Parking a little bleak as it's a one way system, the deserts are so tasty and well priced.read more

The first thing you'll notice heading southbound on Ladypool Road is the long queue and the roped…read moreentrance with the word "Heavenly", perhaps suggesting the most popular nightclub in Sparkbrook. But no, while patrons of Heavenly Desserts may be dressed to the nines, this dessert bar necessitates elastic trousers more than a "go out shirt". Heavenly Desserts was one of the originators of the type of dessert bar that has popped up all over Birmingham in recent years. Starting out in a smaller shop front, they now take up a very large location in Sparkbrook that can seat many. Despite this, the place is packed with queues on the weekend. The wait is managed very professionally by an army of staff members. Once you make it to your seat, a literal bible of sweet goodies awaits. The shop is most known for their outrageous waffles and cookie dough, but it's entirely possible to pop in for some gelato and a coffee. This is exactly what I did while visiting with friends recently, as the cookie dough was tempting but I wanted something smaller. The gelato can be purchased on its own, but it's also a key ingredient in their other dessert dishes. I was hoping for the best based on reviews, but my cookies and creme/chocolate combo was average at best. Given the amount of competition in Brum, the gelato was not up to par with a generic flavour present. The Americano I ordered as my drink was substantial in size, but lacked finesse in its pull, with a bitter, acidic quality. The overall service here is spot on, with our waiter checking on us throughout our visit. Paying was a hassle though, as we had to walk to the back end of the shop and pay at a card kiosk. Speaking of, the prices here are at the upper limit of what you can realistically charge, especially since it's not in city centre. Heavenly Desserts is a nice dessert shop for the most part, but if you are looking for high quality ingredients or a low-mid price point, south Brum has many more options for you.

After driving around for five minute to and parking on a side street. We walked over to Icestone…read moreGelato This is a large branch with a wide range of ice creams and cakes on the menu. We were shown to a large booth and the only clue about how we had to order was the number on the table. As with my previous review of Celebz diner. It needs to be clear how to order an where to stand when its busy. We spent AGES looking at the massive menu. I finally settled on a coldstone creation. In America part of the theatre comes from watching your food created infront of you. But here you are returned to your table and wait for it to be delivered to you. It was pretty great which is why this venue gets 4 stars. This area is pretty busy day or night so I'm not sure if there's a quieter time to park nearby regardless of how busy the venue is.. Location Location Location is key. I'll be back to start eating my way through the menu!

Nice day yesterday took the kids to the park after went to icestone nice seating areas good service…read morea wide range of ice creams we had 2 cookie doughs and 3 ice creams French vanilla and hazelnut really nice cookie dough came with a scoop of ice cream enough for to kids to share £15 for the lot very good price. They have coffee and tea and cakes too

Paid a visit to a stylish independent coffee shop in lovely Mosley…read more This cute cafe is full of character - I love the quirky artwork and prints dotted around and each table is decorated with quirky lighting making for a super laid back vibe. After pondering the menu for a while we settled on milkshakes and cake...you can't really go wrong with that combo. Funnily the staff had to pop out to grab ice-cream for our milkshakes, which meant it took slightly longer but I didn't really mind as I was feasting on my salted caramel cake in the meantime. When our milkshakes did appear, they looked as impressive as they tasted. We went for strawberry and chocolate - creamy, indulgent overflowing goodness in the cutest mason jars. The staff were super friendly and attentive throughout our visit asking if we were ok which was sweet. I'd like to go back and spend a bit longer in this adorable little cafe...will be back for sure! Note to self - there is a 50p fee for card transactions under £5

One of my favourite places to eat curry is at Grameen Khana on Ladypool Road…read more The food is consistently good and they offer a range of Bangladeshi dishes that I haven't seem in other restaurants. Chot Poti is a great vegetarian starter dish (although you'll be struggling to eat all of your main course after). It's a chick pea dish with plenty of chilli and toped with crispy onions and egg. The Desi roast is excellent too; the chicken just falls off the bone. The selection of main courses is great. The specials offer something a little different Shobji Chicken and the Chicken Sashlick Bhuna are great as is the Grameen Special Chicken Balti. Our favourite lamb dish is the Haleem which is like a stew with really soft slow-cooked lamb. You can bring your own drinks and there is an off-license right next door. The Decor is contemporary and spotlessly clean. There is an indoor waterfall and a TV that is usually showing a Bollywood film but without sound. The staff are generally pleasant and efficient. They have a remote control buzzer contraption on the table so you can request service, drinks (non alcoholic) or your bill.

Grameen Khana stands out as a relatively new addition to the Ladypool and let's face it, if you're…read morea curry house on the Ladypool Road standing out is an important part of distinguishing yourself from the many curry houses on offer. Grameen is distincive with it's brightly lit green livery and super fancy water features, giving it a very modern and luxurious appearance. Turns out the place is Bangladeshi and so searching for a bit of authenticity I ordered from the fish menu. After the waiter corrected me on my Bangladeshi pronounciation and warned that this particular dish contained bones, I had the option of going for a more familair choice but stuck to my guns and went with the fish dish, much to the combined admiration and consternation of my fellow diners. A large TV played on the back wall be it muted and the water feature really was quite a novel touch which did attract our eye whilst waiting for our food. The fish dish arrived and was tasty and well marinated, working through the bones, I enjoyed the fleshy bits and we all traded dishes to compliment or query each others choices. What we did notice was that a large Bangladeshi family had take the table at the rear and this was another endorsement of Grameen Khana along with the tasty grub.

