DDC's just awesome. The original and best weekly street food event in Brum. Mercifully now 2 days a…read moreweek (Friday and Saturday) to allow more opportunity to enjoy some of the vendors amazing grub. It's set out the back of Spotlight & Mama Roux's under a large canopy. There's normally 5 or 6 vendors, and it's generally a good mix of different cuisines - always one burger joint (the best being Flying Cows and Meat Shack, now OPM have their own digs), normally something Asian (either Thai, bao or Vietnamese), sometimes Mexican, BBQ (Andy's Low n Slow is there regularly) desserts (crepes, pancakes and so on), wood-fired pizzas and loads of other stuff. Drinks are inside Spotlight, full bar with craft beers, cocktails and everything else you'd want. Always a great vibe with good music in very 'Digbeth' surrounds. Well worth your time of a weekend!

It's a place I got dragged to, yet I ended up enjoying myself more than expected. I highly…read morerecommend.

Who doesn't scream for ice cream?! Ben and Jerry's ice cream is one of the most popular brands of…read moreice cream! They certainly have more variety in the US including ice cream cakes! Hopefully we will see them in the uk at some point! Don't ask me how I know this but Ben and Jerry's ice cream is higher quality than most ice creams including baskin and Robbins, as they have less air whipped into it! What's better than ice cream during a movie?! I had the blueberry cheesecake. It tasted great with blueberry syrup swirled in along with cheesecake mixture and base chunks also mixed in. It really tasted like cheesecake!! I would recommend the fresh scoop (un tubbed) ice cream with Ben and Jerry's as they simply have a lot more variety available than takeaway tubs.

They put a scoop shop on my walk home from the station, this can't end well!…read more Ben and Jerry's ice cream is always amazing. While this shop is a bit on the small side, it manages to stock all my favourite flavours and do some combo deals. If you've never tried Ben and Jerry's before, you owe it to yourself to stop in for a waffle cone of Chunky Monkey*. *Some people may try and convince you that Ben and Jerry's carries other flavours of ice cream. While this may be technically true, Chunky Monkey is the only flavour that matters!

I really, really wanted to love Dolce Lounge. After being recommended I visit by a business…read morecontact, I had a quick look online to get some information. I discovered that the Cafe is a Independent venue set up by two Aston University Graduates to try and encourage more of a "Cafe Culture" in Birmingham. They have obviously put in a lot of work and hard graft to get it started, but it's just not there... yet. The little venue is based at the top of Corporation Street (passed the Law courts). It looks reasonably appealing from the outside (although the neon words listing it's wares does seem to cheapen the exterior), but I don't think it would drag you in unless you knew what was being offered. The first thing that caught me was the selection of Gelato. So many different flavors are on offer here, from Bubble Gum to Cheesecake your more traditional Chocolate flavored treat. The cakes also looked amazing! Beautiful, delicate and definitely sinful! As I am trying to eat healthy at the moment, I managed to avoid these temptations and just ordered a Red Berry tea (I tried for Peppermint, but they were out). I asked if I could sit around for a bit and do some work and was told I could sit downstairs (there are small tables designed for two) or upstairs where there is more room. I plumped for upstairs. The cafe has a lovely print of venice as wallpaper on the upstairs (obviously, again to put you in mind of the cafe culture). When I went up there, there were three other groups of people. Two of them were studying and one group was just... hanging out and having a chat. It all seemed quite nice... until someone decided that everyone needed to listen to rap... quite loudly. Now, I am not a fan of rap music at the best of times, but listening to a man shout at me whilst I'm trying to enjoy a nice cup of tea and get on with some work is not ideal. It was eventually turned down a touch, but the music seemed at odds with the relaxed, classy vibe the cafe was trying to create. That all being considered, I would pop back and give it another go. The cake and gelato are too much of a draw not to try this venue again. I only paid around £1.75/£1.85 for my cup of tea, so the prices seem about right. I didn't ask the prices of the desserts, but I will update next time...

Ordered from this place over the weekend and although the portion sizes are not huge the shakes and…read moredesserts are pretty good! I decided I would go for the peanut brownie milkshake and the Dolce Royale Sundae. Both came in a standard size glass you would get a large take away milkshake in and were well made and super sweet and exactly as advertised. The only downside to this place is the wait time for the order to arrive...... it took around 1h15 to get to my door. If you have a sweet craving you better order from here as soon as you realize.....otherwise by the time this place delivers you may have already manned up and made the trip to the shop to stock up on five family bags of m&ms!

So I've spend a lot of time (and too much £) at Sixteen's neighbour/sister Faculty and yet never…read moremanaged to make it here for a meal. I decided to remedy that after drinking a Faculty coffee here, using the cafe as overflow seating during a particularly busy time. I was entranced by the variety and looks of the food, and have eaten lunch there three times this week to ensure that their awesomeness is consistent. I'm happy to report that Sixteen Kitchen & Bakery is one of the most delicious and affordable sandwich shops in the city centre. Sixteen is the brainchild of the owners of Faculty, and supplies the coffee shop with their delectable desserts. The shop is joined with Faculty by an open wall, so you can easily order something from one or both and sit in either location. Whereas Faculty uses a bar and two seater table arrangement, Sixteen's seating is entirely on two long tables. This is perfect for large groups or office team lunches (I've seen a lot of work being done here) but can get cramped otherwise. In addition to making desserts for Faculty, the kitchen & bakery serves breakfast and lunch until the late afternoon. I haven't made it to Piccadilly Arcade early enough for breakfast (stops at 11AM), but lunch is good enough to make it a regular mid-day stop. I've ordered the kimchi and cheddar toastie, as well as the basil, pesto, tomato, and mozzarella ciabatta, and most recently the vegemite and avocado sandwich. The kimchi is homemade of course and has a nice balance between heat and actually enjoying the flavours of it. Good luck finding kimchi that tastes this good elsewhere in Birmingham! The ciabatta was done up right and while not blowing away my tastebuds, hit all the right notes. The vegemite and avocado with tomato and mature cheddar was pretty much what you would expect. Like marmite, you either love it or hate it! All of the sandwiches are made fresh daily and packaged on the counter for hygiene. Upon selection, they are placed in a press for finishing. The menu is not set, changing every few days depending on bread (from Peel & Stone) and produce (from the Bullring Open Market). Sandwiches hover around the £4 mark and are a great value especially for the larger ones. For an extra £1 you can add salad to your meal as a side. My only complaint at this point is the lack of beverages. Sixteen makes fresh pressed juices for £3.50 and that's it. If you want anything else, you'll have to head next door to Faculty (although tap water is free). They could do with adding some flavoured/sparkling waters or other canned/bottled drinks. Overall Sixteen is a wonderful addition to the independent businesses of Piccadilly Arcade and contender for best sandwich shop in Brum.

Sixteen kitchen is tucked away in the classy Piccadilly Arcade. It's less than a minute from grand…read morecentral and next to its sister store faculty coffee. The store does have limited seating due to its small confines. The menus changes every day and are put up on the wall behind the counter using a sharpie and ripped up sheets of paper. They generally specialise in sandwiches and soups but also sell cakes or pastry to compliment. If you wanted a coffee to match their is a door leading through to faculty from the store side. On this occasion is purchased a toasted sandwich which was halloumi, pesto and basil on sour dough. It tasted absolutely great, the sandwich was toasted perfectly. The correct portioning meant flavours were great and not overpowering. It cost £4 which I think is very reasonable considering quality. If your waiting for a train or just need a quick lunch sandwich I would recommend sixteen kitchen!

It was so good that I'm tempted to say it wasn't and demand that I go again, for a second opinion!…read more The ambiance of Aalto restaurant is relaxing whilst still buzzing with life and energy. The live music added to the ambiance, providing a soothing and pleasurable background to the meal. The restaurant itself is beautifully decorated, modern, tasteful and welcoming. I loved that we were sat on a large round table - I'm rather a fan of round tables as I feel it creates a better social vibe, and always supports odd numbers without so poor soul sitting opposite Hollow Man (which, lets face it, would put you off your food!) As for the feast itself. Well, let's start with the menu. It was the perfect size, with six options in each category, so plenty of choice without it been too baffling. All the same, I did find it hard to choose, as so many of the options were deeply appealing. For starters, I settled on the Beetroot & Goats Cheese Tart, which was served on a bed of rocket, with walnuts and balsamic vinegar. It was a feast for the taste-buds, and light enough not to make my main course option of Roast Lamb appear too daunting. The lamb, as with the starter, was beautifully presented, and there was a lovely selection of vegetables served with it and they were cooked too perfection. The main was delicious, and plentiful. You will not go hungry after a meal at Hotel La Tour, tough you may need a little lie down! So as not to cheat ourselves from the full experience, we all had dessert too. Again, I was a little torn between a couple of the options, and decided in the end that Spiced Crème Brûlée with Shortbread Biscuits just sounded too good a treat to miss. I was right! With food that tantalizes the eye, stimulates the taste buds and is delivered with a wonderful side portion of fabulous service, Hotel La Tour provides a fabulous menu at reasonable prices, and is well worth a visit. I shall be going again.

Where do I start? This was my very first visit to Aalto and…read moreI have been waiting a very long time to mark a special occasion there. The decor is superb, the embience is just right, the pianist play as you sit enjoying your drink in the lounge is relaxing and shere class.. The food - 5* I will be back!!!

