Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

There could be few better locations for Côte Brasserie in Birmingham than on the canal side in The Mailbox, at the centre of Birmingham's city renaissance where commerce and culture blend with grace and the addition of a frisson of French cuisine sits well. Open all day for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Côte brings an informal and friendly ambience to matters of eating and drinking, and it came as no surprise when it won the Good Food Guide award for 'Best Value Restaurant in the UK for 2009'.

Since then trends towards simple bistro cooking have gathered pace and Côte has become even more relevant to the times. When you work in a modern city life never seems to stop and the matter of breakfast assumes an identity more in keeping with its original intention. So the menu here explores a good range of the more exciting aspects of breakfast, starting with a touching alliance of the full English breakfast that we know so well, or the French crêpe complète where a warm crêpe enfolds two free range eggs, bacon and shaved Gruyère cheese. And the free WiFi is there if there's some urgent cage-rattling to be done before you hit the office.

With the day well started thoughts can turn to matters of lunch, dinner even, or a little light supper before an evening's entertainment at the theatre or something rather more rigorous at one of Birmingham's many clubs. There may just be a decision in principle, leaving the selection from Côte's generous menu until the event when, over a glass of Kir Royale one can indulge in some reblochon cheese and thyme, or anchovies and olives with parsley.

But before this some midday sustenance may be in order and their plats rapides offer minimal dallying linked with maximum recharging of the batteries. Steak frites, poulet grillé or moules frites all make for robust enjoyment at great value. If the weather's behaving well, a seat outside on the terrace against the background of a living wall has strong appeal.

Perhaps there is more time for lunch thanks to that early start, or a client to impress in which case a choice from amongst a dozen or so starters could yield Scottish smoked salmon with dill and shallots, a tasty prawn gratinée, or a plate of one of those wonderful soups the French produce so well. Light main courses offer a risotto vert that embraces grilled asparagus, broad beans, spring onions, courgette, green beans, baby spinach, pesto and rocket, or a classic tuna Niçoise served medium rare.

Moving on through a dazzling array of dishes that both tempt and restore guests will encounter steak haché, with a fried egg of course, roast duck breast or a seafood linguine, at which point it will have dawned that Côte are strong on the fruits of the sea. However, no self respecting Gallic inspired menu would be without its poulet Breton, a corn fed chicken from rural Brittany where that particular dish is akin to the holy grail.

And so to the steaks, wonderfully plump and juicy ones from Church Farm in the Peak District, that have been aged on the bone and are served chargrilled with frites and a choice of superb sauces that includes Normandy butter with Roquefort cheese.

A confident completely French wine list carries bins to remember, where the house wines are worthy and the ongoing list steadily more exciting as you progress. The Chateau Talbot St Julien is a fitting prize for those who might have a hard or successful day - or both.

Côte offers an excellent weekday lunch deal of two or three courses at prices that are hard to believe for a restaurant of this quality.

Côte Brasserie is one of those places where after a while you begin to wonder why you ever ate anywhere else. Even the notoriously difficult Michael Winner gave Côte a glowing review in The Sunday Times. For further information click on their no-nonsense Website which will keep you up to speed.

True to its name, The Green House on Lichfield Road offers guests airy, spacious and well-lit interiors with an outside seating area for al fresco dining in the summer. In the heart of the affluent suburb of Sutton Coldfield, the Green House is a short drive from Birmingham city centre, and with easy access to the M6 is just a 20 minute drive from Tamworth and Lichfield.

With an appetizing mix of refreshing Mediterranean dishes and British classics on the menu, the Green House is a country pub with a difference. It has been transformed into a premium dining space with a chic setting; banquettes you can sink into, comfortable bar stools and faux fur covered benches as well as a chandelier or two to add an elegant touch. Friendly efficient service and distinctive touches elevate the experience to another level altogether.
 
The seasonally changing à la carte uses the finest market fresh ingredients and delivers a range of sharing platters and starters such as winter bruschetta of asparagus, gorgonzola, prosciutto, balsamic on stirata Romana bread and red onion and gorgonzola tart with roasted apple and mustard seed dressing to whet the appetite.
 
Diners also have the choice of a lighter option with salad of grilled goat's cheese crostini, roasted sweet potatoes, borlotti beans and blush tomato dressing or a classic seared tuna Niçoise served with green beans, olives and baby potatoes. A stone baked pizza with toppings of crispy duck, spring onions, watercress, hoisin and plum sauce is more international in flavour.
 
While the excellent à la carte can deliver the goods anytime a two-course prix fixe menu is available for a quick lunch with compromising the quality. Look out for Steak and Wine Supper Wednesdays with superb steaks and a whopping 50% discount on a bottle of red wine or the equally tempting Fabulous Fish Fridays which offer a range of superb fish and shellfish specials and a bottle of white wine for half the price.
 
The Rothschild Supper Club menu is perfect for that special occasion with a gourmet two-course menu and a bottle of the prestigious Rothschild champagne, personally selected by a team of wine experts. Starters of pan fried English kidneys on stirata Romana with wholegrain mustard sauce could be followed by a delicious dish of slow roast pork lasagna with roast peppers and roast garlic.
 
To finish on a sweet note, consider orange and almond cake with marmalade and orange blossom mascarpone; bourbon and raisin pudding with vanilla ice cream; banana cheesecake with toffee sauce and chocolate ice cream or limoncello posset with langues de chat biscuits.
 
The drinks list includes classic cocktails such as Cosmopolitan and Pina Colada and other palate pleasers such as Martini Blush with strawberries and apples; and Flirtini with vodka and champagne. Guests can also choose from a range of unique cask ales and bottled beers, non-alcoholic drinks and a carefully selected wine list available by the glass and bottle.

Have you been to The Cock Inn on Bull's Lane? It's a sister pub to The Green House. You could also consider The Crown in Wolverhampton, if you're close by.

More information can be found on their Website.

When one of the country's most respected and leading critics says that this restaurant is 'the best Italian Restaurant outside London' it is time to take them seriously. Britain's love affair with Italian food is a cause célèbre of long standing and shows no signs of waning, so it is always welcome news when somewhere like San Carlo sets out to reach for the skies.

Located in the heart of Birmingham, San Carlo is well suited to catch both day and night time business, and the menu reflects this. There are a wide range of dishes, plus blackboard specials, offering snacks, meals, celebrations, all in true Italian style, dishes that bring Italy into the very centre of life in Birmingham. San Carlo is the father of a chain of similar restaurants, yet each one has its own personality.

If you are one for rubbing shoulders with the various grades of celebrities, San Carlo could be a real winner before you even start looking at the menu, with football players, newsreaders, soap stars and high society movers and shakers all competing for poll positions.

Favourite dishes include sliced prime Scottish fillet of beef with a light dressing of capers, anchovies, garlic and extra virgin olive oil, and that old favourite of connoisseurs the world over, pan fried breast of chicken with white wine, mushrooms and cream sauce, garnished with asparagus. Many of the ingredients to create these dishes are imported from Italy, and it goes without saying that the wine list is unashamedly and spectacularly of the same origin.

A combination of Italian cuisine and fish has always seemed logical - all that coastline - as well as highly attractive to the British taste. The antipasti at San Carlo includes a mixture of squid, prawns and mussels, deep-fried whitebait, and scallops in white wine and garlic. Amongst the main courses expect to find on the blackboard Dover sole, grilled whole sea bass, a mixed grill of fish, special pasta with lobster, brandy, tomato, cream and peas, or giant prawn and scallops in garlic and chilli.

It is customary to look for Italian wines in such places, nor will you be disappointed, but there are a few French inclusions also, with a rather nice Chablis in evidence. House wines, and few off the list, are available by the glass. Service is a good example of that Italian 'just make yourself at home we'll look after everything' manner, when you generally surprise yourself by taking their advice. In Britain we just say 'no problem', which may be succinct, but lacks style.

