresfull meetings). Perhaps most intriguing of all, a study soon to be published found supplementation of diets with wild blueberry juice enhanced memory and learning in older adults while also reducing symptoms of depression.

So when you’re taking a break from work, replace your blackberry with a blueberry and recharge yourself to 100% with the best coffee in town and a pot of colourful fruit that will do all it can to compensate for those indulgent evenings!

Lyndon, Latte 2 sugars.

• Comment (0)
• Tweet

From our Jewellery Qtr. Emporium

This week we have had a great week in the Kitchen…. Talking to suppliers, planning menus for our first Supper and Film Night – yep, it’s all go here. However, don’t think we’ve taken our eye off our healthy menu goal of 2012. The French onion soup went down a storm! Remember all of those lovely health benefits of onions – and yes, we managed to make it vegetarian! We’ve also started our new freshly made Tropical Fruit Salads which are now available every day at both our emporiums.
From next Tuesday, there will be a new addition to our sandwich fridges. A lovely houmous, carrot and red pepper stuffed pitta. ‘Why?’, I hear you ask. Well, I’ll tell you all about it and why houmous is a star…
• Chickpeas,
o Very healthy, not containing any cholesterol or saturated fats.
o Rich in protein it’s a favourite among vegetarians.
o Also thought to be effective in preventing build up of cholesterol in the blood vessels and helping maintain correct blood sugar levels.
• Tahini
o Full of fat and calories but used sparingly in our houmous.
o Mostly contains unsaturated fat
o Great source of protein and calcium
• Olive oil,
o High monounsaturated fat content but low in saturated fat.
o Can help regulate cholesterol and help protect the heart from various diseases.
• Garlic and lemon juice
o Filled with antioxidants that reduce oxidative stress in the body.
o Also work to improve immune functions and fight off bacteria and viruses.

Well there’s that’s hummus for you and that’s not all it also contains plenty of Omega 3 fatty acids, which are great for improving intelligence and maintaining a healthy heart. On top of it all, is also has iron, vitamin B6, manganese, copper, folic acid, and amino acids. Tryptophan, phenylalanine, and tyrosine are the amino acids found in hummus that can promote good quality sleep and uplift one’s mood… WOW!

Now mix all those that goodness with carrot – which has been shown to help in the fight against cardio vascular disease – and the Red pepper – high in vitamin C – pop it all on a wholewheat pitta and I think you’ll agree you’ve got one healthy lunch!

Lyndon x – Latte, 2 sugars

• Comment (0)
• Tweet

From our Jewellery Qtr. Emporium

We’ve all finished our first week back at work after the excesses of the festive period and we don’t know about you but all we’ve been hankering for all week is fresh, healthy, make-you-feel-like-a-temple-type food. We’ve been clanking our spatulas together in the JQ Kitchen to come up with some fantastic new foodie treats that tick all those boxes. Over the next few weeks and all the way in to spring we will be offering new goodies, and these really are “good-ies.”

From next week we’ll have fresh fruit salads ready to give you that vitamin boost you need to fight off those evil little colds during the winter months. We’ll also have brand new soups on offer to soothe and revive you as well as other healthy lunchtime options. We’re going to be using as many “Super Foods” as we can & every week I’ll publish a brand new blog about the health benefits of one of our new menu items.

This week we’re all about the humble Onion… The W. H.O. supports the use of onions for the treatment to prevent atherosclerosis,who knew! As well as  providing relief in the treatment of coughs and colds, asthma and bronchitis and being a very rich source of (now here’s the science part) fructo-oligosaccharides, that stimulate the growth of healthy bifidobacteria and suppress the growth of potentially harmful bacteria in the colon. In addition, they can reduce the risk of tumours developing in the colon. If that’s not enough, onions contain a number of sulfides similar to those found in garlic which may lower blood lipids and blood pressure.  From next Tuesday then French Onion Soup will be on the menu at least once a week so keep an eye on our twitter and facebook to find out when!

Next Friday I’ll introduce you to the health benefits of another one of our new lunch items ‘Houmous, Carrot and Red Pepper stuffed Wholemeal Pita’ – is it lunch time yet, I’ve got myself hungry.

Lyndon

Latte, 2 Sugars.  

• Comment (0)
• Tweet

From our Jewellery Qtr. Emporium

You may have heard, but It’s Christmas (nearly) And, this Wednesday we’re really getting in to the holiday spirit here at our lovely Jewellery Quarter Emporium as we screen Frank Capra’s charming classic ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’.

We will be serving hot dogs, and other hot food  so in case you don’t have time for dinner you can still get some grub and we are licensed for that night so why not treat yourself to wines, ales and all sorts of mulled goodies! Doors will be open from 6pm, film start 7pm with a small well placed interval for that all important top up and toilet break.

£5 will get you in with a hot drink and popcorn. Reserving and paying in advance (at either store) will guarantee you entry and a decent seat, otherwise just like Haloween  you can turn up on the night and pay, but please be aware the best seats will be first come first serve!

Now what could be better then getting cosy with some mulled wine and a warm mince pie and letting James Stewart get you in the festive mood!!

• Comment (1)
• Tweet

From our Jewellery Qtr. Emporium

Okay, so it’s December…we can just about believe that & it’s what, two weeks till Christmas…. Yep, we can just about believe that too. But the fact that in 2 days our gem in the Jewellery Quarter is one year old… Now, that can’t be true?!

But guys, it is!

The planning is all under-way for the Big Birthday Bash on the 14^th of December. We will have music, festive treats, games & we’ve even got a temporary alcohol licence (which should help with the sponsored “Sit on Angry Santa’s” knee – We don’t have all the details of that yet, but hey it’s going to be great)

We are going all out to say thank you and Merry Christmas to all you lovely people who make everything possible & to celebrate our big Birthday. What’s more we will be launching proper our Christmas and New Year Fund-raising Appeal which will be running through December and January, raising money to give two previously homeless people the chance to change their lives in 2012 with Frost and Snow Cupcake Bakery.

So keep the evening of the 14^th free tell your friends and family too. More info will be coming out next week!!!!

• Comment (5)
• Tweet