Aysha's reviews
Review of Cap N Gown
13 Nov 07, 19:22
The Cap and Gown 
Situated within Birmingham College of Food, and slap bang in the centre of town, the Cap and Gown serves exceptionally good food at ridiculously good prices. As it's attached to the college, your food is prepared by fledgling students and their tutors, but it's absolutely fantastic stuff. For an entire three course meal costing around £11, you really can't grumble, especially when the food is top spec stuff. Think lamb tagine, slow cooked pork and other amazing dishes that you'd spend at least twice the £5 or so price tag most of the dishes on the menu have. Starters are varied and delicious, and just enough to get your appetite going without being overbearing (and at roughly £2 each, you can't really complain about them not filling you up!) There's also an excellent amount of variety for vegetarians, and some splendid puddings. I would highly recommend the Cap and Gown to anyone who wants to have a great culinary experience but who doesn't want to pay the price of an actual restaurant. It's very gratifying to see the students getting on with the task at hand- students also comprise the majority of the waiting staff too, so it's a very well- rounded experience.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Mint Cuisine
13 Nov 07, 19:16
Mint 
Mint is another local curry house with pretensions of grandeur. Sure, it's nice to eat your curry in a contemporary space with lots of new-fangled art work on the walls and a giant fish tank, but really is all that necessary? The food is pretty good for a small restaurant, but it's not really anything special. It is very popular with the local Yardley/Yew Tree crowd, and as such is often full of people who are loudly declaring their passion for curry whilst ordering a Vindaloo and four more lagers. Mint is the kind of place you'd go to for something to eat as a kind of stop-gap- the food isn't bad, the service is average and the prices are relatively reasonable, but to be honest it's worth going that extra distance just to find somewhere a bit better!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Lasan
13 Nov 07, 17:22
Lasan 
Another'new' Indian restaurant, Lasan could easily have gone down the route of serving the same old curries in a contemporary environment with square plates and sparkly cutlery. However, Lasan has innovation on its side, and a team of chefs that know how to construct a curry properly, with maximum taste and minimum fuss. I'm half-Pakistani, so know what a curry should taste like, and Lasan have it. Each dish I have had there has been fresh and delightful- no extra ghee or oil floating on the top, and extra helpings of dhal or veggie curry on the side to complement the main dishes. The service in Lasan is excellent, and I have never had a bad experience here. The owners regularly go around the restaurant talking to diners to hear their comments, and I can honestly say I've never heard a bad one. It's a fantastic place to go to for a curry, the food is lovely, the atmosphere's fabulous and the overwhelming feeling you'll get from eating here is one of utter contentment.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Barnt Green Inn
13 Nov 07, 17:17
The Barnt Green Inn
I'm not a massive fan of gastro pubs- they generally seem rather full of themselves, and the food never seems as good as they think it is. Accordingly, the Barnt Green Inn is pretty okay by gastro pub standards. Its wide range of food, from Greek mezze to an impressive number of different pizzas, is very good, and the staff are also very friendly and helpful. I can't help but be put off by the size of the place though- it's enormous, and as such you can be kept waiting for some time once you've ordered, or, even worse, you have to wait to order your food. I'm sorry to say that although there's lots of food to choose from, and some delicious sounding meals, there's nothing there which is particularly worth the average of £11 for a main meal. It's an okay place to go, but not brilliant, it has to be said.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Sibila's
13 Nov 07, 17:04
Sibilas Organic Restaurant
Absolutely fantastic vegetarian food in the middle of Birmingham City Centre, Sibilas serves incredibly good value food with great service. Its food is a bit odd, to be fair, so don't go expecting your typical veggie lasagne or pasta and sauce, but whatever you have it is guaranteed to be tasty and good for you. I am a meat fanatic and don't often go to veggie restaurants but this place has changed my opinion of them. The food is so clearly made with love and enthusiasm that you can't help but feel like you're eating something someone has been making for years from their kitchen garden in Turkey! I think part of the reason the food combinations seem unusual is that Sibila's chef is Croation/Italian, and as such, the flavour combinations are really impressive and very tasty. It's pretty reasonable too- around £6 for a main course, which is great considering its just off Broad Street location. I would definitely recommend Sibila's as a fantastic place to eat and relax and enjoy some truly beautiful tasting food.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Millets
