The Trocadero, Birmingham

Interesting enough pub that has a few things going for it. Firstly, its a 10am opener, making it an ideal pre-match meeting point for football fans. Secondly, the breakfasts are very good - Full Irish, although what makes a breakfast Irish seems to be the addition of white pudding. Good value and available in small, medium and large. The external decor is impressive - gold and blue tiling, hinting at its origins as a 1912 wine bar but not necessarily the fire station before that. Inside, its more all-bar-one instantly forgettable pub furnishings. A resident ghost - Henry - murdered on site in a wage robbery. Drinks wise - I must have missed the cask offerings reported in other reviews here. There is one bank of standard keg (and if you sign up for their mailing list, you can have one free with a meal) and then premium craft keg - where I did see an unusual Paulaner Oktoberfest. Good buzz, with baggies fans (this time) meeting up before the 3pm kick off.

A large opened out pub with lots of TV screens for sport. Three handpumps with a basic selection of just Doom Bar and Landlord, a pint of the latter was served in a goblet style glass at £4.95. Not a pub I would normally entertain but the star of the show, and my main reason for attending in the first place, was the mega breakfast which was excellent as well as mega, I'd pop back for another of those.