So I've spend a lot of time (and too much £) at Sixteen's neighbour/sister Faculty and yet never…read moremanaged to make it here for a meal. I decided to remedy that after drinking a Faculty coffee here, using the cafe as overflow seating during a particularly busy time. I was entranced by the variety and looks of the food, and have eaten lunch there three times this week to ensure that their awesomeness is consistent. I'm happy to report that Sixteen Kitchen & Bakery is one of the most delicious and affordable sandwich shops in the city centre. Sixteen is the brainchild of the owners of Faculty, and supplies the coffee shop with their delectable desserts. The shop is joined with Faculty by an open wall, so you can easily order something from one or both and sit in either location. Whereas Faculty uses a bar and two seater table arrangement, Sixteen's seating is entirely on two long tables. This is perfect for large groups or office team lunches (I've seen a lot of work being done here) but can get cramped otherwise. In addition to making desserts for Faculty, the kitchen & bakery serves breakfast and lunch until the late afternoon. I haven't made it to Piccadilly Arcade early enough for breakfast (stops at 11AM), but lunch is good enough to make it a regular mid-day stop. I've ordered the kimchi and cheddar toastie, as well as the basil, pesto, tomato, and mozzarella ciabatta, and most recently the vegemite and avocado sandwich. The kimchi is homemade of course and has a nice balance between heat and actually enjoying the flavours of it. Good luck finding kimchi that tastes this good elsewhere in Birmingham! The ciabatta was done up right and while not blowing away my tastebuds, hit all the right notes. The vegemite and avocado with tomato and mature cheddar was pretty much what you would expect. Like marmite, you either love it or hate it! All of the sandwiches are made fresh daily and packaged on the counter for hygiene. Upon selection, they are placed in a press for finishing. The menu is not set, changing every few days depending on bread (from Peel & Stone) and produce (from the Bullring Open Market). Sandwiches hover around the £4 mark and are a great value especially for the larger ones. For an extra £1 you can add salad to your meal as a side. My only complaint at this point is the lack of beverages. Sixteen makes fresh pressed juices for £3.50 and that's it. If you want anything else, you'll have to head next door to Faculty (although tap water is free). They could do with adding some flavoured/sparkling waters or other canned/bottled drinks. Overall Sixteen is a wonderful addition to the independent businesses of Piccadilly Arcade and contender for best sandwich shop in Brum.

Sixteen kitchen is tucked away in the classy Piccadilly Arcade. It's less than a minute from grand…read morecentral and next to its sister store faculty coffee. The store does have limited seating due to its small confines. The menus changes every day and are put up on the wall behind the counter using a sharpie and ripped up sheets of paper. They generally specialise in sandwiches and soups but also sell cakes or pastry to compliment. If you wanted a coffee to match their is a door leading through to faculty from the store side. On this occasion is purchased a toasted sandwich which was halloumi, pesto and basil on sour dough. It tasted absolutely great, the sandwich was toasted perfectly. The correct portioning meant flavours were great and not overpowering. It cost £4 which I think is very reasonable considering quality. If your waiting for a train or just need a quick lunch sandwich I would recommend sixteen kitchen!

The food is consistently good, but the service today was awful. I wish I could rate the two…read moreseparately! Service: We arrived first, placed our order, and while we waited several others placed orders. However, the girl at the register made us wait while she rang up the people in line behind us, despite standing there at the till with our tray. It was strange and rude. We'll try another cafe next time we're in the Bullring.

I hadn't been to Druckers for a while as I don't really like the coffee or the atmosphere…read more Anyway, as my bank account gives includes the offer of a free Druckers hot drink a day, I decided to try the tea today instead of coffee. Sadly I was disappointed and have to say, despite giving plenty of time for the tea (bag) to brew, and giving it a massive stir, the tea was completely devoid of flavour. (I am not exaggerating here): so bad that I didn't drink more than a few sips. Needless to say I won't be drinking tea in Druckers again. Note to Druckers, please improve the quality of your drinks. The staff seemed OK but not particularly friendly. The atmosphere was standard Druckers - very dated, hence I give a very rare low score!