Situated within Birmingham's famous Balti Triangle, Viva Bites takes on the unenviable task of…read moretrying to get Birmingham's residents to eat healthy food and live a better lifestyle. In stead of curries, we are offered baked potatoes with a variety of toppings or figure friendly paninis, as well as a selection of flavoured milkshakes and damn fine coffee. They also sell the mixes for body building drinks, not that I would know much of those as I've grown to accept my scrawny arms the way they are. I lived above this shop for quite a while and would often pop in for a coffee that tasted better than what I would could make at home or when I couldn't be bothered to make my own dinner. The place seems to have it's own place in the local Asian community, often drawing quite a crowd of an evening, possibly to watch sports on the massive flat screen television that dominates the front of the shop. If you've had too much of the local Indian delicacies or just fancy changing your eating habits, you could do a lot worse than paying a visit to this friendly little shop.

Some confusing stuff going on with names and internet listings here folks. The sign above the door…read moreclearly reads "Khan's Fish Bar" (see the photo) but is listed as "Khan's Chippie" on the internet, and to make matters worse, there's a business called "Khan's Fish Bar" in Bordesley Green. I would love to be able to tell you that this is due to a fast food maverick named Khan who has opened multiple outlets with scant regard for such petty concerns as clear listings, or two rival Khans in the same business but unfortunately I do not know what has caused this weird turn of events. Catering based conspiracy theories aside, this Khan's is a fairly no frills fast food takeaway - the food is fairly basic, the shop has seen a lot of attention in terms of decor and the ervice isn't the best. However, most evenings around six or seven, Khans is busy, occasionally with queues spilling out onto the pavement. Why? It's reliable and cheap. The only reason you's ever take a date here is if you wanted to put some off you, but if you need a traditional fish and chips in this part of Balsall Heath then this is the place to go.

As Chipshops go there are certain signs that indicate a good or bad place…read more Khans has plenty of good signs about it and their product is reliably good too. First of all this place gets reliably busy and often you would struggle to enter the place past the crowds of people cueing up to get their grub. It's not the drunken pub crowd either but local families so there's an air of public service about Khans. Also the place is noticably clean and the staff seem quite content and happy. What's great about Khans is that you can see right back into the shop, which stretches quite far back, so there's entertainment to be had watching the staff prepping the food in the back and it all looks very civilised. Khans chip shop is a shop of simple fare, but it does it with a certain professionalism and cleanliness that instills a confidence in it's patrons. Afterall it's as much about the food as the experience and Khans is a place i would vist again.

I think I am going to say it…read more.. This is my favourite Indian restaurant in Birmingham City Centre! Manzil's is situated about a minutes walk from the Bull Ring and people in the know who know about curry know what I am talking about with this place. When you walk in, you are met with a homely and friendly atmosphere which makes it a delight to eat in. It's an old school curry house which I love. I really like the wallpaper! I have got to know the waiters as I have visited so many times, who are really chatty and are always happy to see you. If you see Hakeem, he loves his Football! The music they play is so random and unexpected. The last visit I made, they were playing Britpop hits of the 1990's haha On this visit, I was with 4 friends from down south who were visiting me for the day, who are tough critics I may add! I had the Chicken Pakora which was a great starter and just the right size to begin the meal. For the main course I had a lovely Dhansak which was really filling with Pilau rice. Manzil's speciality is their sizzling dishes which provides a good alternative if you are not in the mood for a hearty curry. The biggest surprise came when the bill arrived and we split it. One of my friends said "That price wouldn't even get you a starter which isn't half as good as that in London." Says it all really!

Whilst it's been awhile since I've been here, and if I'm honest every time I've been there it's…read morebeen exceptionally quiet. Like we are the only ones in there quiet. I'd put it down to them doing more sales via delivery. But judging by the reviews of this place it's not a well kept secret. I was brought her as a 'proper curry virgin' by experiences prior had been out of a jar and pub curries. According to a friend this was unacceptable, so off we went. I can't remember what I ordered. I know it was vegetarian and not spicy - I can't do spicy as much as I try. You get a lot for your money, going for an Indian can be an expensive affair but this was reasonable by the amount of food received. The service as well is excellent, always smiling and helpful. I really must go again, I whole heartedly suggest the rest of you do too.

Frontier foods is a faithfull little shop at the the high end of Ladypool road…read more I often pass along the Ladypool Road on my comings and goings and there are many grocery stores offering fruit and vegetables but one shop which I have a special affection for is Frontier Foods. The name makes me think of a Wild West shop out on the plains and seems quite funny for a shop which sits on the border of Balsall Heath and Moseley. Often it's the produce which attracts me to one grocers or another and the stock is fresh and neatly layed out with a great deal of care, inside ths shop is small but orderly and the service is friendly. Ladypool Road offers a magnitude of fresh produce and if you're in a hurry and don't want to cue then, Frontier Foods is a great place to pick up a few vegetables or pieces of fruit.