The highly anticipated independent restaurant from Ash and Erin Valenzuela-Heeger will open in Stirchley – date to be announced
Riverine Rabbit will open bookings for its new Stirchley-based restaurant in Birmingham at midday on Monday 11th December at https://www.riverinerabbit.co.uk/reservations
Bookings will be available from 5th January 2024 with the restaurant potentially opening beforehand, details to be confirmed.
Originally born by Ash and her sister, Mandy, in Cape Town, and now spearheaded by Ash and Erin, Riverine Rabbit combines South African roots and flavours with seasonal British produce. The name is inspired by the Karoo Desert where the elusive riverine rabbit lives with a nod to Ash and Erin’s ongoing endeavour to support sustainable farming practices.
Ash began her career at the age of sixteen working part-time as a prep chef in a local restaurant, before enrolling at cookery college and then working alongside Luke Dale-Roberts of The Test Kitchen, listed as one of the World’s Best 50 Restaurants, in South Africa and then Brad Carter at Carters of Moseley in the UK.
Erin, co-owner of Riverine Rabbit, is a Materials Scientist by day and will take up role as Front of House Manager at Riverine Rabbit by night.
Provenance remains central to the menu, with Ash taking time to get to know farmers and producers locally and further afield in the UK to ensure that The Rabbit is sourcing ingredients with consideration and sustainability top of mind.
The menu will be made up of up to 16 small plates and will take in favourite dishes from Riverine Rabbit’s series of pop-ups over the summer, including the Crab Muffin. There will be a heavy focus on Wild Game, as well as seafood, and a substantial vegetarian offering for plant-based guests.
Guests can order as many or as few dishes as they prefer. On Mondays, an affordable Prix Fixe menu of four courses for £30 (with optional add-ons) will be available. The full menu will be released later in December.
With Ash and Erin undertaking most of the renovations themselves the interior of the restaurant will be simple and stripped back, allowing the dishes to take centre stage. The wine list is predominantly South African in origin with beers exclusively supplied by Glasshouse. A wide range of alcohol-free options will also be available.
Ash and Erin, said, “It’s taken a lot of hard work to get here, to say we’re keen to open our doors is an understatement. We’ve worked hard to create an informal space for our guests to enjoy our ethos and food. There’s no pressure or restrictions, we want our guests to order as many or as few dishes as they fancy, and to just come along and enjoy The Rabbit.”
The restaurant will open its doors Mondays to Fridays for dinner only.
Riverine Rabbit is at 1464 Pershore Road, Stirchley. Bookings can be made at https://www.riverinerabbit.co.uk/reservations