Small business. Great food, great service. Clean and quiet. Takeout and delivery only.read more

Whilst Curry must be the Brummie takeaway of choice (it's a genetic thing, I think), then it's a…read moreclose race for 2nd place between Chinese and Fish & Chips. I reckon Chinese may even just edge it. This is the place I will use if picking up a takeaway after an hour or 4 in the nearby British Oak. My wife is partial to banana fritters, so sometimes I'll pop in here to purchase a pre-emptive peace offering if I've stayed a wee bit too long in the British Oak. It's a fairly standard chinese takeaway in terms of how it looks - sparse interior, lonely counter, plastic menu, etc - but the food here is really cheap and actually very tasty (whether you are 4 pints down, or not).

Rocking up at about 9pm last night, me a couple of friends were feeling a bit spontaneous so…read moredecided to visit the Cottage. It's not like me at all to go to somewhere I have not been recommended or heard about. But it was one of those rare times everything went so well. When you visit The Cottage your first impression would be "What sort of place is this? It's tiny and has no table cloths!" But the three of us had a really good feeling that the food would be spectacular and was! The restaurant it's self is very intimate and resembled being in a small cottage some place. One where you are allowed to bring your own drink.. When we sat down, the only waiter working that night was brutally honest and told us that a few of the other waiters were ill and apologised if service was slow. But we really did not notice as this one guy was zipping from table to table to kitchen without any delay! Now The Cottage is a bit different as it is a Bangladeshi restaurant. It of course has all the Indian favourites but also many authentic Bangladeshi dishes from the region. The Cottage really prides itself on having "exclusive to the Cottage" dishes and they were not lying on closer inspection of the menu. The three of us were starving so we went with starters and main course. I went for Lamb Pakora (which I had never seen before), Shami Kebab and Garlic Mushroom Pakora. What struck us immediately was how huge the portions were! There were 4 pieces of Pakora on each plate and two huge kebabs! My Lamb pakora consisted of massive chunks of Lamb fried in batter which was tender and filling. For the mains, we went for two "Sylheti" dishes. This is named after the region in Bangladesh and in this instance refers to the special masala sauce used in these dishes with an array of herbs and spices. We ordered a Sylheti Lamb Balti, Sylheti Methi and the vegetarian Pas-Puron. When the food arrives, I could not get over how huge the baltis the dishes were served in and how full they were! I was ASTOUNDED! Not that I was complaining of course as they smelt amazing. The Syletis dishes were amazing and my friend declared it was the best balti he had every had in Stirchley by far. They were so rich in sauce and flavour with the Chicken and Lamb were cooked to perfection. Really nothing like I had never eaten before. The Pas-Puron was a quite a dry dish which was filled with an array of vegetables. We stayed for a good three hours until they chucked us out, but it did give us an opportunity to have a nice chat with the waiter and the Manager names Al who was struck me as a very conscientious man who's customers happiness in the food they received to be paramount. If you do visit, be sure to try and grab a word with him. Me and my friends has such a warm and friendly experience at The Cottage, and imagine my delight was I was told they deliver to my area, despite me living miles away!

Really good value…read more Used their takeaway services only Prices are really reasonable and you can often get a good discount using Just Eat to order. You can get a curry for around £6 and its nice to get a special or chef recommends for under a tenner. Would recommend for Friday night in Fast delivery

I was at a friend's house last night and we decided to have a Chinese take away. I was quite hungry…read moreand had been looking forward to a relatively healthy rice based dish. I hate it when there is too much oil in my food; this is something that I often encounter with Chinese food. I ordered diced chicken with ginger and spring onions with rice. When I got the food back it was served in plastic containers, easily transferable to any plate. The dish was very healthy and the flavours from the ginger and spring onion were delicious. We also shared some chips which were very nice. I have always liked the chips that are served in Chinese takeaways. The have a distinctive flavour about them, one that is different to the ones served in regular chip shops. The food was eaten in an instant, despite having to wait twenty minutes for it to arrive. They deliver to Moseley so I will most likely be coming back here again.

Feeling greedy and lazy on Easter Sunday meant we popped into Bournville Lane Chinese for their eat…read moreas much as you can. It says "like", but let's face it, who can eat as much as they want when it's Chinese food?! BLCR's offering isn't buffet style with food sitting out under lamps getting drier and tasteless; instead you order of a menu and it's cooked fresh for you. As always the staff there are friendly and passionate about making sure you have a good time, and on hand to offer suggestions if you're stuck being spoilt for choice. Food-wise it's fairly standard fare, but that's not to say it's not great. Like other reviewers I'm always pleased when Chinese food comes to the table without being layered in grease and this occasion was no exception. From the Yuk Sung, through the crispy seaweed to the Char Sui Pork it was all delicious.

