A Passage from The Indian Brewery

As part of my desire to branch out (a bit) from my normal blogging, here's another attempt to show my Saturday escapades in and around Birmingham.

We'd decided to have a Saturday evening in Birmingham city centre to meet with some friends from out of town. The plan was to start at the Indian Brewery at Snow Hill and have an Italian meal just around the corner. What could possibly go wrong?

Although we knew that the Indian Brewery also did street food as part of its offering there would surely be a separate bar area just for drinkers...there wasn't! When we arrived at just before 7pm there was a queue of about 15 people waiting for drinks and nowhere to sit as all the tables were occupied or reserved! It was laid out in typically modern brewery tap style with lots of bench seating...but it isn't a pub...it is a GASTROPUB masquerading as a brewery tap house. We left without sampling any of the (seemingly) fine beers that were on offer.

We decided to move on to the Queens Arms in Newhall Street...at least that's a proper boozer!

At this early hour (just after 7pm) it wasn't very busy apart from a very noisy table of people. They weren't obnoxious, they weren't even that rowdy, but every so often they'd become really LOUD, not helped by the very echoing sound of an almost empty pub. So, after a pint (Foster's for me!), we moved on. ("Miserable old gits"?...Us?...How very dare you!!)

Our next port of call was Saint Paul's House which is on St Paul's Square and used to be known as The Rope Walk.

This is more of an eatery than a pub, but at least there is plenty of space if you just want a drink and, with a bit of shuffling and rearangement of already seated drinkers, we could all sit together. After another pint of lager (Carling, I think!) it was time for the restaurant.

Cucina Rustica is an upmarket Italian that we'd not been to for a good number of years. The food was good, the Peroni cold and the red wine quaffable (and the bill was less than I was expecting!)...so, all was finally right with the world again.

Back out into the drizzly night, passing the obligatory Brummie beggar, we headed back to the Queens Arms for a final pint. The noisy crowd had gone and the pub was fairly busy (for 11:30pm!). This time I eschewed the lager and had a pint of Wye Valley IPA served in a proper beer glass - the first time that has happened to me in many a long year!

So, the evening ended well...apart from our taxi initially being despatched to the Queens Arms in Macdonald Street (which is on the other side of the city centre...and has been closed for at least five years!) but we got home safe and sound which is all that really matters!

#228 The Broughton Arms, Rode Heath, Cheshire : 1999 to 2016

Rode Heath is a small village by the section of the Trent & Mersey Canal colloquially known as 'Heartbreak Hill'. This is the long rise from Wheelock up to the summit level at Kidsgrove and Stoke, more properly known as the Cheshire Locks - just the 22 to work through.

Needless to say, it isn't a route we often take and, wjth the demise of the Romping Donkey at Hassall Green, The Broughton Arms offers welcome respite from the arduous passage and the first time we stopped there was at lunchtime on Saturday 4th September 1999.

We were heading down the locks and it provided a very pleasant lunch with some cooling Carling (or maybe a Foster's), perfect for a hot day. Inside it is quite a large pub with a large garden; a very popular spot on a summer's day.

Our next stop there was again at lunchtime on Friday 13th September 2002, this time heading up the locks.

The pub was largely unchanged, but several tables had appeared in the car park.

It wasn't long before we returned for another lunchtime session on Sunday 3rd September 2006.

Again largely unchanged and another very pleasant lunchtime stop. (The seating in the car park appeared to have disappeared again!)

We didn't travel this way again until the evening of Tuesday 16th August 2016, this time there were some changes.

Although the exterior had been given a complete makeover, inside it still felt the same as before as it successfully treads the fine line between being a pub and a restaurant. Although we didn't eat there, we did return for a few pints and a win in the quiz (on a tie break!) We did stay on for lunch the next day when the pub was packed again as it was a lovely sunny day.

We will very probably stop by next time we're passing...and the next time...and here's the link if you fancy a stop as well!