I just came here on a whim before my prenatal class (and I was pretty hungry) and I changed my mind…read moreabout going to The Plough which is across the street. I walked in just as two people were leaving and it was late-ish afternoon, so I didn't expect it to be too busy. I opted for the one of the specials -gnocchi with pesto cream sauce, an Americano, and a sweet waffle. (Because I'm pregnant and I can, so there). The decor inside is a hodgepodge of themes...silk flowers, paintings on the wall, and there were some magazines and newspapers to read while waiting. I didn't wait terribly long, being the last patron in there around 4-5pm, so it was nice to just take my time eating before my class. The gnocchi wasn't terrible but not great either; it felt a little bit heavy but wasn't too salty. The Americano was decent also, as was the sweet waffle. Needless to say I was pretty stuffed afterward and waddling into my prenatal class afterward. This place isn't too bad if you're looking for an alternative to Starbucks/Costa etc., so I'd probably go again when in Harborne. But I don't think I'll place so big of an order next time around. Perhaps just some coffee and something sweet. And then go to The Plough. Sometimes eating dessert first isn't bad!

Harbornes Little Hidden Gem You may easily walk past this…read morelittle cafe just across the road from The Plough or dismiss it for one of the trendier looking places further down the High Street. Do so and you'll be sorry! It's a cosy family run place offering light lunches and drinks......and the best cakes in Harborne! Seriously guys, all the cakes are handmade by them on the premises and are delicious. My partner uses their Red Velvet cake as the benchmark to measure all other Red Velvets by! The selection varies from day to day so it's always worth making a return visit. My personal favourite is the brownies and flapjacks cheesecake, I can't resist it whenever I go in. The steak and Onion baguette is also a great winter warmer.

As a coeliac you may question why I'm writing a review for a bakery, and sadly it's not because…read morethey are making amazing Gluten Free alternatives of their delicious looking cakes. I have a major sweet tooth, and whilst I can't eat their delicious cakes I can buy them for other people. So whilst I'm buying Danishes and tarts for the other half, I'm buying myself the freshly made monster meringues. Worth treating yourself to some freshly baked classics and great bread as opposed to a cupcake every now and again. It's always nice to find a good local supplier that means you can bypass the supermarket and grab something freshly and locally made with good quality ingredients. They are superbly located for the commuters from Snow Hill Station, you just need to remember its there on the corner of Great Western Arcade.

The Bread Collection located on the corner of Birmingham's Great Western Arcade has a very unique…read morefeel and a sense of it's own character! They offer fresh bread, cakes, pasties, sandwiches and a great alternative for a nice lunch. Although the interior is quite small and there are only a few seats I'd recommend the food here to anyone. You can also buy their items for home use. I bought a whole bread loaf!! Although you pay a little more, the better tastier food, an alternative to the big supermarkets, and you know that your supporting a local grocer's using local sourced ingredients, its a win win all round. Pay them a visit!

Are you decorating a cake or do you have a cake disaster? If so, you HAVE to come here!…read more I enjoy cake decorating but I'm no expert. I think my rookie creations get compliments from my husband just because he doesn't want to upset me and he wants to eat the cake. When I first visited this shop the smell of sweet icing hit me, lifted me up and floated me through the door. I felt like a big kid in a sweety shop and I didn't know what to look at first. The walls are full of everything cakey! Iced butterflies, cake wire, piping heads, piping bags, cake toppers... I could keep going. My cake decorating collection is only small yet had a massive boost after I'd left as the prices here were better than reasonable! I've always known that cake decorating is an art form but to see the weirdly shaped utensils and fun looking gadgets used, brought on severe cake making urges I didn't know I had. The entire shop oozes cake decorating inspirations and ideas. I've always been creative and arty but even I know it's not just about having the tools, it's about knowing how to use them. I'd noticed a sugarcraft class poster in the window so I spoke to Lorna - the manageress - and she told me they offer 10 week sugarcraft courses in which you learn skills such as flower making, covering cakes and piping for £150! Each class lasts 2 hours and all the equipment is there for you to use. The Sugarcraft Box specialises in last minute cakes. I asked Lorna how last minute was last minute and she told me she had made a cake during the day for a party taking place that night!!! So if your cake is dropped or your delivery doesn't turn up get yourself down here asap. If you are more of a cake eater rather than a cake decorator this shop is still worth a visit, you never know you may get a new hobby.

