The Birdcage, Birmingham

The current trendy place to be in Harborne, and vying with The Plough as the most outrageously expensive.Food is pretentious and comes in very small portions. Two choices of real ale. OK for a quick one, but not a place to spend all night in!

Substantial bar / restaurant - previously the Proverbial, and before that the Varsity - with a variety of seating and dining areas in an overall 'L' shape. Semi-modern furniture and decor of a style reminiscent of an Indian restaurant. Mid-level music. On the plus side, it does at least have two handpumps, offering Doom Bar and the local Backyard Blonde (£3.00, and in surprisingly good form).

A Smith & Jones (?) pub. Open plan with ghastly wallpaper. Food was poor, Beer ok. Loud music/DJ on a Sturday night.

A half brick facade terraced pub The interior is open plan around the central bar area. This dull and soulless foody layout kind of place is in white, red and brick, with Sky TV, a few mirrors and nothing much in the way of pictures leaving the air conditioning pipes as the most interesting thing in the place. The service was fine, the clientele mixed. Beer; tap stuff with GK IPA on handpull, as well as a Brains SA that was pretty dire. Oh! God, dont waste your time.