The restaurant has had a major refurbishment, with the aim of providing more covers in the lower level restaurant, giving a capacity for over 200 guests. Groups are welcome at San Carlo, but to preserve the balance between groups, a limit of up to nine people applies on Friday and Saturday, and twenty to thirty on weekdays. Booking will always make for security but in general the new arrangements mean there is room for everybody.

Ultimately a restaurant is judged by two main factors, each dependent upon the other. Combine quality food with life's movers and shakers in attractive surroundings and you have a sure fire record for the sweet buzz of success that permeates San Carlo.

The San Carlo group have an excellent Website - you are only a click away from more details and updates on their site.

Offering a sumptuous and diverse spread of Italian, Indian, Thai and Chinese dishes, Jimmy Spice's on The Parade has something for everyone. The spacious, open plan restaurant is perfect for the groundbreaking multi-national buffet style service on offer. Located in the heart of the town, the restaurant is a 2-minute drive from Sutton Coldfield Rail Station.

The eclectic menu is filled with a variety of delicious items, made with the highest quality ingredients, to deliver the best of the range of cuisines on offer. Guests have the option of selecting their vegetables and meat along with a sauce of their choice and have it cooked on the spot.

A sample Italian menu offers freshly made pizza, a fine combination of pomodiro pillete and home-made pizza base with toppings of pineapple, ham, sweet corn, mushrooms, mixed peppers, pepperoni, chicken, jalapeno, olives and green chillies. The pasta menu offers a choice of penne or spaghetti served with Bolognese or al formaggi sauce along with basil pesto, chilli flakes, bacon, capers, olives, sun-dried tomatoes. Other main course dishes include baked fish, chicken in mustard sauce, vegetable lasagne and herb roasted potatoes.

The tempting Indian selection features starters of mint chicken pakora, vegetable samosa, aloo chaat and onion bhaji as well as mains of lamb rogan josh, saag paneer, tarka daal and vegetable jalfrezi along with seekh kebab, chicken malai tikka, garlic naan, tandoori roti and onion kulcha from the tandoor.

Chinese cuisine choices include spicy chicken wings, prawn crackers, pork spare ribs, egg fried rice, sweet and sour chicken, beef in black bean sauce, chicken with cashewnuts and water chestnuts and shrimp in garlic sauce along. Jimmy Spice's stir fry options include lamb, chicken, prawns, egg noodles, mushrooms, pok choy, bean sprouts and mixed peppers served with a sauce of your choice.

The Thai menu offers fish cake, vegetable spring roll, prawn toast, beef red curry, chicken green curry, prawn Penang curry, gaeng phed  and nuer pad namman hoy.

From the salad station diners can help themselves to freshly prepared Moroccan carrot salad with green olives and mint, chicken and mango salad, strawberry and feta cheese salad, tuna salad, Thai sorn tarn and potato au gratin. 

If you fancy a quick lunch choose from a selection of sandwiches, pizzas, starters with choice of sauces, salads with choice of dressings, Chinese stir fry dishes and Indian main courses with rice and naan bread.

The restaurant also provides a tempting, and equally eclectic array of desserts for diners with a sweet tooth. Choices include familiar dishes such as strawberry cheesecake, chocolate brownies, pineapple cake, and fresh cut fruit to more exotic options including, gulab jamun, moong daal halwa, and banana fritters. Alternatively you could opt for ginger pudding, crème caramel, chocolate fudge cake, apple crumble, coconut and raisin cake and kiwi pannacotta all of which bring any meal to a fitting end.

At the bar enjoy a range of red, white and rose wines as well as champagne, alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails and shooters, soft drinks and juices, aperitifs and liqueurs in addition to a variety of spirits including single malt whiskies and cognac.

An early bird deal is value for money at £9.99 per person from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Saturday. Check out their Website for the latest offers.

