nickloman

"Whetherspoons believe it or not does a decent meal washed down with a quality bottle of Chablis for a fraction of the cost of a two star whatever!"

Ah. Well firstly please don't judge Birmingham by Hagley Road because it is really quite depressing. The good news first - you are just around the corner from Great British Eatery (http://www.greatbritisheatery.co.uk/) and you can get some great dripping-fried fish and chips and some real ale. The bad news - you are a longish drive from Hall Green and the Balti Triangle, so Jyoti's and Lasan Eatery are not in walking distance. You can walk to the Jewellery Quarter which houses Lasan, but that is posh so perhaps not what you are looking for and you probably won't be able to get a table (the F word has made that impossible). I can't vouch for it myself but there is Itihaas quite near-by which I've been meaning to go to. There's a reasonable (but by no means great) Persian restaurant on Hagley Road called Shiraz which might be an option if you have to walk. There's a new Indian place on Broad Street called Pushkar which looks terrible but managed to get a good review in the Birmingham Post (http://www.birminghampost.net/life-leisure-birmingham-guide/restaurants-birmingham-midlands/2010/01/22/pushing-up-the-bar-in-brum-65233-25663110/) Good luck!

I had yet another stand-out meal at Jyoti's the other night and I now have to give this my best indian restaurant in birmingham award because a) you can still book unlike Lasan's b) its unbelievably good value - you can have a total blow-out for under £30 for 2 c) the dishes are just so satisfying, the chef has such a great light touch with the spicing and you feel positive invigorated after eating here rather than a big bloated mess.

The comments on the Daily Mail site are funny. This is my favourite so far: "We all know poultry must be thoroughly cooked, no pink meat/ juices. Similarly, red meat should ALWAYS be cooked until the red meat & juices are no more." http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1250091/JAN-MOIR-Squid-bonbons-Liquorice-lentils-No-thanks-Ive-bellyful-poncey-food.html#ixzz0fJyNCp3V

Had an absolutely cracking meal here last night. The venue is stunning, a lovely space which manages to be intimate but also spectacular. I kept looking up to the rafters. We booked an early table but weren't rushed through the meal. Often I've read up on a restaurant so much I kind of know what to expect when I get the dishes. I felt I'd already eaten the lasagne of crab with chanterelles several times already from reading reviews. But I had to order it anyway and I was well impressed. The crab filling was packed with vivid crab flavour and the texture, a bit firmer than a mousse was perfect. The veloute was also great. Hannah had the salad of vegetables and goats cheese. Cooked and raw beetroot, sweet baby leeks and baby carrots with some lovely goats cheese. A class act (although I do worry about food miles at this place). Oh well. I had to order the tagine of pigeon with harissa. I was genuinely blown away by this. This came in a beautiful tagine and the ingredients were neatly deconstructed. The two breasts of Bresse pigeon was the standout ingredient. Beautifully tender and absolutely delicious. Cous-cous was lifted with some very pungent olives. The harissa added welcome heat. A sliver of preserved lemon, some confit garlic and a cigar-shaped pigeon pastilla was also on the plate. Aubergine puree, spinach and a quails egg were probably not necessary but I ate them gratefully. Definitely a stand-out dish for me, I could eat this again and again. Hannah had the sea bass with salsify, capers and raisins. The fish was well cooked. I thought this was perhaps a little pedestrian as a dish but serves her right for ordering it as it did what it said on the tin. Pudding was rum baba which was about as alcoholic a dessert as you could ever want. The cheese trolley was tempting and I got a very generous portion of some top-notch French cheese. The Epoisse virtually climbed onto our table. I was surprised to see Vacherin Mont D'or there (I thought it was over by now) but it tasted great. I'm sad to say that on a good day, a plate of well-kept French cheese still knocks our British offerings out of the park despite my love of our local Midlands/Welsh cheeses. Bill was £170 including a bottle of Innocent Bystander 2008 Pinot Noir, 2 glasses of champagne and dessert wines which whilst on the high side I thought represented good value for the meal we had. I've got a couple of pictures which I'll add a bit later.

Eating at the bar is good particularly if you don't have a reservation. Central. Wild Honey, J. Sheekey, HIX, Bentley's, Moro, Polpo?

You might want to be a bit more specific as to your requirements.

She's no doubt right that there's some terrible food crimes being committed in the name of molecular gastronomy or simply "modern cooking". I guess it was the same with Nouvelle Cuisine. But there's good food and bad food and certainly Heston serves good food at the Fat Duck, contrary to her assertions. Her rejection of "poncy" food out of hand is pretty rich coming from a restaurant critic which has given great reviews to some pretty poncy places in her time. Compare the quote from her LCS review at http://www.areyoureadytoorder.co.uk/review.php?id=38 "The fluffy, smoked spume is so light that it melts on the lips like a snowflake and what lies beneath is a shot of lentil-based soup that's both warming and exotically fragrant." "Best of all, however, is the chicory cheesecake with chicory ripple ice cream" with the quote from the Daily Mail article "Savoury ice creams, savoury sorbets, salmon poached in liquorice, a relentless parade of pappy textures of mousses, foams, creams and hideous vacuum poached meat? Yes, yes, and yes again." There's no need to pigeon-hole food into "poncy" (bad) and "real" (good). It just doesn't work like that. Also I'm sure this thesis (such as it is) has absolutely nothing to do with the situation at the Goose. Also David - we should not be linking to the Daily Mail

I prefer your reviews to his

Thanks David, sounds right up my street - I've booked in for Thursday for a pre-Valentine's meal!