Marmalade is a flexitarian restaurant (i.e. mostly vegetarian, but a few meat options) in the…read moreBirmingham city center, located attached to the Rep theater (right next to the Library of Birmingham). I went here with my wife and two friends as part of a yelp event. First off, I should say that I'm an avid meat eater and don't typically go for vegetarian fare. However, Marmalade is the kind of restaurant that makes me want to eat vegetarian (or at least close to it) regularly. As an appetizer I got the coffee infused lamb rump with a prune glaze, sweet potato mash, and edamame beans. It came paired with The Duke of Earl non-alcoholic aperitif which was made with fresh lemon juice, jasmine and peach syrups, and chilled earl grey tea. Both of these were excellent. The lamb was cooked perfectly and the combination of flavors and ingredients was particularly unique. For the main course I got the marmalade garbanzo: chickpea patties served in a Mediterranean stew (with carrots, courgettes, and a couple other veggies) with balsamic glaze. I wasn't sure what to think at first because I thought this meal as a main wouldn't be very filling, but boy was I wrong. It came with three giant chickpea patties (essentially giant falafals) which I almost couldn't finish. They were delicious and were very tasty drenched in the stew sauce, so I powered through. I got the Captain Ahab's Grog, which was recommended with this meal, that consisted of Brugal Dry Spiced Rum, Ginger Preserve, Apricot Liqueur, Plum bitters, and pomegranate juice. This was my favorite beverage of the evening. Additionally, the drink paired particularly well with food and I found myself eating a bite and having a sip immediately afterwards so the flavors would mix. For dessert, I got the coconut panna cotta with pineapple, mint, and chili. Again, there's nothing bad I can say about this. It was delicious. I also got the Eu Te Amo cocktail which consists of Bombay Sapphire gin, Framboise Syrup,lime, and conde villar vegan wine. Now, I don't typically like gin or wine, but despite this I enjoyed this beverage (albeit not as much as the others). Last, but certainly not least, I want to comment on the great customer service we received. Our server, Faye, was attentive, helpful, and just plain nice. I very highly recommend Marmalade and will definitely be back there myself!

Finally had the chance to check out Marmalade!…read more I've yet to be disappointed by a Bitters n' Twisted venue... Marmalade is no exception. The standard of food and cocktails is exceptional, and the atmosphere is warm and friendly. The space is brilliantly designed as it occupies a good section of the Rep's lobby, and has a mix of tables and spacious comfortable booths. The food and drink impressed. I usually don't go into menu details, but it's really worth talking about. We started with the coffee-infused lamb, which was absolutely divine. It was paired with an aperitif of cold earl grey tea with jasmine and peach syrup. For the main course, a vegan dish! A new addition to the menu- the 'Marmalade Garbanzo', which is chickpea patties in a mediterranean stew. So good! And filling! Paired with 'Captain Ahab's Grog'-- a rum drink with ginger, apricot, plum bitters, and pomegranate juice! Yum! And finally dessert: a coconut panna cotta with pineapple and hot chilis. Nom nom nom nom. Service was friendly and attentive, and the menu was quite reasonable! Definitely worth going for a pre or post-theatre meal, or any other day of the week for that matter. I'll be back!

Looking for some American diner style breakfast/brunch spot, Seth S. and I decided to check out…read moreCelebz since another brunch place was closed. The Celebz concept is based on a kitschy stereotype of Americana with quintessential foods like burgers, waffles, fries and milkshakes. I love a good bit of kitsch but Celebz seemed to hit all the wrong notes. The blaring music, loud colors, and cold interior left me feeling like I was on Sunset Strip after a late-night bender in search of greasy garbage to cure my hangover. The vibe, encouraged by Rhianna screaming "bitch better have my money," was starkly contrasted by a grouping of families with small children. Womp womp. When placing our order we learned that the milkshake deal (+£2) advertised with the burgers only applies to the burger meal, requiring you to spend £9 for a sandwich and milkshake, with or without fries. Seth S. got the burger but skipped the milkshake and I decided to get some pancakes and twisty fries instead. Seth's burger and my fries were delivered to the table fairly quickly, but we were almost finished eating before my pancakes arrived. I was disappointed that the pancakes were crepes not American style pancakes in an American themed restaurant, but that's neither here nor there. The twisty fries were perfect - just like some of my favorite from a greasy spoon in NC. The crepe presentation was nice but the flavor underwhelming. Too much egg was used in the batter, and the egg flavor overshadowed the Belgian chocolate drizzle and strawberry filling. If you're in search of an authentic Vegas hangover cure, this is the place for you!