Considering the relative proximity of Blakelands to Wolverhampton, the local motorways and its Business Airport it is amazing how many people don't know about it. This is both its strength and weakness - we all love sussing out secrets, but even the best secrets need business to sustain them. A visit to this haven of elegance and tranquillity will convince you that this is indeed a real treasure.

The impressive Queen Anne house with its distinctive architectural features makes its impressive mark on the surroundings, but it is in the surrounding buildings where the main changes have been made resulting in such facilities as The Maltings, a 120 seater theatre style room which has its own private bar and adjoining buffet room. Family owned since 1981, management is in the capable hands of Paul and Heather Morgan and guests are given a warm welcome by Heather on arrival.

Blakelands is a real favourite with couples looking for somewhere special for their wedding. Not only can civil wedding ceremonies be held in the house, where fine furnishings, family heirlooms and antique furniture do credit to the handsome rooms, there are also three suites, one of which is The Corbett Suite, a sumptuous set of rooms which serves as the Bridal Suite.

Elsewhere in the complex are a further twelve en suite rooms, five of them in Blakelands Lodge all with their own character and décor, all beautifully fitted out, and with locally inspired names that reflect the strong ties of Blakelands with the neighbourhood.

The menu is all embracing with a strong flavour of superior brasserie if a name had to be put, with a main menu and seasonal a la carte. Local sourcing is practised but not at the expense of quality, and the chicken liver and cognac parfait may well receive a warm approval. Starters of goats' cheese purse, with locally sourced cheese, mini toad in the hole and a classic Waldorf salad are all there on the menu.

Enville Ale pie with Pattingham sourced steak and Enville Ale is supremely tasty and very filling. Those who enjoy their steaks will be well served, with a locally sourced sirloin or fillet on offer, both steaks are offered in four styles. Pork fillet tenderloin with a herb crust, or Lodge chicken, mushrooms, Madeira and cream sauce would all have been equally tempting. Talking of puddings, there is classic crème brûlée with honey almond thins on the carte.

A wonderful cheese platter; warm chocolate brownie with white chocolate ice cream, or sticky toffee pudding, all of which may have you coming at the gallop, are hard to bypass, but then there's also an excellent liqueur coffee.

As with so many restaurants these days, Sunday lunch is an event of celebration and relaxation with friends. Blakelands deserves much closer attention than it gets, and whilst ideal, and highly popular for weddings, conferences and private parties, they look forward to welcoming you to enjoy the same daily excellent experience such as ours.

Their well-compiled Website is packed with information, and in particular keeps abreast of any changes, especially the menus and seasonal changes.

The Town House is a delightful and sophisticated venue, a place where people of good taste can relax and enjoy some of the better things of life, appreciating the mix of good food and a selection of well chosen wines and champagnes to accompany it.

The owners say, 'We have a passion for hospitality, and the desire to deliver great food in a relaxing environment'. Few would dispute that they succeed admirably. This is very much due to Head Chef Rob Wear, whose taster menu is one of the features of The Town House where guests can sample a selection of his signature dishes spread over seven courses.

The winter à la carte yields a number of starters to include ballotine of cured salmon with crème fraîche and caviar, a classic Caesar salad, goose liver parfait with sour cherry foam, chocolate jelly and warm toast, or crispy duck pancakes with glass noodles and hoisin sauce.

Dishes that can be adapted for starters or main courses include paella with seafood, tiger prawns, mussels and squid, or smoked haddock fishcake with fruity curry sauce and pineapple.

Main courses number around ten or so, covering a good range of dishes that will appeal widely starting with red wine poached salmon with young spinach and pea puree. The Town House steak burger is served with Swiss cheese, onions rings and hand cut chips, while herb crusted Cornish lamb rump comes with carrots, peas and herb gnocchi.

Those looking for a slightly more global taste might find the tandoori roasted sea bass, cumin crushed potatoes and garlic aioli to be an interesting addition to their lunch or dinner menu. Another firm favourite amongst the many regulars would be the 12oz sirloin steak on the bone or an 8oz fillet steak.