Re: OpenTable, I've noticed certain restaurants seem to offer them less desirable times, either very late or very early. I think its always worth giving a call in those situations. Also, reservations are not quite as black and white as a computer system always suggest!

I had a really nice meal at Wild Honey recently (http://www.wildhoneyrestaurant.co.uk/). That might fit the bill for you and your companions. No idea if you can get a table though!

Ugh, Valentines Day. Perhaps the worst day of the year to try and get a decent meal. Personally I'd avoid Claridges like the plague on any day, but particularly Valentines. Not very constructive I realise. I'd go "anti-Valentine" and perhaps go ethnic to try and avoid the Valentines set menus. Or get a couple bottles of champagne, some smoked salmon and caviar and book a room somewhere

Don't be silly, full english is the only meal we do consistently well in this country I recommend the London Review of Breakfasts http://londonreviewofbreakfasts.blogspot.com/

I think he was talking in terms relative to the slop they serve up in Birmingham's City Centre and the Balti Triangle (not all restaurants, but the vast majority). I agree that, for example, Atul Kocher has done something pretty similar in London with Benares. And I remember when I was growing up in Brighton there was a place called the Black Chapati with a similar approach.

Goodness me I was afraid that would happen! Recession-busting tip: Go to Lasan Eatery in Hall Green instead, food is still very high quality and a third of the price!

Yes, I must remember to write the reviews in an editor and paste them in later. Just had a nother look at Loves a la Carte. http://www.loves-restaurant.co.uk/downloads/Loves%20Menu%20-%20A%20La%20Carte.pdf Herefordshire Beef - Herefordshire rump, ox cheek and tongue, smoked potato mash, celeriac chouxcroute sounds like a winner. As does Gloucestershire Pork - Belly, crepinette, pig’s tail nugget, Pease pudding, cider jelly, red cabbage I feel a booking coming on.

I propose a new manifesto for 2010. Will you join me? In 2010 I will, support my local restaurant who may be going through difficult times. In 2010 I will, offer constructive feedback directly to the owner when I encounter crap food, crap service or just general crapness. And pledge not to return if those complaints are not accepted in the spirit they are intended. But I will keep coming back if criticism is taken on board and addressed, knowing that perfection is not obtainable. In 2010 I will, try to avoid chain restaurants which are contributing to the moribund state of dining in this country. In 2010 I will, not follow the herd and try and book the same restaurant as everyone else after a review comes out. In 2010 I will, try and eat out more on slow weekdays, knowing I will get better service and food than on a Saturday night. In 2010 I will, remember not to order the tasting wine course knowing it's usually hateful. In 2010 I will, stop being a slave to Michelin and all the other guides, trusting my own judgement first and foremost (and that of other eGulleteers)

I wrote a really long review of this place but lost it when I accidentally browsed away from the page. No time to rewrite here so here's the concise version. We had a very nice meal here about a month ago. It was pretty quiet on the weekday evening (about 10 people in) which was good because the tables are pretty close together and it would be less than intimate when full. The head waiter that night was not the owner but an extremely competent Irish lady with an excellent taste in wine, steering us towards an excellent Pinot Noir. We had the tasting menu. Rather unusually all of the cutlery was put out in advance leading to a rather bling selection of knives and forks. The starters were excellent. Very technically accomplished, perhaps more so than the obvious comparator for thsi restaurant, Richard Turner in Harborne. The amuse bouche espuma was PACKED full of flavour. Oxtail ravioli on a bed of white beans was superlative. Cured salmon with apple was the best starter of this type I've ever had. The main course of chicken served at least 4 ways was also technically excellent but was not really to my taste. Puddings were less memorable but very pretty. For such a new restaurant this has great promise. I'm not that keen on the location or the room but the cooking certainly demands a return visit very soon and the a la carte will have to be explored in some depth.

Looks great. I've booked in for next Wednesday ..

Anyone tried Loves? I just stumbled across its website via Birminghamplus: http://www.loves-restaurant.co.uk/ - menu looks decent!

Wheeler's in Whitstable for crab, oysters, grey shrimps etc. Booking essential and they tend to start early.

Lasan's was featured on the execrable F Word 2 weeks ago (and they won!). I hope it doesn't become too popular and stop me getting a table when I want one!

OK, I will qualify that statement somewhat by saying that Lasans don't offer an equivalent dish to Tayyab's lamb chops. If you want great charcoal grills in the West Midlands the Zanat Kebabish in Coventry is the place to head.

Hi David, nothing really to say except I agree 100% with you. Lasans is one of the best Indian restaurants in the UK. That goat biryani is the one I always order. I can never get my rice like that. I feel quite lucky living in Birmingham knowing this is my "local". I previously lived around Aldgate and counted Tayyab's as my local when I trained at the Royal London (before it got all trendy) but Lasans is better. In fact, there isn't much choice in Birmingham but what we do have (Turners, Purnells, Simpsons, Lasans and Jyotis) is good enough for me. Tip: Lasan have opened a take-away/cafe-style eatery in Hall Green near Jyoti's which serves a less refined version of their dishes but no less tasty.