For weeks I had been craving ramen; really craving real ramen and whinging about not being able to have it so when my boyfriend said he'd found a restaurant that did ramen, and it appeared to be real ramen, I was over the moon. That restaurant was The Peach Tree in Shrewsbury where Chris Burt and his team bring love, enthusiasm and passion for great food, local ingredients and fabulous flavours together on plates that can only be described as works of art.

I was in love with the food from that very first night and when we returned a fortnight later we had the huge honour of meeting Chris and talking about the upcoming opening of Momo No Ki and the launch of his book. To hear that they were opening another restaurant next door dedicated to the amazing foods and flavours of south-east Asia already had me ecstatic, but to hear and see Chris talk about it with such passion combined with the exquisite pictures of food in the book had me enraptured.

Tonight was opening night and it was as wonderful as I expected. On arrival we were greeted by the lovely Kirstie and made to feel like we were walking into a friend's home. The decor and vibe works perfectly to capture the essence of a more casual dining experience partnered with the exquisite food and service we've come to expect from The Peach Tree. 

The Piggy Bits brought over from The Peach Tree are the perfect fusion of Shropshire ingredients and south East Asian flavours. Crispy and moreish, these little morsels of deliciousness wetted the appetite perfectly; and also gave the boyfriend an opportunity to practice his chopstick skills. 

The Kangaroudon consisted of perfectly cooked kangaroo that melts in the mouth along with a dashi that was packed full of umami. The Taishoken combined the wonderfully crispy Middle Farm pork belly with perfectly cooked Togarashi scallops in a delicately balanced Xo dashi. And the MoMo Mojito is quite simply awesome. 

So whether you fancy ramen or fish and chips, either The Peach Tree or Momo No Ki promises to take you on a multisensory journey of wonderment.

Momo No Ki is available now from all good book retailers

@MomoNoKiRamen and @ThePeachTree1 are both on Twitter 

Our mission today was two-fold; firstly to see if VMF's regular menu stood up to the menu we were served at the food champion's evening two weeks ago and secondly to keep an eye out for anybody who looked like they may be even remotely associated with a certain Italian or Dutch football manager.

On the second point we failed, but VMF certainly didn't.

Myself and the recently crowned Miss Birmingham, Natalie Cutler, both attended VMF's most recent food champions evening. Mr Brown decided that he'd rather interview Miss Birmingham than me, can't possibly think why...must be the sash.

So I'll do my own review.