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.

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.

Sidle up to John Gordons when you're seeking a spot of Paris or a little London in the leafy…read moreCotswolds. French and Portuguese waiters bring bygone charm to this courtyard wine-bar and independent wine merchant in the heart of Cheltenham's upmarket Montpellier neighbourhood. Live acoustic guitar music provides the soundtrack to refined Friday night tipples. Accompany sun-drenched afternoons with an evocative glass of Devil's Corner Sauvignon Blanc 2008 from Tasmania. Fresh and fruity with elderflower undertones it sums up the scent of an English summer. Open: Mon-Thurs Monday 10-10, Fri-Sat 10am-11pm and Sun 11-9.

If you like wonderful wine and whisky emporia with barrel tables and a cosy atmosphere, step no…read morefurther. There's a substantial selection of fine liquors and wines, with very knowledgeable, friendly staff to guide your palate. It looks a bit small from the street, but there is seating downstairs and, if it's not too cold, out the back. Of course, it's also in lovely Cheltenham, near other Montpellier pubs, and so you should be here really. I find it impossible to be in Cheltenham without paying a visit- this time for some rum and prosecco. Yum. Be warned though, it's not the most wallet-friendly place and it can be hard to stop!

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.

Nice location with beautiful gardens, friendly people and a delicious meal. I had the Chicken…read moreSchnitzel, lightly breaded and crispy. Yum.

Sundays mean one thing......FOOD. This weekend me, Emma M and a few friends decided we would try…read moreout the High Field. Overall I did enjoy it but it was a mixed bag. Let me explain..... This is a seriously beautiful setting in a converted building just on the outskirts on Birmingham city centre. You really get the vibe that you are out of the city centre with loads of light flooding into the beautifully designed dining space. The menu is pretty simple on Sundays with roasts and a few items from the main menu. I decided to go for the curried fish cakes (trying to not eat carbs) which was well presented but a little light on the spicing for me....still tasty but was missing a little bit of heat. My mates all went for a roast. It was a shame as the meat and potatoes came out cold and needed to be remade leaving a few of us waiting for them to eat. The food was decent when it was all eventually on the table but it kind of detracted from the overall experience for me. I would go back here as maybe they were just having a busy/tough day. The resturant is truly beautiful I would just like the service to match it.

Has to be my new favourite place in Leicester. The service was great, the drink was great and the…read morefood was great.

Searching for a place for the penultimate Football League match of the year led me to Penny Blacks…read morein the Mailbox. It was my first visit to any of the bars sitting opposite the canal, but I shall definitely be back soon. Penny Blacks had a fairly upmarket feel to the place, with a large projection of the football in the middle of the bar. For a Saturday afternoon It wasn't that busy, but still managed to have a slightly upbeat atmosphere throughout. The seating was extremely comfortable, with various sofas dotted about. The location itself is fantastic. Being feet away from the canal on days like Saturday, with the sun beaming down, Penny and Blacks is potentially one of the best bars I have been to in the surrounding area. Despite not ordering any food, I had a quick look at the menu and I can honestly predict that I'll be back to have a bite to eat and a few beers when the football kicks off this summer.

Part of the huge 'MailBox' retail and restaurant development in central Birmingham, Penny Black's…read moreis a wine-bar and restaurant with a fabulous location on the Gas Street canal basin in Birmingham. On sunny days and at week-ends, the whole area is buzzing with people, with narrow-boats chugging past. Modern and spacious (almost cavernous) with lots of wood, it's a very pleasant venue, although pole position has to be at the front (or on the canal-side terrace itself) so you can see the canal. Service was friendly and reasonably fast, despite the fact that they had a lot of food orders at the same time. The wine selection looks pretty good, but actually they have a fantastic selection of real ales, including some less-well known types. These were well served and well kept, and we could easily have spent the whole afternoon there. (Ok, we did..) The food isn't quite as swish as the web-site implies - I thought it was decent, if slightly pricey, pub grub. However, portions were generous, so overall it was good value for money. I'd happily go back.