Tag Archives: Independent Birmingham

The Bureau and The Langley Gin terrace opening

Posted in Bars and Pubs, Independent, Uncategorised by

The Bureau has been on Colmore Row in Birmingham City Centre since October 2013. Housed in a beautiful grade II- listed building built in 1902-04 it has been a place to be seen in The Colmore Business District.

It has a main bar and a cocktail bar and downstairs a basement lounge area which has its own bar area and can be used for private functions.

The Bureau is known not only for its drinks but for its hip bar deli food with a difference. Small plates of food both meat options and good veggie options. A menu demonstrates thought and skill and with a choice of five for £10 is decent value.

On the 26th June 2014 The Bureau will open its roof terrace to the public. Birmingham is not blessed with roof terraces, but The Bureau promises to set the highest tone of indulgence and offer a sophisticated place to drink and eat and just in time for the summer weather. Their will be a weekly barbecue on offer and a well stocked bar to tempt and delight.

It’s set to open as the Langley’s No 8 Gin Roof Terrace (distilled near Oldbury).

Also, there are plans for a second floor bar and a mezzanine level conference rooms.

The success of The Bureau up to now is based around its aims to create a friendly and social environment where guests can indulge in locally produced and regional sourced food including many veggie options ( see my review soon).

The owners from Birmingham Paul Rutter and Zack Foley have certainly created a buzzy hospitable space.

As a bonus with the Independent Birmingham members card a 10% discount is given.

The Bureau has won many awards including ‘Hidden Gem Award’ from fantastic bar website Design My Night’s users.

The Bureau is a place for deli food and drink already, but the terrace should make it a place to enjoy the summer months much more.

The Bureau
10 Colmore Row
Birmingham
0121 236 1110

http://www.thebureaubar.co.uk

Info@thebureaubar.co.uk

@thebureau

@langleyNo8

http://www.langleysgin.com

The Victoria: A seriously superb pub

Posted in Bars and Pubs, Cafés and Restaurants, Independent by

For a spontaneous ‘let’s eat out’ moment, nothing is better than a good old pub- one that does good food- one that does good drink!

In Birmingham we are lucky we have a few. One that I hadn’t eaten at though is The Victoria on John Bright Street in the city centre near the Alexandra theatre. Now John Bright street is becoming a cool place. Not only does The Victoria sit comfortably there, but new Caribbean restaurant and bar Turtle Bay, Brew Dog craft beer bar, and Cherry Reds also line up in harmony on an up and coming street. A feast of good food and good drinks.

The Victoria is a theatre pub, dating back to the end of the 19 Century. It has plenty of character and according to its website its own ghost.

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Well let’s just say there are no ghosts In their food or drink when we visited on a mid week evening.

The Victoria offers quality hand picked wines, cask ales and some superb sounding cocktails. It is listed on Birmingham’s Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) website and for a real ale fan like myself it’s a superb place to try out new cask beers. The ‘Sleepless’ ale that I tried along with their Otley ale were superb. Both different but both superb for drinking alone or in my case with food. Both hoppy, both with a superb character. Ruth chose a couple of glasses of excellent Chenin Blanc which she enjoyed.

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The food at The Victoria has recently been taken over by Vicky’s Kitchen, with a range of authentic gourmet sourdough based pizzas (2 vegetarian options) burgers (1 option) and salads and numerous bar snacks.

The food is made fresh in house with a quality rarely seen in pubs I find. After all it’s all in the ingredients and fine dining doesn’t just mean white table cloths and linen. Vicky’s Kitchen at The Victoria certainly executes food well and it’s hearty and generous in portion size too. Good hearty pub food. Perfect!

I ordered a burger called ‘Animal Friendly’ which was a salted courgette and beetroot, carrot, toasted almonds, mixed herbs, lettuce, tomato, onion and chipotle mayo with sweet potato fries and a side of onion rings to share with Ruth.

The veggie burger was superb, served in a brioche bun, with fennel coleslaw. The flavours of the beetroot and courgette complimented each other well and gave a lovely contrasting flavour with the beautiful mayo and fennel coleslaw, which was lovely spread in the bun on the lettuce. It was one of the best burgers I have had anywhere, made more delicious by the brioche bun which was firm and fresh and didn’t fall apart and held the burger to the end. Bonus! The fries were crispy and tasted subtly of sweet potato they were ok. The onion rings were delicious, a good idea to order them as a side. They are handmade, crispy and soul foodie.

It was the burgers though we had come to taste, so the pizza will have to wait for another day:).

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At The Victoria you can’t fail to be seduced and impressed by the Victorian decor. It’s colourful and arty, with a quirky feel. It’s traditional in feel, but search deeper then you will find a twist with quirky furniture and art which is very bohemian with a wooden hand designed arty feel.

The bar staff are warm and friendly. They are very knowledgable offering advice and samples of the beer before you buy. I have been told the bar staff make superb cocktails which we will have to try out at another time. See website for details on drinks and menus.

