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.

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.

Raja Brothers Raja…read moreBrothers is the king of Ladypool Rd supermarkets offering the most checkouts and the largest range of stock. Noted are their range of cheeses, huge jars of olives and preserves and also their range of untensils and cooking pots, all of which combine to give Raja Brothers the feeling of a complete market of goods. Raja Brothers is one of thereasons I like shopping on the ladypool Rd, you get the range of produce and excoticism of a Deli whilst paying rock bottom prices. If you're looking for the fastest service and follow the crowds on the Ladypool Road for your grocery shop, chances are you'll end up in Raja Brothers and i'm sure you'll enjoy the experience.

As much as the mega supermarkets expand their variety of Asian food, they could never compare to…read morespecialist supermarkets that offer spices and ingredients from across the South Asian and Middle-Eastern subcontinents. Raja Supermarket is huge and offers just that. They have a wide range of fruit and vegetables - regardless of the time of year. And best of all, despite the food in the grocery section being unpackaged; I have never come across tomatoes that lack plumpness or coriander that has seen better days. This is a one-stop shop for virtually any sort of ingredient you would need for traditional English, Thai, Chinese or Italian cuisine, as well as Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani and Arabic. The store could be better maintained. Although there are plenty of staff members, there is always some sort of food item across the floor. But with the variety, bargains and friendly staff - who could complain!

I first met Rebecca Chitty when she agreed to have a stand at the Birmingham Vintage Festival I…read moreorganised. The cakes went down really well and Rebecca had such a lovely looking stand that is impossible not to draw people in. The theme was Britpop (this was in 201) so it gave Rebecca a good practice run on the red, white and blue cakes that have been the rage through this year's Jubilee events. Chitty's cupcakes are on the small side (rather than the huge original American ones) so perfectly portioned for one person. There is every flavour you can imagine and although I love vanilla and lemon ordinarily and not a big fan of chocolate, even I was tempted recently by Chitty's chocolate specials; Chocolate Orange, Chocolate Hazelnut and Malteser all went down well!

From the owner: Chitty's Cake Company is a bespoke cake and cupcake business providing all sorts of personalised…read moretreats for customers all over Birmingham. From weddings to birthdays, anniversaries, thank yous and everyday treats, we cater for every need. Our cake designs are unique and we try to handmake all decorations so they really are special and made just for you. We have a wide variety of flavours available and even make these to your own special request (peanut butter and chocolate was our most recent creation!) We also run lots of cake and cupcake decorating classes for all levels of skill at our Custard Factory studio. If you want a couple of hours learning something fun, edible and new we have short classes that start from £30 for 2 hours. For those who want to know more, we run a 12 hour course over 4 weeks that really helps you get to grips with the technical and creative sides of cake making and decorating.

I have frequently been commissioned to produce wedding decorations and buttonholes, thus I'm always…read moreon the lookout for a quality and reasonably priced florist. Bloem Flora is a wholesale trader in the Birmingham Wholesale Flower Market, yet it is open to the public as well. It has an extensive range of flowers with many stored in the cooler unit behind, so don't be deceived by the limited range they have on display. The owner is helpful and if you explain what sort of flowers you are looking for and for what purpose (even if you don't know the name of the type of flower!) he will suggest what's best. He is the cheapest florist I have ever come across and is open until a lot later than the other wholesalers, so you don't have to go there at dawn. You can also order flowers if you are looking for a specific colour or number.

Hi, I have a question here. Does anyone know is the Birmingham wholesale flower market open on…read moretuesday morning? Many thanks

It's nice to know this fast food joint hasn't changed its taste in food over the years. They sell…read moretraditional fish and chip shop food, burgers and fast Pakistani/ Indian food like chicken tikka, kebabs and nan bread. I used to come here in my teenage years and thought I'd give it another try the other day and wasn't disappointed. The chicken was a bit too greasy but still had more meat than bone, unlike a lot of other fast food chicken. I prefer thin chips and the ones I had were a mixture of soft and crispy and not greasy! I like the fact that anybody can eat in but the plastic chairs aren't comfortable. Having softer chairs would definitely encourage me to sit in and eat for a change. The service is still friendly and the guys a chatty. If you're looking for cheap, quality fast food then this is a good place to come. The only bad thing I have to say about this fast food joint is that there are some dodgy looking people that hang around here. So it's best to avoid going at night and try and go with somebody.