This place opened shortly after we moved to the area and I think I was one of the very first people…read moreto use it. What I like about it is that there is a real attention to detail in the food and it's so simple and tasty. They offer a range of 'meal deals that include really tasty, fresh kebabs and a mixture of rices, salads, breads and dips that combine into a really tasty meal at about £5-£8 per head. You can sit down and eat inside and the interior has a nice Taverna feel to it - lots of cosy wood and subtle lighting and a view of the open kitchen. The smells and noise that come from the kitchen, along with the ambiance, takes you a million miles away from South Brum. The last time we had a sit down meal there they did not have an alcohol license, so this meant that there was not only no booze for sale, but you were also prevented from bringing your own. The owner told me that they were on the case with this, and I hope they've sorted it out because this would be a lovely place to spend a long evening with friends over a meal and some drinks. You can also get takeaway from here which is of equally high standard. It's a wee bit more expensive that a chip shop kebab, but it is hundreds of times better than a greasy glob of meat in a stale pitta bread. Recommended

Very cosy atmosphere and delicious food. A very good combination of drinks is available. The…read moreinterior design has made the place good for a romantic night or a night out with friends and family. A lot of nice options for starter, main dish and some options for dessert is available.

pages from ceefax More News from Macaroni Wood Post 16 students had great adventures visiting the…read morecountry park and beach in the Cotswolds while they were on their residential trip staying at Macaroni Wood last week. They particularly enjoyed a relaxing afternoon having high tea at Burford. All the students were brilliant and had a great time.

Don't let the strange name put you off - Alicia's Micro Bakehouse serves what might be the best…read morepizza in Birmingham! Unlike most suburban pizzerias, this isn't a greasy fast-food place: these are proper wood-fired pizzas that taste almost healthy. The restaurant environment is fairly standard (and as the name suggests, rather small), although it's nice to be able to see the pizza oven from your seat. Prices are very reasonable too.

Visited the Masalla Merchant for the first time in a while last night, and had a really nice meal…read more I'd say this place is probably the best of the numerous Indian restaurants in the area - the buckle in the Stirchley curry belt. I arrived a little earlier than my fellow diners and sat on a comfy sofa by the entrance, clutching my bottles of beer. This is a bring your own booze restaurant (which really keeps the bill down). I recommend getting drinks from the excellent Stirchley Wines, which is just a short trot up the Pershore Road, and is full of excellent and unusual beers, wines and spirits. However, if you're feeling lazy there is a standard off license virtually next to the restaurant. Once my fellow guests arrived we were seated at a large table in one corner of the restaurant and served the traditional poppadoms and dips. The menus are crammed with loads of traditional dishes, plus a 'contemporary' section. If anything the menu is too big, and we all took a while to navigate it. After ordering, the food did take quite a while to arrive, perhaps because the restaurant had become much more busy. Our food all arrived at once, in a flurry of naan and sizzling hot dishes. I ordered a hot lamb dish (something, something Naga) from the contemporary dishes section, with a peshwari naan and fried rice. The curry was delicious, with chunks of really tender lamb in a hot but really flavourful sauce. The naan was light and sweet, filled with almond and drizzled in honey. Perfect combo. Two of our group went for vegetarian dishes, including the paneer cheese parcels, which looked great and, I'm told, were really tasty. Overall, I rate this place. Service can be a little slow but the food is really tasty and the prices are reasonable. Our bill was accompanied by white chocolate mice and gummy bears to sweeten the deal (although at £77 for 6 of us it was already pretty palatable). Retro sweet win.

Masalla Merchant is a place where we tend to go on work meals. I have been here couple of time and…read morealthough it's not mind blowing, they do a decent curry with a massive choice on their menu. It is more a Bengali restaurant so you will find dishes you may not be familiar with, but menu consists of many dishes from the whole Indian subcontinent. It's a bring your own restaurant which has certainly brought down the price per person when I have been in large group and split the bill. For my starter, I had the fried Fish which was soggy with oil, which I didn't enjoy so much. My main dish was a tamarind prawn dish which was very rich in sauce and taste, There is a vast section on the menu which has the curry houses speciality dishes, which come with pilau rice which made it very good value. Masalla Merchant is a nice restaurant in Stirchley which is very popular with the locals, and has been busy on both of my visits and worth a visit for sure.

