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Restaurants In Birmingham 1960s

China Garden

I too recall the China Garden - my Dad worked at the West End Cinema, and on the rare occassion that we went there as a family - South Pacific is embedded in my memory - we would go to the China Garden afterwards, I recall that an underpass would take you to it? It seemed incredibly posh and special at the time - a real treat!
Wow - a dim and distant memory - