Looking for some shopping and a decent meal during our stay in Birmingham, our cab driver suggested…read morewe head to the Torchwood Shopping Centre located in the town of Solihull. She assured us that not only were there plenty of shops, but that the second floor also had a variety of restaurants for dinner. Perfect we thought. We arrived at the mall about 6:30PM and realized immediately after entering that all the stores were closed. I guess stores closing early is a British thing. Truth be told, this mall isn't much different than any mall anywhere. You've got your Gap, your Apple, your Disney and even if the name isn't the same on so many others, the wares certainly are. Giving up on shopping we headed up to the second floor to check out the restaurants. Ugh. Mall food. So, we did what any enterprising team in the same situation would do. We turned to the Yelp app. Yea, Yelp app! Looking at the options within walking distance, many seemed uninspiring. But, there was one that stuck out. A 5-star review of the Metro Bar by Yelp user Nicola T. Better yet, Nicola had 166 Yelp reviews in the bag. That's what I call credibility. It was only a six minute walk to the Metro Bar and we were able to get a seat right away. I guess timing is everything, because not too much later, the place was packed. We ordered some drinks and took a moment to catch our breath. What a fabulous place. Open and airy, modern and clean, this was exactly the restaurant we were hoping to find. We intended on starting with some appetizers but nothing really resonated, so instead we ordered a couple of servings of warm bread, olives and roasted garlic. The bread and olives were delicious, but it was the roasted garlic that really got me going. It's amazing how garlic can go from being tart to sweet just by roasting it. Comfortable in the knowledge that I was sleeping alone, I went to town. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/metro-bar-solihull?select=nuxHt53MVZtLlXGWwGfsEg#e6iho--3Vg5CLalwggTPvQ For our entrees, I ordered the Shoulder of Lamb as did one of my dinner mates. The other mate (like how I'm using English terms???) ordered the Rib Eye. I also ordered a dinner salad. The meals arrived after a reasonable wait. Oddly the salads arrived at the same time. I think that was intentional, although unexpected. I thought my salad was fine. The other person at the table who ordered a salad didn't really take more than a couple of bites of his. There's only one word that describes the lamb: succulent. Absolutely, perfectly succulent. Each bite was a celebration of taste. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/metro-bar-solihull?select=nuxHt53MVZtLlXGWwGfsEg#nuxHt53MVZtLlXGWwGfsEg I had opted for the Hand Cut Chips but when my plate arrived it was served with mash potatoes. I pointed that out to the server and he brought me a side of chips, thick and fresh and steaming hot. Oddly he charged me for them as a side order which I think was a bit out of line since I had ordered them as a substitute for the mash potatoes when I placed my order. Still, my intuition was right as the mash potatoes were the weak link in the meal, a bit runny and really not that flavorful. For dessert I had the Vanilla Panna Cotta (an Italian dessert made by simmering together cream, milk and sugar, mixing this with gelatin, and letting it cool until set) which was a great conclusion to the meal and a great way to end a long day. (I had to Google it before ordering it.) All in, including three beers, a glass of wine and gratuity, the meal was £118.74 or about USD $180, which I might consider to be on the high side for a place that calls itself a "bar and grill". Still I have no issues whatsoever with Nicola giving the Metro a 5-star review. Heading out of the restaurant I was leaning towards that as well. But in the two or so weeks since I ate there, the experience has faded a bit in my mind, perhaps in the context of the other meal I had while staying in Birmingham (See my review of Henry's Cantonese Restaurant: http://www.yelp.com/biz/henrys-cantonese-restaurant-birmingham#hrid:bH_J_Oa_8kEnr7-YGDx-VA). So, a high 4-star review instead of a straight up 5-star review. Still very good and with my strong recommendation.

The metro bar and grill from the outsiders a large open bar and restaurant, lots of glass windows…read moremean that if you want too you can be seen or if you sit further back you can watch. Any Friday or Saturday this place can be extremely busy with the after work crowd before the dinner diners arrive around 7pm. I quite often find myself in there for mid week drinks on a Tuesday or Wednesday and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. The food is good if a little bit on the expensive side, the drinks are reasonable with a good selection of bottled beers. This is one of my favourite bars in Solihull and I have to say well worth a visit.

I had a lovely meal there on Saturday. I had been there before and was also impressed so wanted to…read morehave a tate at their new menu. The ambiance is relaxed, so good for food with friends and can be quite intimate with candles on tables and low lights. I booked the restaurant via an app on my phone (dead easy and convenient). When we arrived there, our table was ready and we received a warm welcome. The food - it was the Christmas menu this time- was tasty and well presented. The wine was very nice too! I have to say that the waitress was very nice, honest and helpful. She even went back to the kitchen to check the exact content of a dish (she did tell us before but went to check and fedback to us, very thoughtful and accurate) Special commendation for this restaurant: they have bottles of Ruinart Blanc de Blanc, my fav champagne! I didn't have any but it's a good sign to me!!