13 Nov 07, 16:52
Millets
Most outdoor clothing/equipment shop, try hard to encourage shoppers to buy as much gear as they possibly can, which can be frustrating, and I have had many experiences of this in numerous shops where I haven't been listened to and have just been forced into buying 25 pairs of snow socks or something. However, Millets in Sutton is different, as the staff in there are all very knowledgeable and keen to help, and this is reflected in the fact its' always packed! I went in there recently with a very specific request for a rucksack and was greeted with excellent customer service and a bargainous rucksack which surpassed what I needed and was half the price! Needless to say I will be returning once I've worked out what else I need for my next big trip, and hope to get even more bargains then!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Cafe Ceramica
13 Nov 07, 16:47
Cafe Ceramics
A great place to take young and old alike, Cafe Ceramica is a great way to spend an afternoon catching up on gossip and generally being creative. The idea is very simple, you book a table, then you choose an object to paint (they range from about £2 for a little clay dolphin shape, to about £30 for a large platter), then you sit and paint it whilst drinking tea from the selection available. Once you've finished your piece, you hand it over to the lovely lady who puts it aside to be fired- a week later, you will be the proud owner of a fantastic (well, potentially) piece of artwork made by your own fair hands! It's a great idea, and very popular with children and young mothers who want to use up a bit of their day being creative while baby sleeps in the pushchair. It can be expensive- studio time is around £3, plus fees for the objects you choose to paint etc, but it can take a lot of time to do, and you definitely get your money's worth. Highly recommended are the princess parties that you can arrange for your daughter/niece etc where girls can invite their friends to come along and paint and have a party on site- great fun and a brilliant idea for young children!
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Electric Cinema
13 Nov 07, 16:42
The Electric Cinema
This incredible, newly restored cinema is a firm favourite of mine, and well worth a visit of you're thinking of a trip to the pictures whilst in Birmingham! It's the oldest working cinema in Britain, and is absolutely stunning. The Electric underwent a major refurbishment a couple of years ago, and has benefitted enormously from the results. Its decor is pure 1920s Art Deco glamour- rooms can be hired out for parties and events, and the place specialises in showing films that are a little off the beaten track. It really is a fantastic place to watch a film- there's sofas instead of normal cinema seats, and lots of lovely original features to gaze at while you're waiting for your film to begin. It isn't cheap and tacky entertainment like so many cinemas these days, and it doesn't try and nobble every last bit of money out of you either, so for a lovely cinematic experience head to Electric where you'll be pleasantly surprised.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Victoria Square Cafe
13 Nov 07, 16:31
Victoria Square Cafe
Perfect for hangover time- this little cafe is nice and unassuming, and serves fantastic cooked breakfasts to people whose night out proved more of an ordeal than perhaps they'd first anticipated. I've lived in Birmingham for virtually my entire life, and still marvel at the lack of late-night food eateries except kebab houses. The Victoria Square Cafe serves up bacon and eggs and other typical cafe fare for reasonable prices, and means something relatively wholesome going into your stomach, rather than the remains of a sheep's bits. Not easy to find, this little cafe deserves its reputation as a good all rounder in the cafe stakes- serving decent grub at a good price and with brilliantly thick slices of toast, I'd recommend this place to any clubber feeling the pain of one too many drinks.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.
Review of Oro-the Marketplace
13 Nov 07, 16:23
Oro- The Marketplace
I think this place has recently changed its name to the Oak, but its food and service remain brilliant. It's a completely organic experience, with a menu that is diverse, exciting and full of interesting dishes that demand attention. All of the food is either grown fresh on site or sourced from local suppliers, and you can tell in the taste of the food, which is superb. Attached to the restaurant is a fantastic farmers' shop which stocks an enormous variety of incredibly high quality food. This is an exceptionally brilliant place to eat and to visit, and it is reflected in the attitudes of the staff, who are all incredibly helpful and enthusiastic. You can tell that a lot of love has gone into making whatever is on sale here, either in the restaurant or in the shop, and as such you can guarantee a brilliant experience. It is a little out of the way of Birmingham, but if you fancy a bit of a drive out into the countryside, this is the place for you.
0 out of 0 people found this review helpful.