davidfowler
Exiled Brummie
Looking through my 1954 Bartholomew's Birmingham Atlas I came across a list of restaurants. Although I remember several there are still quite a few that I don't. Any memories?
Hi Big Gee, was that the one on the corner, quite a large one? I'd forgotton that one. Remember going there a few times before going on to a theatre or cinema. Really enjoyed their cooking.
Much later used the Windsor in Cannon Street when my office was in St Philips Place.
Yes I remember that one Big Gee it was known as the "s*ag bag" in our group, can't remember much of the curries but I believe it was upstairs????Does anyone recall the Shah Bagh Indian restaurant on Bristol Street? This was one of Brum's very first Asian restaurants and I well remember going there of a Friday night after a skinful of cider at The Greyhound and some jazz at The Salutation, and having the inside of my mouth burned away with a 'meat vindaloo'. God alone knows what we were actually eating! The menu comprised meat or chicken 'curry, madras curry or vindaloo curry', and there were popadums. And lager. And that was it. Yet some nights you actually had to queue up to get in!
Big Gee
With regard to Indian restaurants, there was one on Steelhouse Lane, I think it was called Johns or similar, one Friday night after our usual visit to the Cabin, we all went there, had a meal and for the next three days al but one of was violently ill. The other side of the coin was the posh café upstairs in one of the arcades, that my grandmother loved to go to for afternoon tea.I think the restaurant rick is refering to #21 was the Kashmire.
Seeing mention of Chateau Impney, in the late 40s early 50s, it was the place my snobbish mother thought of as heaven on earth...to go to a do there was the end of the world and they managed to go to two or three a year. Is it still considered in those terms or has it come down to the carvery level...Hungry Horse etc. I remember La Reserve being built at Powells Pool, when it opened that was also a place where all the posh people, the wealthy ones and the local politicians used to go. The best name there though was the Hung Dong Chinese, my goodness me the snowflakes would have the time of their narrow minded, bigoted lives with that one. For good complete political incorrectness and all the other modern sins listen to BBC Radio 4 comedy hour in the morning 8 to 9am, we laughed at it and loved it, all the nudge nudge wink wink double entendres. Nowadays it would be banned. BlessA few from the 1970s to chew over. Viv.
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