The menu looks really appetising. The setting, tables and chairs are very authentic and unusual…read more Staff is super friendly. However, they miss the most important: you go to a restaurant for the quality of the food. We had to wait 45 minutes for soggy fries, over-cooked burger was so dry we struggled cutting through it, nothing left of the blue cheese in it. My dish arrived with the pulled pork looking like strings of dried meat coming out of a packet, the dish was sitting there for a while as the coleslaw had already some skin on it. When you wait that long you expect freshly cooked food not reheated food.

My uncle started Wilde's and it became the beginning of my education in wine. I always loved it,…read morenow love wine and thanks to Uncle Jimbo!

I agree with 'sleepless'...the eton mess is fabulous! Wilde's can do no wrong for meThe food isn't…read moretop-quality-restaurant-food but its very tasty and the helpings are generousI love the atmosphere, tooit's very bohemian and the perfect place to share a bottle of wine, which by the way, is very reasonable.

attended a 18th party fab place must be stunning in the day…read moregood set up nice staff will try te sund lunch 3 mar fri nite attended a tribute night the vandellas really good meal was brill nice prawn cocktail to start with bit too much sauce loads of crayfish and prawn yummo then the main my husb filet steak was really TINY I know but there was a £7.50 addit cost with this which we did know about my fish was lovely salmon nice sauce good selec of veggies cheese board was quite decent as well I would recommend a tribute night as nothing was wrong with anything tables were a bit close together but other than that brill

This place is very unique and has a really cool atmosphere…read more They have live acts playing in the evenings which holds it's own clientelle. They have limited selection of beers but a nice feel and continental feel. No standard carling. This is a realy small place but layed out and decorated really nicely.

Tucked away where you might not find it, this little cafe/bar serves some interesting food, and a…read moregood selction of beers and wines. Not particularly cheap, but worth it for a good atmosphere and good live music, going for more unusual acoustic or jazz acts.

Looking for an excuse to feel like a sophisticated vintage connoisseur, without actually knowing…read moreanything about wine? Then Loki is the place to be. Hidden away in the charmingly historic Great Western Arcade in the centre of Birmingham, this spot is a gem--like a treasure chest full of wine, with little tasting notes as the map. The magic happens with the tasting machines, where you can try up to 40 wines by the glass--not all at once, you rascal! Want to sample a few without committing to a whole bottle? You can try sips for around £1. It's a great way to find your new favorite drop without the commitment anxiety. Plus, they have these super cool self-service Loki cards, or you can (as I did) trade your credit card for a temp. Get guidance from the lovely staff if you're overwhelmed by all the choices (I was). The selection is as diverse as it is vibrant, with wines from all over the world, and the best part? They're all served at the exact temperature the makers intended--no warm, sad wine here. Looking for sweet wines, my partner and I enjoyed an airy Gewürztraminer, a super fantastic vintage port from Warre, and a delightful coffee-noted port from Penfolds. I also sampled a yummy, peppery and full-bodied Shiraz. While I didn't try the food, the menu looks like it would be the perfect pairing with any glass you pick. Cheese boards, meat boards, olives, focaccia, you know the stuff. Whether you're an aficionado or a casual enthusiast (like me), Loki Wine is a great spot for a laid-back yet luxurious experience. I'll definitely be back next time I'm in Brum.

Loki is a technically a wine shop but it has a few unique selling points…read more 1. Phil is super knowledgeable and approachable. If you have a question about wine or need a recommendation he will help you! 2. The beautiful location in Great Western Arcade. The store itself is exceptionally stylish too, all wood shelves, tables made from barrels and a lovely upstairs seating area. 3. It's not just a shop- you can try wines too. You can pick up a card, load it with money, pop the card into the amazing wine dispenser (!) select a small or large taster or a whole glass, and the wine is dispensed into the wine glass you have taken from the rack above. There's a variety of decent reds and whites available. These are good quality wines so a full bottle isn't a cheap option. So having the option to have a good sized sample for anything from 90p-£2 means you can feel more confident buying the whole bottle. So when you've picked a glass of wine you like, you can take it upstairs, sit on the seats, order a cheese or meat board (from Anderson and Hill across the way) and have a completely relaxing afternoon. Even the olive oil is amazing. Highly recommended.

I have been there a few times now. Me and my boyfriend love…read morethis place, Food is great, atmosphere is cosy, modern and classy. One of the few nice restaurants we have found yet in Coventry.

I'm giving this restaurant/bar 5 stars purely because there isn't anything else quite like it in…read morethe City. Yes it's expensive, but that's the market they are aiming for, this isn't aimed at the person that earns minimum wage... It's aimed at professionals with plenty of disposable income. The bar is very nice, a good selection of drinks and the decor is good too. The food is high end, definitely not your Weatherspoons cheap burger and fries... They have proper chefs that use top quality ingredients. The management have done a good job at keeping this place going over the years, I think that keeping young attractive girls on staff all the time definitely helps! As I know most guys go purely for the eye candy... (Not me of course!) but most men are always saying how you never see an unattractive girl on staff... Not sure how legal that is to only hire attractive people, but they seem to have gotten away with it for the past decade so there we go... I guess it's all part of the brand...