The 12th of April is coming, and The UK will slowly start to emerge from Lockdown following the UK governments Roadmap to recovery. Restaurant’s and other hospitality venue’s will open however only providing Al fresco dining but many will be cheering about the news of the curfew and the substantial meal rule being scrapped. I have put together a list of restaurants that are now taking bookings and planning to open from the 12th of April 2021 in the North of Birmingham. Many are booked up already so be quick if you want to get out of the house and dine outside huddling together under a heated outdoor lamp.
I will be updating this list every week, so please check back!
Introducing a vibrant new independent to Birmingham located in the Great Western Arcade you’ll find The Pineapple Club, A new bar that is currently slaying the Birmingham bar scene. Neon lights, pink interior, art deco furniture and the Basic Bitch photo opportunities to be had here, The Pineapple Club is bringing the EXTRA that Birmingham so badly needs!
Opened in September, bookings are filling up quite fast so I managed to book in for early October on a Friday from 5.30 pm to 7 pm for drinks and food. Arriving at The Pineapple Club you enter into the shop where they sell a variety of wines and cheeky alcohol beverages, looking a little bare yes, but its quality over quantity here Bab and there is quite the impressive selection of booze on offer. Walking up the stairs you are hit with botanical and pink neon scenes that is sure to make you eye lit up!
Straight away, this place oozes sexiness and style, So stylish with the 1920s interior with art deco styled furniture throwing in a bit of futuristic neon creating those Instagram photo shoots opportunities. We all are a sucker for a little of neon and pink so straight away my eyes lit up to this and got me quite excited!
Sitting down at our table we took a look at the drinks menu which is very impressive, you got your basic bitch cocktails like Pornstar Martini but then you got your fancy and creative cocktails such as candy club punch and Kawaii Milk. If you don’t fancy a cocktail you can always opt for Wine and beer. They also provide non-alcohol cocktails and soft drinks for those who fancy a quiet one or don’t drink alcohol. In regards to the food menu, they do a good selection of Spanish tapas inspired small plates from meat dishes such as chorizo to vegetarian dishes such as Colombian Arepas with guacamole. We did worry a bit with the amount of food we were going to order as the table was quite small so we did ask if we could change tables however this was not allowed as all tables were booked up.
For the drinks, I ordered a Candy club Punch, Beefeater pink gin, fruit wine, cranberry and vintage candy cordial, so fruity, so sweet and so satisfying. Very easy to drink too however could be going down the dangerous route as I was drinking it like fruit juice! For food, we ordered Gambas al Ajillo (prawns), chorizo, chicken skewers, Colombian Arepas with guacamole and the cheese board for two. The lady who served us was very informative, one of my friends only eats Halal meat so she was very helpful in advising which dishes would be best to eat such as vegetarian dishes.
The food came within 15 minutes, and it was quite the squeeze fitting it on the table however we managed it. The chorizo dish was beautiful but it never came with sliced bread in what the menu said (however we did ask for this and it came straight away, no problem)The prawns were cooked to perfection, couldn’t fault them and full of flavor. Colombian Arepas was surprisingly delicious (it was the least dish I was looking forward to) and the portion was pretty generous!
Unfortunately, the cheeseboard was a little bit disappointing in regards to size and variety, I expected more cheese’s and more meats HOWEVER what was there was delicious, just could do with a bit more variety. The cheeseboard also came with pickles and breadsticks, there was nothing to dip the breadsticks in so to me, it was quite random, it would have been better to have a dip (aioli) or freshly baked bread to put the cheese and meats on top. Early days of course for Pineapple Club but maybe these things can be considered.
The meal came to £60 between three £20 each, which I was very happy to pay and really enjoyed the meal. If you’re looking to improve your Instagram game and chill out with a couple of cocktails and eat some good food hit this place up! It is really thriving and quite busy in there, but no wonder, they got it right, Brum needed something like this. We need more neon, botanical, fancy pink interior and basic bitch vibes because let’s face it, we all have a basic bitch in us and we bloody love it!
There is no doubt in my mind that The Pineapple Club will continue to succeed and become a much loved independent in Birmingham by Brummies and travellers to our City. Thank you to The Pineapple Club for having us and Welcome to Brum Babs!