I am big fan of reviewing places on what they are and as an independent American diner I have to…read moregive this place five stars. Located over by Aston uni campus this place is a bit out of the way but when looking for a late night sweet myself and a friend took a wonder over here to see what it was all about. Now I know this place will not be for everyone, it's loud and in your face in terms of design with pictures of the USA and celebrities on the walls. The menu is made up of a range of popular American classics like burgers, milkshakes, pancakes, cookie dough and ice cream. We decided to go for nachos and a cookie dough dessert to share which were both surprisingly good. The nachos had the guacamole and salsa on the side instead of being all over top which is great for a condiment lover like me! The thing that I love about this place is you can easily sit a chill for a few hours eating and drinking on a quiet weekend night off the booze (dry Jan seemed like a good idea at the time) if you are looking for a place to get something sweet with a good range of options this is a great option in the city centre.

I've heard of bubble tea before and in honesty tried it from here before but being so excited yet…read moreinexperienced I probably picked a really bizarre combination. Lychee juice with tapioca balls - yay... The lychee juice was really nice but not with the pudding balls. This time around I went for black tea, cold with the tapioca balls (I'd heard those are the best ones) and I was happy with this combo - don't mess with the classics. The staff were friendly, the place clean and the menu extensive. Frozen yoghurt also available which sounds great in the summer. A point to make though is those tapioca balls are really really filling. I felt like I'd eaten a meal after I was done so maybe give them a miss if you've just eaten.

I love meecha, I've been buying their drinks for past 12 months or more though I stress only few…read moretimes through that time! I've collected stamps on their loyalty card and had a free drink already! They have a great range of bubble teas, bubble coffees and the slush ones (which I haven't tried yet) as well as frozen yoghurt etc. Today I bought the Rose bubble coffee and had the tapioca pearls and coffee jelly. You can have drinks cold (with or without ice), warm or even hot. My drink was sweet but nice. You do need a spoon to get the tapioca and jelly out at the end... I think I need to perfect my suck action ha ha You can use your NUS card to get a discount and they do charge a fee if you pay by card.

I've been meaning to go by Cafe Soya and drop in for a meal ever since moving to Birmingham last…read moreyear. Brittany and I finally managed to make it over there when we visited at night for dinner. Cafe Soya is now a two branch strong Chinese/Vietnamese restaurant. This location is the original, found in the lower section of the Arcadian. Inside, the cafe is decorated with a modern theme of white and green apple colours, with seating available for maybe twenty five people, tops. Despite the name, ample meat dishes abound, but the vegetarian portion of the menu is likely what brings most customers in the door. The menu is huge, clocking in at nearly two hundred different things you can order by my count. Brittany and I ordered water and jasmine tea to drink, and split vegetarian lettuce wraps for a starter. The filling for the wraps was delicious, and the hoisin sauce was an excellent addition. The lettuce itself had just been washed prior to our order, and copious amounts of water beaded on the lettuce and our plates, muddling the presentation and mouthfeel of the wraps. For my entree I ordered the Spicy Singapore Vermicelli, which is a bountiful bowl of spicy curry infused vermicelli noodles with peppers, mushrooms, and tofu. The dish, marked spicy, is exactly the level of hot you would expect from a southeast asian inspired restaurant. The curry unfortunately overpowered a lot of the other flavours that would have been present otherwise, leaving the dish paradoxically bland. This is the part of the meal where things slid into average territory. Their water glasses hold maybe 6-8 ounces of water total. If I'm eating a spicy dish, I'll probably need more than that for the entirety of the meal. To my chagrin, the staff never returned to refill our water, and didn't even to ask if we wanted extra water when we paid our bill. What started out as quite good descended into an ordinary experience by the end of the night. Rounding it out was Brittany's journey around the block trying in earnest to find an ATM after being notified that they do not accept card payments. It's astounding in this day and age that a restaurant with multiple locations is still not using 21st century payment systems. Overall I am intrigued by the large number of vegetarian items on the menu as well as their bubble teas. I plan to return, perhaps trying their second location on Upper Dean Street to contrast the level of service. If you are a vegetarian, you'll have found your nirvana, just be wary of some of the service issues before you make a decision to spend your pounds here.

What a lovely little gem!…read more I am so upset that I only found this place weeks beforeleaving Birmingham for London.the arcadian it's self is an amazing versatile area that is great for a relaxing drink of Chinese origin, a milkshake a cocktail in one of the many bars, shopping and most importantly Eating! Cafe Soya can be summed uo in one word! AUTHENTIC. The food is not English Chinese it is authentic Chinese and the food is healthier and clearer than all other takeaways and fast food joint The food The food is great. Not the greatest choice in the world but because of this they are able to kepp the food fresh and clean and perfect. The drinks For Me this place is perfect as I am lactose intolerant they were able to meet all of my needs and urged me to try the soya and red been shake fusion which was a totally different tastes than I had ever tried before but it was great very sweat though. If you need any more information about this feel free to personal message me