Puddings are as tempting as ever, with hot chocolate fondant and vanilla ice cream, which simply ensure any thought of a diet is seriously banished! There's also baked Alaska sundae or caramelised lemon tart which tantalise and satisfy every palate.

The taste of The Town House menu is your answer to a quick bite at lunchtime, with choices that could embrace risotto Nero with tiger prawns and garlic butter; sashimi of blue fin tuna, shisu cress, wasabi and spring onions, and leek, mushroom and ricotta parcel with aubergine caviar. Have lunch there and you can leave your car in safety whilst you shop in Solihull.

A broad-church wine list is well supported by a range of classic cocktails and some of the more exotic draught beers. The Town House benefits from a fabulously appointed Private Dining Room, which is suitable for any family celebration or occasion and is also used for corporate hospitality, meetings, cocktail parties, product launches, etc. There is also a comprehensive event guide to include a variety of programmes.

Be sure to check on their excellent Website for menu variations and details of events.

Within the bustling Mailbox Shopping Centre, in the heart of the city, Zizzi The Mailbox, Birmingham provides delicious Italian food to tired shoppers. Spread over two levels, the restaurant boasts a mailbox themed interior featuring vintage mail sorting boxes on the walls and a deep red pizza oven.

With plenty of on-site parking available, and just a short walk from Birmingham New Street Station, Zizzi is also close to the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre and the Electric Cinema.

The bustling open kitchen at Zizzi turns out freshly prepared, tasty fare. The extensive à la carte offers distinct sections of antipasti, salads, pizza and calzone, pasta, risottos and mains of seasonally changing meat and fish dishes with a variety of tempting desserts to finish.

Zizzi's special antipasti platter has mixed Italian meats with buffalo milk mozzarella, marinated sun-dried tomatoes, mixed olives and red onion focaccia bread. There's also choice of arancini, crispy risotto balls stuffed with mozzarella and peas and served with a tomato chilli sauce as well as gnocchi gorgonzola, potato dumplings in a creamy gorgonzola and spinach sauce seasoned with nutmeg and black pepper, setting the tone for a hearty meal.

For a delicious pasta or risotto choose between penne vodka, king prawns, chilli, peas and Grana Padano in a creamy tomato and vodka sauce; ravioli di capra, goat's cheese and spinach ravioli served with tomato sauce and topped with pesto and pine nuts; zucca e pancetta, pumpkin, pancetta, spinach, sage and Grana Padano topped with mascarpone and rigatoni con pollo e funghi, chicken in a tomato, onion, rosemary and mushroom sauce. Gluten-free pasta is also available on request.

If you prefer a pizza, then you could try Zizzi's speciality pizza rustica, which couples extra thin and crispy bases with a range of toppings such as bufala, buffalo mozzarella with sunblush tomatoes, basil, rocket and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil or mare e monti, one half topped with tiger prawn, courgette and mozzarella and the other with spicy sausage, tomato sauce and chilli, all finished off with a rocket and crème fraîche. The carne piccante calzone has marinated chicken, meatballs, Bolognese sauce, mushrooms, chillies, tomato and mozzarella while the clarissa version, has aubergine, and red pepper caponata, olives, goats' cheese, rocket, pine nuts, tomato and mozzarella. Zizzi's calzon'pizzas, half calzone and half pizza, add an interesting twist to the meal.
 
Sumptuous mains include agnello con peperonata, roasted lamb shank served with basil, roasted vegetables and a little pot of potatoes with tomato, red onion and Grana Padano; duck arrosto, slow roasted whole duck leg in a balsamic, olive and pancetta reduction served with Tuscan potatoes and green beans; and sea bass al vino, sea bass pan fried with wine, garlic and baby plum tomatoes and served with herby potatoes.