The cakes look too good to eat...but somehow I manage!…read more My experiences with Character Cakes has been nothing but outstanding and delicious. My very first cake was a cleverly crafted cartoon cake of me collecting my GCSE results. My mom had popped down a couple of weeks before my results were due and had ordered it. For my 18th birthday party I knew we were going to be using Character Cakes again except this time I could have whatever I wanted. I took a picture of my new devil tattoo and took it down to see whether they could do an enlarged version of it. She admitted it could be tricky but she would give it a go. It was amazing! I didn't want to cut it up! Every time we order a new cake our requests get more detailed, yet they always manage to deliver an amazing piece which not only looks incredible but tastes good too. I cannot give them a higher recommendation. I've got a whole year to decide what to have for my 30th birthday cake, any suggestions?

This place is superb and a hugely welcome addition to Harborne. The cakes are amazing, and now they…read moredo (albeit limited) lunch it makes it even better. But the best aspect is the downstairs bar area. Still smells a bit of paint as it's so new, but this is easy to get past. Stripped back and exposed brick, it's very cool. Obviously not somewhere to go on a sunny summers day, as there's no natural light! Decent selection of craft beer and spirits. Tuesdays are at the time of writing flatbread and 2 halves of beer for £10 which is great value. This will become a very regular haunt of mine, right on the doorstep. And it can definitely be included as part of the Harborne Run, if that's your jam...

Bubble tea part II...came here earlier this week and had the best bubble tea I have had to date. Ok…read moreI have only had it once before but this one was definitely my favourite. I went for the almond tea....it was amazing but be warned it's pretty filling. If you are in Arcadian this place is worth a visit...also if you are a cake lover I would also say stop by here. The cakes looked amazing...but i'm Glastonbury diet so decided to pass.

Cafe chino is a small cafe serving both Chinese baked goods, cakes, various bubble teas and general…read moreconfectionary. It's quite the picturesque place with its sleek clean white furnishing and boutique ornaments. The staff are very friendly and the variety of cakes and tea is great! On this occasion I had a coconut bubbletea. For those of you who don't know what bubble tea is its a milky tea drink with tapioca balls in. The tapioca balls are sucked up using a thick straw and chewed while you drink simultaneously. These drinks are quite filling! They have a lot of flavours available including matcha tea! They are made up to take away with a sealed top on so later consumption is always a option! The opening times are quite late till 8-9 pm and the prices for bubble tea are around the £3 mark. If your looking for a quick fix after a night out at the Arcadian or near by I would recommend this place!

We bought a cake online well in advance and called the store to confirm the order. I went into the…read morestore at the agreed time and the owner didn't know about the order. He then found the paper copy of the order on a shelf. He then proceeded to give me the wrong cake and then wrote an incomplete message on the cake. Worse he started to serve other customers instead of sorting out my order. All this delayed my daughter's birthday party.

I knew about Boutique Baking from the various wedding people who had oooed and ahhhed over their…read morecreations.. but it wasn't until I asked her to create a cake and a set of personalised cupcakes for a hen do that I properly fell in love. Firstly - the personalised cupcakes. Each individually boxed, these light airy cupcakes were topped with delicate glittery heavenly buttercream, and with each girl's name piped across the top. Fab. SECONDLY (and more importantly) the cake. THE CAKE. It was a solid gigantic cupcake. Boxed up, it was reasonably unassuming (aside from height and weight which should have given away the awesomeness that was contained within..) but upon opening the seal on the box, a deep whiff of chocolate escaped and the girls all started doing little happy dances. We peeled the box away, and all gawped at what sat before us. Something that should have it's own category - just enough flour to make it constitute a cake, but really it was much more like eating spongey chocolate. Eating this cake made my insides do happy flips. Chocolate, chocolate, more chocolate. Delicious luxuriously deep buttercream on the top and the middle, and the rest was incredible dense crumbly beautiful sponge. I realise this review makes it sound a bit like it was a religious experience, but I can't begin to find the words that will do this cake justice. So yeah. You need a cake? You need Boutique Baking. (YUM!)

My only surviving Grandparent turned 95 recently and we used this company's service to create a…read more95th birthday present she would remember. The cake was supposed to represent her strength and resolve to the powers of the grim reaper. We decided on a three tier fruitcake with 95 written in icing all over the front of it. Creativity has always been at the heart of our philosophy at Boutique Baking, the director, Vickie, told me. Vickie's ethos is to create distinctive and delicious delights for her customers whilst keeping to their personal budget. She works closely with clients to develop bespoke creations, specialising in events where only the unique will do. The cake studio which provided the opportunity to see examples of their work, try samples, discuss individual requirements and see their interesting range of products available to hire was an interesting edge to the business. I was pleased with the end result and will use this company again.