The Queens Arms, Birmingham

A beautiful Victorian exterior with an L shaped open plan interior that has had virtually all the Victorian features removed. It has plain maroon walls and posters in the style of the Stereophonics 'Keep Calm and Carry On' album cover. The pub had a very relaxed atmosphere on Saturday evening when Mrs Staal and I visited. The clientele was mixed and it was very busy. There were two televisions showing the Man U match. There were three real ale taps, St Austell Tribute, which was very nice, Sharp's Doom Bar, served Southern style, but very tasty and an untried Purity UBU. The usual array of lagers were present, and Guinness. At well over £3.00 a pint, the ales were not cheap. The menu looked simple and nice. I hadn't been to the Queens Arms for almost a year. It is certainly a nice place to spend an hour or so...

This pub is now part of a small chain of three bars, the others being Edmunds just along the road and The Rectory. The old brick built exterior includes a fine Mitchells & Butlers cornerstone but sadly once you're inside it's been ripped out and been given the wine bar treatment. It has a wooden floor and lots of high tables and chairs along with some standard dining ones. There are 2 large screens showing sport and there's also a good looking wooden bar back complete with a clock. Six handpumps in two banks of three doubling up the beer which was London Pride, Mordue Workie Ticket and a beer called Most Wanted which didn't have an identified brewer, it just says it was brewed by “Punch Cask Ale Champions”. I had a pint of the Most Wanted which was OK and at £2.85 a little cheaper than Edmunds. The barmaid was very chatty and friendly and the food looked to come in huge portions, although I didn't try any. It's OK in here, although I would have preferred a more traditional layout inside.

I went in here early on Saturday evening on my way for a curry at Lasan in St Paul’s Square. I had seen the outside of the place many times and admired the appearance but this was my first venture inside the premises. The outside is grand and ornate, the interior is more modern – open plan with plum coloured walls, flat screen TVs showing football on Sky, and a high bar taking up a fair chunk of the floor space. It was nice enough, clean, fairly busy but friendly, with most clientele in their 20s, 30s and early 40s. I couldn’t help feeling, though, as if the true character of the pub had been taken away in the name of progress (personally, I like the traditional big Victorian corner boozers). On handpull, there was London Pride, Purity Mad Goose and Davenports Busy Fool (and the usual Carling, Guinness etc). We tried the Mad Goose and the Busy Fool and both were fine. I’ll give it an extra star for the Black Country Original Pork Scratchings (albeit they are made in Aston).

Pop in here sometimes when going to Hockley. I used to frequent it a lot when i worked at BT in Newhall St (95 Newhall St is now a hotel, which is probably the target user for this pub) many years ago. The pub then was packed at lunchtimes - as you could drink and go back to work - aaaahhh the mid-80s! The pub has been revamped and looks fantastic from the outside. Inside, it is sort of neither here, or there - not traditional, as it was, but not too trendy. This leaves me divided; happy to see the investment and clean-up of the place, but missing the character that it had - it is missing something It served real ales, but sadly, the old M&B MILD had bitten the dust since my last visit. Will continue to pop in every so often.