Only visit for drinks as it is an ok setting but the food and management are a joke. I visit…read morerecently for a Sunday beef dinner with my mum who is recovering from a heart attack. I have never been so disappointed. I could genuinely cook a better dinner with my eyes shut and they are supposed to be professionals. The beef was terrible, roast potatoes were not fresh but frozen ones and broccoli was over cooked by about 10 minutes (mush). They had ran out of basic condiments I requested and told me they were on order. Nobody clearly does a stock check to keep on top of things. I spoke to Sharon the manager who huffed and puffed in my face and stormed off mumbling under her breath, never to return. Unacceptable behaviour from a manager offering a service that is far from satisfactory.

This is an Ember Inn pub, so pretty much follows the format of all other Ember Inns, but that's not…read moreto say that the Country Girl isn't worth a visit., not least because it is situated on the very border of Bourenville village, which is entirely without public houses to this day due to the Quaker beliefs of the founding Cadbury family, and as such is the only watering hole for some considerable distance! The food is always good and well prep rared and the service is friendly. The pub can get quite busy in the evenings with the local students and also in the after work hours as the nearby hospital staff drop in for a pint or two, and the Quiz Night on Tuesdays makes it nearly impossible to get a seat, with the food service obviously slowing down as a consequence. During the day, however, the Country Girl is genuinely nice spot for a few beers and a meal. There is a small and quiet beer garden to the rear, which is a great spot in the summer

Caneat is the quintessential cafe. High quality coffee from Quarter Horse Coffee, unrivaled…read moredesserts that look as good as they taste, and open-faced sourdough masterpieces. Couldn't recommend this place more. The staff are incredibly kind as well. They have changed the standard.

Fun little place in Stirchley, good accommodation for children with a toy section etc. Not too…read morenoisy, the service was good and the food was tasty. Soup of the day was great. Downside was the bacon in the full English. American style crispy that could have been a bookmark. Big breakfast a bit small for me to. But that being said a solid café

While I'm not a massive consumer of fried chicken, Rooster House is as close as I've ever come to…read morebeing converted. If you've attended the University of Birmingham, then there's a good chance you know all about it already: Staples such as the 'number five' and similarly popular set meals (which are damn good value for money, might I add) are common amongst the student lexicon and are placed at the lofty status of "legendary". Much of this high opinion of the House comes from those staggering home from Fab - the guild's weekly clubnight which goes down every Saturday night. Therefore, if there's not much on your telly and you're in need of a laugh, your best bet would be to sit outside Rooster House from around midnight on a Sunday morning and watch the train wrecks come and go. I imagine that Rooster House does the majority of its business during these fraught and hilarious hours of the night and it's almost impossible to not get sucked in. I find the chips to be pretty good, but the hot wings are the real winner here. You could always get a pizza, but if you do then you're completely missing the point. The hint as to what Rooster House nails is in the name, dummy!

Rooster House is one of my fondest memories from my time as a Brummie because it's not just food --…read moreit's an experience. Providing cheap, late-night fast food for students around the Selly Oak area, expect to find hoards of partygoers (always in costume, for some reason...) stopping by for some much needed midnight munchies to soak up their drunkenness. This place really pulls together the campus community and gave me plenty of opportunity to engage in interesting conversations with friends old and new. Never a dull moment here. Anything you order will definitely fill you up, usually with leftovers in the morning as a reminder of your bad life choices. Obviously, the chicken is a customer favorite, but my American appetite craves for kebabs whenever the chance arises. Service is as friendly as you'd expect at 1AM on weekends (I'm certainly surprised with how well they deal with rowdy 18yr-olds). I've actually had their food at a reasonable hour and can confirm that it's still as fried, coma-inducing, and averagely delicious as you remember. Thanks for the good times, Rooster House, those yellow styrofoam boxes will sure be missed.

Wonderful building with so much to offer to anyone who walks in! Cafe that is open every day…read moreserving hot and cold food and drinks, bar open every day of the week for the dads, enclosed playground for children and huge ground for older kids to play football and enjoy being outside! Add that to the main hall where you can book anything from a 1st Birthday party to a full Weeding Ceremony and Reception Party and this place has everything!!

Great cafe currently open every day except Thursday. Home made cakes, sandwiches and soup, with…read morecooked breakfasts at the weekend. Friendly.