The Victoria may be tucked away slightly, but its a memorable place to wile away a few hours or get a quick lunch. It’s a great independent, very bohemian and friendly with a young and cool crowd, a local to re visit.

With such a good food and drinks menu it would be foolish not to.

Next stop pizza and cocktails 🙂

The Victoria
48 John Bright Street
Birmingham
B1 1BN

0121 633 9439

http://www.thevictoriabirmingham.co.uk

@thevictoria

http://www.independent-Birmingham.co.uk/the-Victoria/

For entertainment and events at The Victoria see their website for details or Facebook or twitter.

You can get 20% off with the independent Birmingham card from Sunday to Thursday.

The Victoria is part of the Bitters ‘n’ Twisted venues which also include Bodega, Island Bar, the Jekyl and Hyde, and the Rose Villa Tavern.

You can obtain a loyalty card for these venues on the website of the venues. This gives you top deals on food and drinks across the six venues.

http://www.bitterstwisted.co.uk

Loki Wine Merchant and Tasting House 2nd Birthday

Posted in Bakery, Bars and Pubs, Pop up's, Soul Food Kitchen by

On the 14th June, Loki Wine Merchant and Tasting House held its 2nd Birthday party in the Great Western Arcade in Birmingham City Centre.

Loki is the most awarded wine merchant in Birmingham and is currently Decanter UK wine merchant of the year outside of London. A great achievement! 🙂

See my previous recent article on Loki wine.

The Great Western Arcade where Loki are based is a beautiful arcade and on an evening when all the shoppers have gone home for the day it is even more picturesque and special. The arcade carried a different atmosphere that captured the Loki spirit of innovation and independence perfectly.

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On arrival Ruth and I were greeted with a glass of bubbly, which helped to soak up the relaxed party atmosphere perfectly whilst we waited in another Que for our food.

I was really looking forward to the food. The food at the party was from esteemed pop up duo Clarke and Lee, (Peel and Stone) who have held food events (Soul Food Kitchen) at The Church in the Jewellery Quarter. Their food is a mixture of oriental and English fusion. On offer was a delicious veggie option and a meat option.

My veggie option was lovely. It was a mushroom dim sum type dish served in a steamed bun. It was delicious, with a tantalising soy sauce and gentle spice flavour. The only shame was that there was not more on offer. It was served in a delightful cardboard box which was very sweet.

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Afterwards we ventured inside the shop and tasting room and ordered two glasses of Loki wines superbly crisp and sparkly Prosecco (see previous review of Bistro 1847) which we love. This we took upstairs to the relaxed bar seating area, which was busy and lovely.

Throughout the atmosphere was superb, and lively with the cordial sound of people enjoying themselves with healthy chatter. We had a wonderful couple of hours.

Loki Wine is a superb gem in Birmingham City Centre, unique and happening. A real independent star in the Great Western Arcade.

Happy 2nd Birthday here’s to many more! 🙂

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We also brought some superb bread from Peel and Stone in the Jewellery Quarter which was been sold at Loki’s party. See earlier blog article.

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Loki Wine Merchant and Tasting House
36 Great Western Arcade
Great Charles Street
Queens way
Birmingham
B2 5HU

0121 212 9440

http://www.lokiwine.co.uk
@lokiwine

@peelandstone
http://www.peelandstone.co.uk

@Clarkeandlee
clarkandleegmail.com

Loki Wine Merchant and Tasting House 2nd Birthday party 14th June 2014.

Posted in Bars and Pubs, Uncategorised by

Loki is nearly two years old..how time flies when you’ve drunk so much wine, or not maybe 😉

Loki is located in The Great Western Arcade near Snow Hill Station in Birmingham City Centre, in the Colmore Business District.

Loki is the most awarded wine merchant in Birmingham and is currently Decanter UK wine merchant of the year outside of London. Some Award!

To celebrate its 2nd Birthday Loki are holding a party on the 14th June between 5pm and 11pm. This event is ticketed and £7 will get you a ticket to the event plus a welcome glass of fizz and food. For £4 you will get a welcome glass of fizz and the entrance to the party (no food).

The food is from esteemed pop up duo Clarke and Lee who have done food events at The Church in The Jewellery Quarter. They are highly regarded and specialise in a mixture of Oriental and English fusion, there are veggie and meat options, the veggie ones are the stunningly named Veg Bao. The party is from 5pm-11pm annd Loki will take over the Great Western Arcade with music, dj’s, drinks promos and give aways, plus a special surprise, to be announced.

ABOUT LOKI

Loki is unique outside of London. It offers customers the experience of trying up to 24 wines by the glass at any one time, great for lunch, after work. or for a romantic date. It’s not stuffy, but really relaxed and chilled, a fun place to be. The advice they give on wines is superb, their recomendations spot on.

Not only can you taste, but you can buy from shelves full of wine bottles at outstanding value. You can buy a Loki wine tasting card which gives an opportunity to taste frequently changing selected wine of outstanding quality from the award winning range.

There is also a tasting room (very relaxing) where a sharing plate of good quality cheese (and cold meats for non veggies) can be purchased plus snacks that you can eat with your wine.

