Reviews in Edgbaston

My little boy won't eat Chinese food because he doesn't like the taste but cooking his own food meant he eat it all. And went back for seconds!

A lovely small place to eat. vary tasty food make a nice change from normal kebabs you get. Seating was a bit tight. Very nice naan breads.

much better than any other Chinese buffet Ive been to, and cheaper too

Ever keen to sample unfamiliar foods from varied cultures, I enjoyed an excellent meal at this buzzing little restaurant last night (an extremely busy Wednesday). I was accompanied by three friends, one of whom is Persian and thus acted as our guide on the menu and etiquette. We decided to forego the starters as our friend/guide warned us the main courses were colossal. Here there was a good choice of kebabs, salads, fish dishes and what they call ?ranian Specialities?(some of which could be served either with meat or as vegetarian dishes). I plumped (and emphasis - after eating it - would be on the ?lump? for the Chello Khoresht Ghorme Sabzi: not quite a curry, but a beautiful lamb stew swimming in split beans, tomatoes and lime, served with a vast heap of rice. Just the ticket on a grey autumn evening. We shared a stack of Iranian naan bread by way of further accompaniment. We also shared a jug of dough, a yummy yogurt drink containing mint, which I found very refreshing but have to say received a mixed reaction round the table (probably an acquired taste). For dessert, myself and one friend opted for the saffron ice cream - again served in mountainous proportions - which was a glorious shade of ?at me?yellow and lusciously refreshing. The other two girls shared a plate of baklava, a very sweet little pastry containing chopped nuts and honey, and a pot of Iranian tea. I did sample a drop of the latter, and am afraid I have to employ a toe-curling pun by describing this beverage as not my cup of tea (ouch)! (As a point of reference, this tea is served without milk, and it is considered the norm and not slobbish in Persian society to pour it into the saucer and drink thus!) The bill, split four ways, came to a very reasonable £14 each including tip. But then since Shiraz isn? licensed - neither are diners permitted to bring their own alcohol - there are no wines or spirits to pump up the price, as can be the case. One downside is that, travelling in from Sutton Coldfield, the place isn? the most convenient to get to unless you?e prepared to splurge out for a taxi. I know this isn? the restaurant? ?ault?as such, but thought I would mention it since I am reviewing the evening as a whole. Being just out of the city centre, on Hagley Road - close to the Five Ways island - Shiraz isn? mega accessible by train, and my friend who drove had to park in a side road a good 10-15 minute walk away (which wasn? overly pleasant in the dark). Having said that, on the strength of my first visit, I feel the quality of the food is worth a taxi fare!

very nice

My wife surprised me with a birthday lunch at Simpsons and to celebrate we chose the tasting menu. It was an amazing experience lasting over 3 hours and including courses that weren't even listed on the menu. The staff were friendly, polite and very informed about the food and made the whole time even more special. The cost was expensive but justifiably so. I am including only a snippet of the courses in this review as a full recourse of events would take up too much room and use too many adjectives. We had foie gras ravioli, seared tuna rolled in wild sesame, sweetbreads, mouth watering beef, scallops, goats cheese, two desserts, coffee and petit fours. Each of these courses was accompanied with various purees, compotes, tempura, reductions. I could go on! The main delight for my wife was the cheese course; shavings of the tastiest goats cheese lay around the plate, what turned out to be a foam of goats cheese on the middle was accompanied with beetroot crisps on top. This was accompanied by a beetroot sorbet (!) which was a new delight for the palette. My favourite was the seared scallops with pureed cauliflower, tempura cauliflower and a raw slither of fresh cauliflower. The Michelin star, in our eyes, is just deserved due to the warm welcome from the staff, the endless knowledge of the dishes from the staff and the use of Birmingham made plates, cutlery. Also the menu was exquisitely thought out to cater for all tastes and every human sense imaginable. As we were driving we didn't indulge in alcohol but the wine list was huge covering wines from all over the world including countries that we didn't know produced wine! A sommelier was on hand to guide patrons through every imaginable choice and a second trip without the car may be in order for the future. As mentioned the meal was expensive, but Simpsons is not like any other restaurant we have ever dined at. A weekly occurrence for the rich, a special treat for the rest of us!

4 of us visited Simpson? for my wife's birthday on Saturday 15th July 2006.We were met by a French lady who was delightful and showed us through to the lounge area. We were offered drinks and then chose from the menu. For a Michelin star restaurant the menu is varied, not extensive but covers many different aspects of meats and fish. We were sat in the conservatory area as this was where the larger tables were. Service was professional, prompt and very informative explaining what each dish consisted of. I had the sweetbreads of veal followed by the venison and then chocolate croquettes with coconut tapioca. All very nice. I mentioned to the waiter following the main that the they could have been more generous on the venison. He said he would mention it to the chef. But I heard no more. The chocolate croquettes were dry and uninteresting. But I am really picking faults but surely we should be as it is supposed to be one of the best. Later we had petit fours in the lounge area with our coffee and not only that they had remembered my wife's birthday with it piped on the plate in chocolate. A lovely place, a lovely night. We shall return.

Authentic Iranian cuisine; very flavoursome and well presented. Quick, courteous service. Large portions too !!

When you miss Iran, you can go to Shiraz restaurant, with so delicious food, welcoming manager & friendly place. I took my wedding party there, we had so nice time I never forget it. I recommend it to everyone who wants to enjoy food & know real taste of food.

Stuart the bar tender gives very good service! He also gives me plenty of choices for cocktails!

I recommend them to every lover of Persian food. The only problem was that the service was a bit slow. It did however improve when the manger arrived and started managing! The place is a bit cluttered and would certainly benefit from redecoration.

Had a nice starter of mix mezze including a nice hummus and aubergine dips. The Shiraz bread was very nice too the manager was very polite giving us free tasters such as pickles and baklava. Only downside no segregation for smokers and non-smokers.

Fun food, in nice surroundings. The children love cooking for themselves on the barbeque! Nice selection of pre-cooked Chinese dishes, kept topped up and fresh, and an interesting and tasty selection of raw ingredients for you to cook for yourself at your table, with plenty of excellent, available staff happy to help should you need it. Come hungry, have fun, and it wont break the bank. Well done Dragon BBQ for bringing some new ideas to the Birmingham food scene

Michellin star. The food and experience has been lovely every time. Its a great treat. Definately worth the price!

A traditional atmospheric IRANIAN restaurant, which was a nice change from the usual Balti or Tandoori, which Birmingham is famous for! We were able to enjoy our meal and leaving sober! (As the restaurant has a no alcohol policy) worth returning to in the future.

Great place to eat. They have a standard buffet for 9.99 or you can pay £2 more and you can have a bbq buffet. What is a bbq buffet you might ask. Well you sit at this table which has a gas bbq built in the table. You then get the raw meat and veg and you bbq. They have a large variety of sauces and buffet and bbq dishes. Quite good with sea food dishes as well

A good TGI's if you like American style food and plenty of it. Drinks and cocktails are a little pricey but nice and colourful. Ribs and burgers a speciality and always good.

This is a great restaurant that does great food. The staff are very friendly and welcoming and it is always busy showing it is a popular choice. However this can cause problems when it comes to the time u have to wait for your food because there are so many people there. Overall it is a lively and friendly place to eat with good food at reasonable prices.