Ever since the inception of Digbeth Dining Club back in 2012 it's been a much loved part of Birmingham's culinary scene. It's branched out over the years and I'm here today at Hockley Social Club to indulge in the wide range of food on offer.
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00:00 So, Hockley Social Club is a venue that we actually started after COVID and we came out
00:07 of the ashes really of Digbeth Dining Club when we were based over in Digbeth and unfortunately
00:12 we couldn't go back to Digbeth after COVID and we'd taken this space on prior to that
00:18 and we wanted to carry on doing street food, showcasing some stuff but we also wanted to
00:22 create something new.
00:23 Whereas Digbeth Dining Club was all about the street food, we wanted to create something
00:27 that was all about extenuating and celebrating the culture of the city.
00:35 Situated in a former printing factory on an old industrial estate, Hockley Social Club
00:41 has blossomed into what the community here affectionately call an urban oasis.
00:46 The food can be taken as the centrepiece of the evening or to complement the entertainment,
00:51 with everything from live music to comedy and even conferences on hot button topics.
00:56 The vibe is mature yet casual, offering a unique platform for the vendors here.
01:02 Yeah, so it brings loads of benefits.
01:04 It's a great place, it's in city centre, it's undercover which is a great thing when you're
01:09 predominantly working street food.
01:10 It's good to get a bit of cover over here.
01:14 We've gone from the Stamps to Jemfrew, all through COVID we've worked with them and now
01:17 with this new venue we've done really well.
01:20 We've opened a restaurant off the back of it, we've got another residency, we've got
01:23 another restaurant coming.
01:24 It gives us a platform where we don't have a permanent resident, so for us this is our
01:29 permanent residency.
01:30 We've got a kitchen space here, we can interact, we can provide people and obviously it helps
01:34 us massively in terms of overhead costs.
01:37 Unashamedly taking advantage of the perks of the job, the vendors today each cooked
01:41 me up a dish to try myself.
01:44 So I'm going to do for you our signature dish of the jerk fried strips and that's something
01:48 you serve with as a prize of your choice.
01:50 If you're taking a recommendation, I'll go for the honey soy fries.
01:53 So I'm going to cook for you today a Dirty South, it's one of our most popular burgers,
01:57 been on the menu since we started.
01:59 It's garlic mayo, crispy onions, barbecue, all the trimmings on the salad and smashed
02:04 beef patty and American cheese and it's the go-to if you want a patty freak.
02:08 Today we're cooking turkey shawarma, lamb and chicken, served with fries, with our homemade
02:15 sauces, a people's slaw and a fresh salad.
02:19 Today I'm going to be cooking my signature dish which is Hainanese chicken rice based
02:23 on Singapore's national dish.
02:24 We have our own little version of it here and it's our best selling dish at Oxysocial
02:28 club.
02:29 So a bit of spice, a bit of sweetness, a bit of tanginess, poached chicken.
02:32 It's a beautiful dish.
02:36 No compliance from me with any of these masterpieces, you can tell that every meal was made with
02:42 passion.
02:43 It was well worth calling a cheat day and surrendering myself to each delicious dish.
02:47 There's a perfect mix here, from the aromatic and exotic to the comforting and indulgent.
02:53 Based on my trip tonight, Hockey Social Club has certainly earned its fixture as a premier
02:58 destination in Birmingham's nightlife and dining scene.
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