Phil who is Loki’s Director is very knowledgable, and knows his Prosecco from his Rioja. The Prosecco is lovely. I can recommend it.

Loki Wine is a superb place to visit after work, before a meal in the area, or just for a lunch time chat.

In fact Loki is goo all round, anytime of day. A real gem in Birmingham. Happy 2nd Birthday! 🙂

Loki Wine Merchant and Tasting House,

36 Great Western Arcade,

Great Charles Street,

Queeensway,

Birmingham,

B2 5HU

0121 212 9440

http://www.lokiwine.co.uk

@lokiwine

INDEPENDENT BIRMINGHAM (Believe in Birmingham)

Posted in Afternoon Tea, Bakery, Bars, Bars and Pubs, Breakfasts, Cafés and Restaurants, Cocktails, Coffee, Coffee hour, Curry restaurants, Independent, Independent Birmingham, Kings Heath, Moseley, pizza, Pubs, shops, Tapas, vegan by

Birmingham is thriving as a city of independent businesses. It is quite easy to believe the opposite looking around the Bull Ring and the high street. More and more independents, shops, cafe’s and restaurants are now thriving in and around the city centre.

Independent Birmingham is the flag waving movement and website of all things independent in Birmingham.

IB as it known is dedicated to unearthing the very best of Birmingham’s hidden gems and best kept secrets with the aim of encouraging people to re-discover the city we love.

The ethos of supporting businesses with a local leaning and conscience is superb in my opinion, some of the best places to go in Birmingham City Centre and its neighbourhoods are independent and offer friendliness and a uniqueness that chains don’t provide.

Independent Birmingham provide a year long membership card for £15 or two for £20.

The card provides discounts and deals in signed up shops, bars and restaurants. It is a unique pass to a sunshine of localism and top quality places that provide an experience as well as uniqueness.

Their website http://www.independent-Birmingham.co.uk provide a directory of all outlets signed up.

Independent Birmingham announce new additions to the card frequently so keep an eye open for more.

Recent additions are The Electric Cinema in the city centre who are offering IB card holders 2-4-1 tickets on standard seats form Sunday-Thursday, Rico Libre tapas in Digbeth who are offering 10% off breakfasts and tapas excluding Saturday evening, Itihaas Restaurant, 20% off Sunday-Thursday and The Coffee Lounge on Newhall Street 10% off and 20% off for afternoon tea for 2 people.

They have recently announced places such as, Vintage Hideaway, Fletchers Bar and The Sun at the Station and Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath and the Dark Horse pub, Cafephillia, and The Java Lounge in Moseley.

Plus Michelin starred restaurant Adams in the city centre, Ju Ju’s cafe by Brindley Place have joined along with the Jekyll and Hyde pub are offering 20% from Monday to Thursday off food. See website for full offers.

Keep on eye on their twitter and Facebook accounts for further details, new additions and discounts.

Others already signed up include:

Stirling’s bar and lounge, Loki wine, The Victoria bar, The Bureau, Brewsmith’s coffee and tea, 6/8 Kaffe, Cherry Reds, Alfie Birds, Rose Villa Tavern, The Church inn in the Jewellery Quarter, Urban Coffee Shop, Home is where..cafe and deli, Island Bar, Twist, The Sun on The Hill in the city centre.

For more see the website directory on
http://www.independent-Birmingham.co.uk.

Or you can sign up for the Independent Birmingham blog via their website and sign up for the card on the website too.

If anyone has any personal favourites and wants to recommend places please feel free to leave a comment below at,

Twitter @independentB’ham
Facebook independent Birmingham community
Hello@independent-Birmingham.co.uk

Or at Twitter @andydhare or on the comments section below.

Thanks for reading Veggie Foodie.

Alfie Bird’s gourmet eats and beats opening soon

Posted in Bars and Pubs by

Alfie Birds is a brand new bar and gourmet destination opening in Birmingham’s Custard Factory, Digbeth area near Birmingham City Centre.

It will open its doors on the 23rd, 24th and 25th May with a special launch Bank Holiday weekend of music, and food.

Over three floors Alfie Birds will seduce us with stone baked pizzas, craft beer, cocktails and live music.

Alfie Birds is on the site of the old Medicine Bar which I remember well in the Custard Factory, and has been set up by Damien Fell and Andrew Purvis to offer gourmet eats and beats to the Digbeth area of the city.

There will be live performances and DJ’s on offer most weekends and the food will be affordable and will have good vegetarian options.

Details of their opening nights can be found on their website http://www.alfiebirds.co.uk or via Facebook or twitter.

Tickets can be purchased from http://www.seetickets.com

Alfie Birds is sure to be a fun and funky venue.

It should be quite an independent venue for Birmingham to savour.

Update on the 16th May 2014 via twitter.

@Alfiebirds: @andydhare At the moment we’ve got 1 vegan, 2 veggie, 3 fish/sea food & the rest meat options however we make them fresh so can do more 🙂

http://www.alfiebirds.co.uk
@alfiebirds
@independentB’ham
@custardfactory