I tell you I’m like a walking-talking Expedia when it comes to Digbeth, dare I say it but I have another exciting attraction for you all to try out in Digbeth however with this one, you’re going to have to get your hands dirty Bab. Introducing The Big Birmingham Bake in Digbeth which is a competitive cooking experience where you have 90 minutes to create the winning bake and be in with a chance of taking home the Best Baker price. Very similar to the channel 4 GBBO but you don’t have to be an experienced baker and you don’t have to do it alone, you can work in teams of two. So I was pretty much over the moon when The Big Birmingham Bake invited me and Heather down to try out this brand new experience!
Upon arrival, you see the tent where the baking takes place. Opposite the tent is a couple of old bike containers offering a quirky sitting area where you can grab a coffee before the fun begins. When your time arrives you are then gathered together by the head baker to show/scan your ticket, then you head-on into the tent and choose your work station. A recipe card that you follow with all instructions is laid out for you as well with all ingredients (these are already weighed) ovens are already preheated and your baking tools are all there. The one thing we said on the way to the bake-off was “I hope we are not making doughnuts” not because I don’t like them, but because they are funny buggers to make, but guess what, it was Doughnut month, so of course, We are baking doughnuts kids!
Before we start we are given a short introduction by the head baker who went over the rules and safety procedures we must follow. The most important rule is “just have fun” and just like that my game face came on. I was eyeing up my competitors and I was choosing my enemies. It was like mean girls meets Bake-off, but of course it was healthy competitiveness. I had no plans to sabotage other bakers creations….or did I? Before my evil genius plans were coming together they were suddenly melted away by…
3..2..1 BAKE!
Everyone starts running around like headless chickens scrambling over the recipe cards and ingredients. The recipe is pretty straight forward it’s like GCSE Food Technology and you also have baker assistants there to help you if you get a bit beaten up with the baking. At the front, you have the shelves stacked with decorations, flavourings, and food colours. We were making two types of doughnuts. The ring doughnuts that were to be judged on presentation and the filled doughnuts that were to be judged on taste.
We decided to make toffee apple and cinnamon doughnuts. The ingredients were all over our work station as the pressure of the bake-off was mounting especially when they announce how much time you have left every 30 minutes and where you should be at. A little tip for you guys, you only live once…lick the bowl 😛 . It was great to get in touch with your creative side when it comes to decorating the doughnuts, for the ring doughnuts we went for a marble blue cinnamon icing covered in galaxy stars and eyes and for the filled doughnuts we rolled them in sugar and pink wafers using the same filling as the ring doughnuts. Like two kids in a free frawl candy shop, me and Heather got very creative with our doughnuts.
Surprisingly we didn’t find ourselves having any hiccups along the way but I noticed that there was always help whenever you needed it from the staff who are all lovely, so if you did manage to balls something up it can be fixed so donut worry about it! The time flies by your so busy with checking the times on your creations and making sure you are following the ingredients properly that you do easily lose sight of the time as well as just enjoying being part of the competition.
3..2..1 TIMES UP
We finished just in time and so did everyone else. We all brought our doughnuts to the front and you could just see a buffet of doughnuts with a range of colours and decoration, what a pretty picture. We all went around the group and explained what we made and the head baker got stuck into tasting them all which was absolutely hilarious to watch as the head baker is pretty honest, so if something doesn’t taste right they will say but of course, in a light-hearted way.
After a quick deliberation it was time to announce the results…
And we got beaten by an 8-year-old kid! but I think it was only because he said it was his birthday and well come on, we’ve all used that chestnut before, haven’t we?! Every time I go to Harry Potter world I say it’s my birthday so I get to open the doors to the great hall even when it’s obviously not my birthday resulting in the kids giving me death stares…suckers. However all the doughnuts were pretty incredible, I was with a right creative bunch and even though we didn’t win, I was proud that we actually created doughnuts and didn’t bugger it up! I took my doughnuts home and offered them to my Mom in which she responded: “ Did 5 years old make those?”…oh donut even go there sugar plum! because 6 doughnuts became 2 the very next day and I caught the culprit that was my Mother tucking into them whilst watching Judge Rinder.
The Big Birmingham Bake is truly a fantastic experience that I would recommend within a heartbeat to anyone, it’s fun, it’s exciting and competitive! A great quirky take on the Chanel 4 great British bake-off, so if you love the show, you will love this. A truly wonderful and exhilarating experience racing against the clock covered in buttercream and sprinkles, I took home two deserts: my doughnuts and myself, a sure winner in Birmingham!
Week day tickets are priced at £39.50 and weekend tickets are price at £42.50. Grab you tickets here
Introducing the newest addition to Digbeth, NQ64 is a new arcade bar located in the heart of the Custard Factory inviting gamers to relive their childhoods with classic 80s/90s arcade games that we used to rinse our parents of their money to play. Me and my friend Laura was invited to the launch night on Thursday and just like that, We stepped into a time machine and went back to the 90s to relive our forgotten youth.
Stepping into NQ64 is like stepping into the world of Stranger Things teaming up with Pizza Planet from Toy Story with, of course, a splash of Digbeth. UV lighting, neon paint and then you hear them “ITS-A ME, MARIO” “FINISH HIM” “K.O.” all the iconic phrases you would hear as a child in a 90s arcade. As a child, you would run to the nearest available game but as an adult, you now would run to the nearest bar or toilet.
The bar is not the biggest, but it seemed to have quite a few staff members behind there juggling glasses. Staff are very pleasent and interacte well with gamers. The drinks menu is on the board offering a variety of arcade-themed cocktails, beers/ales on draught and bottles. I went for the princess peach cocktail which is a peached flavoured prosecco and Laura went for Bubble Bobble which is a combination of rum/gin coconut prosecco which came in one of those ice blast cups, very quirky I like it! I found the cocktails to be quite sweet but that didn’t stop me from throwing it down me, I did opt for a pale ale in the iconic red cup which was very lovely! The prices of the drinks are reasonable, cocktails are priced at £8 and Ales around £4.50. NQ64 do not offer hot food but they do offer a variety of arcadian themed crisp such as space raiders and space invaders.
An impressive game selection here in NQ64 you have your head to head games such as Tekken, Mario Kart and even Crash Bandicoot team racing. I could spend hours on Mario kart and one thing I really like about this place is that anyone can join in with you, you come with your friends and its very impossible to make even more friends in NQ64. Time Crisis was a favourite of mine, Laura and I found ourselves shoving the tokens down the slots and slamming down on the continue button, Time Crisis did strip us the most of our tokens.The pinball machines are also great fun but I found myself coming out with sounds that I didn’t even know they existed in me. To some people, they must have sounded like “fooling around” noises. Take note Amy not to enjoy yourself too much in public places.
The prices for games are feasible, they offer a deal of 15 tokens for £6 behind the bar. When looking around you will notice 80s/90s video arcade memorabilia scattered around such as token coins and comic book covers. Good news! this place doesnt have those rob dog coin pusher “games” do you know how much pocket money I lost as a child on those Saturn machines?! You put money in and you get nothing in return, its like the gold digger of machines.
A paradise for gamers, you could spend hours in here and as for first dates, I think NQ64 just kicked Ghetto Golfs arse by taking the crown as the new first dates spot in Digbeth.
Another exciting new venue to Digbeth that is sure to have a thriving future here in Birmingham. Great vibe through out the venue with 90s hip hop playing in the background, great combination of drinks and a very generous offering of retro arcade gaming. Some would say NQ64 is a bar for “Gamer Nerds” maybe so, but it’s also a great place to let your hair down, take off that work tie and just have some good hard fun with friends. I may warn you friendships might be at stake here but the feeling of beating your friends on the driving games when they have a license and you dont is utterly delightful.
Come on through Roxy Ball Room, another brand new addition to Digbeth that is guaranteed to be a popular attraction for all in Birmingham. Located on Heath Mill Lane just right next door to Birdies bar and just round the corner from Digbeth Dining Club, Digbeth is thriving lately with more independents and attractions opening up every month, so why not throw another one into the mix hey?! I was invited to the launch night of Roxy Ball Room, a venue offering a variety of thrilling games for all to enjoy. From bowling, beer pong to arcade games, there’s plenty to explore in this adult version of Disneyland.
Arriving at 6.15 pm the venue was already getting packed out, the sound of bowling strikes, the clinking of glasses and the cheers from groups of people already enjoying themselves and its only 15 minutes into opening time?! The venue is pretty big offering a good selection of games that are spread out on two floors. The ground floor offers bowling, arcade games, bar and a few beer pong tables whereas upstairs offers more games such as ping pong, pool tables, shuffleboards and well, even more beer pong! Right next to the bar on the ground floor is the games desk where you would book your games.
The bar offers a variety of craft beers, wines and flashy cocktails, with all that on offer we pulled the basic bitch move, glass of prosecco, please! The first thing that caught my eye when you walk into Roxy is the Arcadian basketball machines. Pumped up to shoot some hoops, like an absolute klutz I spilt my prosecco over the machine-For god sake, you silly bugga Amy. Filling up with embarrassment as I had only been here no more than 15 minutes, one of the staff members came out of nowhere advising me not to worry, cleaned up the prosecco and then like a knight in shining armour brought me another prosecco with a smile within a minute, now that’s a bloody good service right there.
After shooting some hoops we made our way to the games desk and booked the bowling, straight away we were offered a lane. The game was set up already for us and also a staff member was there ready and waiting for any drinks or food orders. It’s £8 per person per game which is cheaper than my local. The bowling is just good solid fun, I haven’t played bowling in years and the thought of juggling heavy balls for the night doesn’t really excite me, but I absolutely loved it. My friend and I were howling with laughter, I managed to pull it out of the bag and get myself a strike, however, being all “Billy big balls” from my strike, soon landed me in the gutter and losing the game. Now, If you don’t fancy bowling there is plenty of fun-filled games to get that competitive streak out of you! Why not fancy a bit of beer pong? Balls, Brummies and booze? Now that’s a cocktail I’ll have any time of the day.
Talking of cocktails, there is a variety on offer behind the bar from signature cocktails, craft beers and for groups, they provide drink packages for reasonable prices. For those who fancy a quiet night (lolz) or still participating in “Dry January” there is a good selection of mocktails and soft drinks on offer. The service is pretty sharp here, I didn’t wait long at all to order a drink (2 minutes) and being a 5 ft 1 girl, the struggle is real when ordering a drink at the bar. Again the customer service was fantastic, very friendly and accommodating.
Now on to the food, from baked to perfection pizzas to naughty dripping burgers on offer to satisfy your taste buds or to help soak some of that alcohol up Pal. The pizzas are delicious but dangerous, as Laura and I found ourselves drooling over the bar a couple of times watching the chefs bake even more pizza and signalling them to feed us more. The portions differ, if you’re not feeling that hungry you can always opt for snacks such as cracked pepper chips and Mac N Cheese bites. Roxy also offers vegan and gluten-free options, these are highlighted on the menu. The prices are spot on for the portion and quality of food you get.
Another fantastic attraction that fits in perfectly in Digbeth with its industrial “Ready Player One” interior, Electric vibes flowing throughout and Birmingham artwork honouring the city with Birmingham icons such as Ozzy Osbourne and Mike Skinner. This playground for adults is guaranteed to give all a bloody tip-top time. The prices are reasonable, the staff are fun and attentive to gamers and the atmosphere is buzzing. The only negative I would say about Roxy Ball Room is that all good things must come to an end and I didn’t want the night to end, you could balls it all up and still have a bloody awesome time in there. Round up your crew and head on down to Roxy Ball Room in Digbeth, it’s time to put on that game face and get your ballz wet Babs!
Thank you for the invite and welcome to the Digbeth family, Roxy Ball Room. To many people Roxy will be right up their alley. This place is guaranteed to become a Brummie gem in months to come.
Okay, So I am currently up at 2 am in the morning writing this up because guess who decided to get so drunk on a school night? This moron right here. I can now say those two words that most parents dread to hear…ITS CHRISTMAS
*QUE THE WIZZARD SONG” Every year Christmas seems to get bigger and bigger and those pockets of yours seem to get emptier and emptier. Birmingham is always coming up with new and exciting Christmas related events to draw those with the spirit of Christmas in so when a mysterious event popped up called “Once Upon A Time In Birmingham” of course, it caught my attention however this is one event that might make you want to stay clear of Christmas this year.
Nested in the old Jamie Italian restaurant lies Once Upon A Time in Birmingham. A festive pop up with 88,000 festive lights, tea parlour, party bar and event space brought to you Bompas & Parr. Walking through the front doors I was greeted with many smiles and gold shredded tinsel. The bar was on the left and a metal chain hanging curtain was straight in front which was the entrance to the light extravaganza. First thoughts, a strange combination of materials but okay, we will go with this.
When entering the main attraction my eyes lit up, 88,000 various hanging Christmas lights and a variety of bizarre Christmas decorations you had in your house from the ’90s. They had a fair share of seating areas, from tables and chairs to booths and even a section that wasn’t lit up at all which seemed to me, very out of place. We were told that later on in the night the seating area by the DJ Booth would go and would turn into a dance floor. It’s different and it’s very extra but we like different here in Birmingham, so lets get into this!
Sitting down in the “vibrating” booth which certainly did not give me good vibrations because we couldn’t feel any vibration at all. We took a look at the menu, a range of festive drinks from eggnog to winter spiced champagne cocktails. Beers and wines were also on the menu. Its order at the bar service and I decided to go for the winter spiced champagne cocktail.
Now, please tell me how I got quite pissed off half a cocktail? Well, I tell you why because they got the alcohol measurement totally wrong. When the bartender came over to take our next drink options, I mentioned it and he said they had 60% whiskey in there and had JUST cut it down as it was way too strong. I should bloody think so, I was hanging on those Christmas decorations like a pissed-up fairy on a Christmas tree. I decided to let them off and I ordered a gin & pomegranate drink which was a lot more drinkable and had the flavours of christmas. We tried a variety of the drinks, all with festive ingredients and they do smell lovely!
Looking around I noticed a couple of issues, the décor on opening night you expect those 88,000 lights to be working, they weren’t all working. It was a bizarre mixture of lights, I had it in my head it was going to be all the same but mixing with the tinsel and the other odd Christmas décor (also the random white Christmas tree that didn’t go at all) it’s like Elton John meets EastEnders in this joint. Now, I am no interior design expert but from my experience of designing and building houses on The Sims… it would have looked a lot more classy with the same lighting throughout and no tinsel crap. The area that turns into a dance floor is quite concerning because I can just see with the boozy drinks offerings and the cheeky helium balloons they have on the menu, it’s going to be Christmas day mayhem of ripping down those decorations. I feel for the cleaners.
The booze was catching up with me and the scent of cinnamon was irritating my nose so when things get a bit too overpowering for me, I like to sit down and have a cup of tea and that’s exactly what I did, I ordered a cup of tea at Santa’s grotto. There was no escaping these Christmas scents because cinnamon was also in the tea. Taking in the loud scenery we were offered these pretty cool looking glasses to try on to get the full “experience” boy, would you get an experience alright, an experience of someone throwing up over you with these badboys. You can’t see a bloody thing and I even tried to drink my cup of tea wearing them in which I failed to do so and I ended up sipping back a chunk of my jumper.
The only food we got to try was the crystal-clear jelly which we saw on the promotional photo on the website that looked stunning with the lights reflecting of it, so we were really looking forward to this. When it came over our first impressions was…it’s tiny and it stinks of Christmas. Now I know why many places don’t sell clear jelly because soon as I saw it, I was rolling out that scene from Something About Mary in my head. What can I say? It tasted like nothing but that’s jelly anyway, but I was expecting a bit of a Christmas tweak to the pud. They offer a festive afternoon tea but looking at this it seems there are just deserts and tea, you can’t call it an afternoon tea if there are no BUNS HUN?! Where’s the sandwiches?! Let’s be honest when we have afternoon tea we want more savoury than sweets so I don’t know how this is going to work…
Honesty is the best policy and I have to say, I really wanted to love this but it was a little bit of a let down for me. Its amazing when you are full of alchol and I think every one should go and see it, the first words you will say when you see it is “OH WOW” it’s very extra and its very camp. Instagram obsessed girls would love it as there are many photo opportunities to be had and its fantastic for kids, kids will be AMAZED but playtime is over at 6pm. To me, the place looks unfinished and it comes across quite tacky. I couldn’t imagine spending a whole night in a throw-up Christmas without the christmas music? yep, a christmas event without christmas music but there was Chris Brown and Justin Bieber. I would recommend you all to check it out, I think it would be great to take the family for a 1 or 2 hours but its not a place you would keep rushing back to. A good attempt but if tweaked, it could be massively improved however for me, it didnt really capture the spirit of Christmas, it left me completly confused and I spent most of the night thinking I was at a 90s christmas party at my primary school.
Ever wondered what the future might look like? Look no more! Step into a futuristic urban world with rooms full of exploding colour and quirky artwork covering the walls of this fantastic venue. A variety of exciting and fun fulfilling games await you with refreshing cocktails and mouth watering delicious food. I had the pleasure of attending the launch night of The Floodgate in Digbeth and this is what went down in Digbeth’s newest attraction.
Floodgate Street Digbeth
Just turned 6.30 pm me and my cousin arrived at The Floodgate named after the street its on-Floodgate Street. We were greeted by a gentleman who gave us wrist bands for the various sporting activities that await us inside. The entrance is where you would check-in and pay for the games plus signing a disclosure for the batting cages in which you must read before you enter the cages. Entering the front doors, you see the Bleachers batting cages and the very large bar area full of seats and a wide variety of drinks. The music is upbeat, people were already smiling and we were offered a drink straight away..this is my kind of shindig.
We first had a look around with our vibrant and refreshing cocktails- very good choice on offer from gins to rum-based cocktails and plenty of beer. In the main room, you have the batting cages, the bar and doors that lead to an outside area where the independent food trucks are selling a variety of tasty and oh so satisfying food. The four food vendors are Home run pizza company, The Cookie Mumsters, That’s mature toasties and Phata Phat food. Good selection of variety there but we had to a bit of exploring first.
We finished our first cocktails and headed to play Pit Pat table golf, the UK’s first and only PitPat. A neon jungle room that is very generous in size and offers a variety of PitPat tables for you all to challenge each other and enjoy. It’s a race around the room, completing the variety of challenging Pit Pat courses that are harder than they look however I quite surprised myself, I was quite good at it.
The next room we went into was the curling lanes, this was one of my favourites and really brings the competitive side out of you… this game may cause a few argy-bargys! 3 curling lanes and more neon lights, the room also offers more seating areas where if you feel like giving up, you can go sit down and have a sulk on the sideline. What I absolutely love about this room, is the ceiling full of Slinkys, that’s right SLINKYS, it’s raining Slinkys! So creative and so Birmingham.
The final activity is the Bleachers Baseball batting cages where we first entered. This was the one game I wasn’t too sure about, but I absolutely loved. Only one person in the cage, you must wear a helmet, and you must stand by your mark. The balls shoot out pretty fast so it may take you by surprise at first, it never gets easier you just get better! This is great fun for groups and it’s so satisfying when you finally get that perfect hit.
On to the FOOD, my goodness and what a treat you guys are in for. We were absolutely spoilt, from pizza to cookie dough balls and butter chicken, it really did fulfil my taste buds and even satisfied my picky cousins food habits(she’s a hard one to please with food) As we sat down, the food just kept coming out and it was great to talk to some of the food vendors who were so excited as well as the Floodgate staff for the long-awaited opening. A shout out to Home run pizza company which was honestly the tastiest pizza I have ever had (3 little pigs Pizza) The food is fantastic and we both left with full satisfied bellies.
Another great attraction in Digbeth to draw friends, families, parties and even first dates. The vibe in here is electric, throwing back beers to upbeat music and hearing the roars of laughter throughout the venue. Another Brummie gem, Well done Floodgate I am sure you are going to do fantastically well! Thank you for the invite, it was an absolute pleasure and we had a belter of a time!
So many exciting attractions, it is never-ending! You really are spoiling us aren’t you Brum?
Hidden away on Gas Street, you will find this little gem of a place on the canals. A Gin bar offering masterclasses, cocktail making and TAPAS. Gin lovers are faced with a novel of gins to choose from and a varied food menu with great offers on all week. This has been on my list for quite some time to try out and finally, the time is here!
Entering the vault, it is a reasonable sized venue all lit up with fairy lights. Very pretty venue and very warming, the staff are there to greet you and make you feel welcomed, straight away I felt very comfortable in there. For some reason, it was giving me old London/Pirates vibes, something different and it’s something that draws you in and makes you sit your butt down! Now, where do I begin with the 40 pages worth of gin?! I mean, this is a gin bar, what do you expect? It’s not a gin bar if there not offering a bloody book full of the stuff, its safe to say that you will never be stuck for choice here. I asked for advice from the lady at the bar, who was very happy to help, I opted for a raspberry fruity gin cocktail that was refreshing and not too heavy.
We went for 6 tapas for £17.95 and we was spoilt for choice because there wasn’t one plate on that menu that we didn’t like. Good selection of meats, fish and vegetarian and some great gluten-free options. Its order at the bar service when we went to order our food however there were a few plates they didn’t have due to non-deliveries however they offered suggestions such as I wanted the mac and cheese with chorizo but they said they could do mac and cheese croquettes in which I was happy with that.
Looking around its defiantly a place I would recommend for dates, and somewhere I would go for pre-drinks, the little booths are so inviting but the benches could do with being a little bit bigger as we had to move as my bum kept sliding off or maybe I should just lay off the avocados? The lighting is quite dark and the candles create that homely cosy feel which creates a relaxing atmosphere.
The tapas portions are small but they are very filling. The tapas were very tasty and full of flavour, not the best tapas I have ever had as Spanish food is my favourite but it’s still very good! My favourite dish was the salmon bruschetta. I was impressed with the variety that’s on offer and the pricing, it’s very reasonable for what you are getting and I finished with a full belly and didn’t go snooping in the fridge when I got home.
Overall, another gem in Birmingham offering guests a unique experience and a great atmosphere for all kinds of occasions with an impressive selection of Gins. If you are a gin lover and looking to expand your palette, this is the place to do it. I would like to point out that there are other drink options such as beer, spirits and soft drinks. The staff are very friendly and very caring. I will defiantly go back here again to try out more of the fantastic food and try out the 400 gins that are on offer, this may take me some time!
Birmingham to classy Ibiza who says you can’t have both in a day Hey?
Birmingham has opened up its very own tropical paradise in the heart of Digbeth. Birdies is an outdoor cocktail bar with a beach/island theme selling refreshing cocktails and bloody good BBQ food.
Right next door to Ghetto Golf and just down the road from Digbeth Dining Club, you will see the Birdies neon sign flashing amongst palm trees to lure those of us desperate for a holiday. Stepping into Birdies is like stepping into your holiday without the hassle of early morning rises, broken toilet signs and crying children. The place has been made out of shipping containers (of course, that’s Digbeth for you) decorated in fantastic art that gives that quirky edge. Open roof in the centre means it’s the place to be in the summer, however, I am wondering what they are going to do when dreaded winter arrives.
It’s order at the tills, they have a main bar for ordering the drinks and then they have the kitchen bar where you can order the food. They do not display food menus on the tables so you will have to check the main menu by the food bar. From halloumi burgers to salt and pepper chicken and even ‘Buddha Bowls’- there is a variety on offer and they even cater for vegan and gluten free.
I opted for the salt and pepper chicken fries and a cheeky can of Estrella. Once ordered, I sat back and relaxed listening to the music, the music is bloody good in here and I need the playlist ASAP. Seating area is very generous here from container seats to barstools and deck chairs. Warning: the bar area is not so generous as there is only one bar, so it gets very busy on the nights as it’s lit up with fairy lights and looks like a classy full moon party-if they ever do exist. You have a great mixture of people in here, people of all ages and it’s great to see a couple of the old gals dancing with the young lads and teaching them how the older generation get down- I learnt a few things that night…
On to the important stuff, FOOD. The food is from streetvendor Apocalypse Cow who also provides the food for Ghetto Golf. It took about 20 minutes to come but I didn’t really care about the wait as I was too busy downing my drink and enjoying my holiday. When it did come my eyes lit up like a Christmas tree (too soon? Okay, okay) My salt and pepper chicken was POPPIN’ forget bloody KFC, Birdies chicken is finger lickin’ good! Layered with a Chinese sauce, very vibrant, very tasty, and the portion sizes are very generous, I actually couldn’t finish mine as it is quite filling. I made another trip back to Birdies for the cocktails, also very refreshing and tasted great and the prices are quite reasonable here. A variety of fruity cocktails on offer and beer, so you may be stuck for choice. For all you non-alcoholics or those nursing a dirty hangover, Birdies provides mocktail versions of all the cocktails so you don’t feel left out.
Birdies is the place to be, vibrant, lively and just a pretty god damn cool place to have casual drinks in the day and then a dance on the night. The only downside I would say is the bar on the nights, it gets way too busy and you could be waiting there for 20 minutes or more to be served. In the day, its perfect and the staff are very friendly and willing to help. If you’re sad that summer is over, you can always pop to Birdies as it’s summer all year round but just don’t expect a tan at the end of it.