The scrumptious dessert list offers torta cioccolata with its thick hazelnut chocolate base topped with rich chocolate torte and served with vanilla mascarpone; homemade tiramisu' creamy vanilla pannacotta with fruit compote and torta Zizzi, an almond-based plum and fig tart topped with pistachios and icing sugar and served with gelato.

The wine list is dominated by a range of Italian wines from regions such as Veneto, Lazio, Sicily, Tuscany and Lombardy. Also on offer is an assortment of beers, and spirits as well as a range of soft and hot drinks.

More information can be found on their Website.

With quality food, friendly staff, quick service and excellent value for money, Nando's is a great place to eat. Don't expect identikit, pre-fab restaurant interiors which are usually a staple of the larger chains; each restaurant is tailored to its local surroundings and customers, offering up a unique restaurant experience to go with the equally unique taste of legendary, Portuguese, Peri-Peri chicken.

Your peri-peri chicken, when the chips are down so to speak, is a fresh A grade chicken that has never seen the inside of a freezer, but having made the supreme sacrifice is butterfly-cut, marinated for 24 hours in a secret brew called - you've guessed - peri-peri, and is then cooked to your choice over an open flame.

There are, of course, many variations on this broad theme, numerous plays on words such as Nando's experi-perience, peri-peri good reasons why you should eat at a Nando's, and all one hopes is that for their sake chicken never goes out of fashion. New Nando's are opening all the time, peri-peri quickly in fact, the spicy bastes become hotter and more daring, and the full platter offers a whole chicken, large chips or spicy rice and Nando's salad or coleslaw.

Since chickens are vegetarian it seems logical you can order veggie or bean burgers and patties, and still feel the heat from the peppers. All in all, Nando's is hotly recommended for those occasions when you have a large following of permanently hungry children, or adults even, to keep happy - the only thing taken really seriously is the quality of those peri-peri good chickens.

Nando's is a place for bright people who love to laugh and love to eat, and is guaranteed to spice up your taste buds. Their fun approach to life means that when you visit Nando's you can fully relax without the airs and graces associated with more starchy dining out.

For the location of your nearest Nando's restaurant and a host of details about menus, parties and drinks, a click on their Website will reveal a Pandora's box of information.

Café Rouge has over one hundred branches throughout Britain all offering a wide range of dishes drawn from the French cuisine. Slightly less than half their branches are in or close to London. Almost inevitably the décor and design of each restaurant differs from the others, but there is a general curtsy towards La France.

Many restaurants do an excellent breakfast, or shall we say petit dejeuner, at which such delights as scrambled eggs and smoked salmon on toasted brioche, croque Madame, croissants and pain au chocolat make welcome appearances, and to their credit the English traditional gets top billing.

An array of small dishes takes in pulled pork pâté with French bread, and spicy beef and lamb sausage with harissa mayonnaise. Salads and pasta feature largely, as do baguettes and croques. Quick dishes, ideal for lunch, include slices of saucisson and cured pork loin with French bread.

Moving on to more serious stuff we find steaks, an 8oz bavette and thin cut rib eye, with a choice of béarnaise or peppercorn sauce. No French menu would be complete without the poulet jaune grille, pan-roasted breast of corn-fed chicken served on a warm taboulé of bulgar wheat and a medley of roasted vegetables with minted crème fraîche, or a steak frites before moving on to the crème brûlée, or the tart tatin. Almost invariably the coffee tastes like coffee should, something that sadly can all too often still not be said of our English restaurants, who depend too much upon technology and too little on the acquisition of a certain flair for this important conclusion to a meal.

By now we all know that the French, despite their distinctive habits when it comes to matters of satisfying the inner man, maintain a miraculous longevity of life. This is generally attributed to a number of causes, of which a measured consumption of decent wine is foremost. Café Rouge, you may be pleased to hear, encourages this with a well-chosen selection of French wines. Their prix fixe lunch and meals for children, both at a very reasonable figure, also offer excellent value.

Their Website will keep you updated on menu changes, news and other competitions and offers from the Café Society.