As a late lunch, you start thinking of heavier food that can fulfil that need. Salt and Pepper did,…read morein part, deliver. First of all, friendly and accommodating service with the menus being displayed before us as we approached the counter. Both my colleague and I decided to go for fish and chips, but I decided to cross East with West and have masala fish and chips. The chips were incredible and the generosity of the garlic mayo was deeply appreciated, and will come back for more. However, was let down by the cod that was chewy, dry and on the stringy side of things. I enjoyed the taste of the masala, but it was hard to cut into the fish (which normally is like butter melting) and my colleague, who had the cod alone, felt the same about the texture and said that batter was soggy and flabby. Not good enough for a fiver each I'd say. Torn between the heavenly chips and the fish where the taste capsized. Not sure if I'd go again. I'll see how I feel at this time on a Friday again.

ShopEasy is a great little shop brimming with real finds. They have all sorts of fruit and veg here…read moreincluding coconuts which look like they've just been knocked off a shy. You can pick up your plantain, sweet potatoes and yam here. I spotted a selection of saltfish to choose from and about 20 types of fish and chicken seasoning. My friends and I love cooking soul food so I was straight onto them about this gem of a shop. They also have a small range of Afro Caribbean hair products. As you go in on the left they have tons of spices. The cold drink fridge contained Bigga and Tropical Rhythms which I'm a big fan of. Another test of a good establishment: 55p for a can of Dr Pepper.

Moseley farmers market is an award winning market held in the central square of Moseley. I had been…read moremeaning to get down for months before I finally managed it this Saturday... And I wasn't disappointed. The market is exactly what you would want a medium to large sized market to be. Offering a huge range of locally sourced goods sold to you by the actual producers of the items, you can get most things you would need to stock up the fridge, freezer and cupboards (with a good amount of locally made crafty things too). It's in a pretty setting and has a lovely community feel to it. We managed to find parking in the small shopping area just up from St Mary's Row at around 9:15am, but parking could be a bit of a nightmare if you were getting here later. The square area offered braces of pheasants for £6, cheese, wine, condiments and artisan food products and the High Street area (which we hadn't realised was there until we were leaving - D'oh) offers more of a crafty element. We had a nice little poke around the stalls and chatted to many of the business owners about their products and they were more than happy to talk to us and advise where the items are made and the ingrediants that go into them. We got some lovely locally made fizzy red wine (Did you know there are vineyards in the Midlands?) for £10 a bottle, some hot sauce from Pip's and was very tempted by cakes and unusual scotch eggs... We are definitely planning to go back. If you haven't been, you must go. Get there early if you're planning to drive but the buses down to Moseley drop you off right in the thick of the action, do that might be the best idea.

Moseley Farmers Market takes over the village green every fourth Saturday of the month, and holds…read morethe perfect little community vibe for all who love to indulge in fresh food and organic produce. I've been attending the market for over three years now, and I rarely miss a month. The stalls always draw me back when I'm needing a healthy variation to my diet, and the price range is perfect value for money. Specifically regarding the Beans & Leaves stall, which sells a wide range of both coffee beans and loose teas. Most of these infusions rarely reach the £4 mark for 100g, which results in more than enough tea for two for several months! The tea stall holder himself is a bubbly yam yam who'll immediately strike up a conversation. It's just a shame that his stall is on the windiest part of Moseley, meaning that a lot of his tea ends up at the other side of the market! But of course, on first visit, you'll want to sample everything. Whether this be jam, ostrich burgers, bakery, alcohol or cheese (in fact, I highly recommend the Warwickshire Truckle), there's literally something for everyone. I've also tried a range of unlikely produces which sometimes appear at the market, such as a piece of fruit called a quince, and a green tea cake, both equally as delicious as the other. As a worthy winner of "best farmers market in the UK 2012", Moseley Farmers Market is a treasury to Birmingham and brings a tasteful locality to the streets of Moseley.