Tucked away in a corner of Grand Central Birmingham is the elusive Gobstoppers Candy Store... a…read morepricey, novelty candy shop stocked with American goodies at a price point a bit beyond my liking (damn import tax... er and maybe a bit of a markup...) but still... fun to pop in just for the reminder of home! Gobstoppers is a red dye no. 40 and corn syrup lovers' dream-- packed full of Pop-Tarts, Twinkies, Reese's, cans of American soda, Twizzlers, and Jolly Ranchers, to name a few. Though I haven't actually been able to justify buying anything, I imagine it would appeal to anyone craving an American treat (you really can't find these products many other places, and you're spoiled for choice)! Fun place. Lots of candy and other treats.

Everyone like sweets....surely. So this place is a pretty welcome edition to grand central in…read moreBirmingham city centre. You can literally get any sweets you can think of here with loads of more American varieties you don't see on uk shelves very often. If you are looking for a sweet and unusual treat and are not worried about spending a little over the odds to get it .....you will like this place. If you are looking for a snickers or Mars....maybe head to tesco near by :)

After a day of shopping, there's nothing like tucking in to some freshly-made, hot Indian snacks…read more So whenever I'm planning a trip down to Sparkhill; Sooraj Sweet Centre is always on the agenda. They are a pure vegetarian eatery, specialising in Gujarati sweets and snacks. Their mogo and dokhla is utterly divine! The softness of the texture and impeccable taste makes Sooraj's the best place for these particular dishes. I can almost taste them as I write! They also have a rare stock of Indian drinks, that aren't commonly available in supermarkets. So what better way to wash down a hearty snack than with a mango, passion fruit or guava-flavoured drink! And if the sun is out, I need little persuasion to grab a kulfi ice-cream on the go. Pistachio flavour in particular is my weakness! The sweet centre is homely, clean and very reasonably priced. A definite recommendation for Gujarati snacks!

I have a penchant for very sweet desserts; some of the sweetest I have tasted are from Indian…read moreCuisine. On the occasion I am in Sparkhill, I always try to come here to buy some sickly cake style sweets. Barfi is an unfortunate name because it sounds like barf, which means to vomit. The barfi they serve here is delicious and super sweet, it tastes nothing like barf. Barfi is more like a sugar cake with a doughy edge to it. It is usually sold in rectangular blocks from a large tray of barfi. Gulab Jaman is also a very sweet dessert that I often buy from here. To make it they deep fry dough in oil so a crisp orange biscuit emerges. This is then covered in treacle and served in a bowl. The Gulab Jaman here is also very good. If you like sweets, and have never tried Indian sweets then I would recommend this shop for your purchases. They sell some of the best in Brum.

Asian confectionary as it suppose to be. The true taste of pakistani sweets is only from this shop…read more It definitely reminds me of back home with the authentic & unique taste of each sweet. Its fresh and made from the original ingredients at the shop. All range of sweets and confectionaries, from samosas, pakoras, dahi bhalay, seekh kebabs, halwa puri on sundays, cakes, they all taste original, as they suppose to taste like in pakistan. There is just no other match in the quality. The best in the area.

Riazs has an air of authenticity and indulgence that other Mithai shops on the Coventry Road don't…read morehave. The man serving explained how everything is made on site and that showed in the fresness of the Ladoo he let me have as a taster. The smell when you go in is really alluring as they cook food on trolleys outside and the barfi and gulab jamons looked like really good quality stuff. I think they know their stuff as they helped me with my choices and explained all the products for such a newbie like me. The freshly made samosas and Katalamas outside caught my eye. I bought two vegetable samosas for 90p and a katalama for £1.50 and I got free chili and mint dips. They tasted really nice as they were hot and fresh, and I would also like to say they had a nice fresh feel to the shop which in such a cultural location can be different.

I have to admit I'm not the biggest fan of sweets, especially Indian sweets, which I find tend to…read morebe generally sweeter than the others. I remember eating some once and having the feeling of chewing a piece of pure sugar. But as my wife has a sweet tooth, I knew it would be impossible to pass in front of this store without going in and tasting one of those colorful little things. I tried to ask the seller if there were any of that would go easy on my teeth, but he did not speak English too well - which was not all bad, because he would not understand me if I said I did not like. I ended up choosing something called a besan ladoo. To my own surprise, it did not taste bad at all. I bet someone who loves sugary treats would enjoy them. My wife, for example, ate hers and the rest of mine.

Ambala sweet centre has an air of authenticity and luxury that other Indian sweet shops on the…read moreCoventry Road don't have. The man serving explained that they have a place in London which is quite prestigious and the sweets are brought up from there. The smell when you go in is really inviting and the barfi on display looks like really good quality stuff. I think they're used to people going in knowing exactly what they want so they didn't look too comfortable with a browser like me. Other than the kulfi lollies in the freezer (wow) the freshly made samosas caught my eye. I bought two vegetable samosas for 90p (and they threw in a chilli dip). They ended up being meat samosas when I eventually tucked into them so luckily I wasn't allergic or a vegetarian. Nevertheless they were really tasty and the pastry was crispy and delicious.

I purchased different kind of mixed sweets today with Sohan Halwa…read more I was completely disappointed by the quality of these sweets. Almost all were rotten with bad taste. Unable to taste anything except Rasmalai. It seems this was made sometimes ago and stale taste developed due to old stuff. My guests were disappointed as well. Ambala sweets seems to have lost touch with quality and their tradition. They try to dispose of Sweet which should have been thrown away. We should complain to Public Health about their products. I will never buy from them again. Dr M A Saleem Birmingham

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.