Malt Shovel, Birmingham

My wife and I take our grandson and granddaughter (in their twenties) to The Malt Shovel for a meal every so often when their parents are away on holiday. Last night, we found the whole of the staff to be absolutely one hundred per cent courteous, helpful and obliging. The food, as always was lovely and plentiful and certainly did the trick in filling up the two ravenous youngsters. The other diners seemed to be enjoying themselves, which added to the enjoyment of our evening by being able to have a great laugh with our grandson and granddaughter - unlike more stuffy venues. If anyone wants a good meal, have a laugh with courteous staff at a more than reasonable price tag - go to this public house. We certainly look forward to our next visit.

A large detached Crown Carvery pub/eatery. It is a 1930s mainly undressed brick rebuild, with some stone and mock-Tudorish features. It has a beer garden, that once had a nice ornate gateway. The interior has two rooms, a dining area and yes, a bar and dining area! The bar/dining area is large in itself and is L-shaped around the serving bar. It is in white, with some red and has old photos of the area on the walls. There are lots of TVs, all had Masterchef on, silently, as there was general background music on. The room sadly, as it was 8pm-ish was a bit messy - i didnt spot the sweetcorn i sat on, until it was too late. The dining area was pretty similar, only there was a bit of patterned wallpaper there too. The whole place is soulless i am afraid, like a lot of this chain - still, they are popular enough and the place was reasonably busy with a family based clientele - proves i am in the minority! The lady behing the bar was very friendly - it was once of those rare occasions in a chain pub of any description where i felt like i mattered. Beer; tap stuff, with GK IPA and Pedigree - the Peddy was OK. As i say, i find these places soulless, as i view them from a drinking point of view and not dining. I didnt eat here so can't comment on the food, but i wasn't inspired enough to return and try it.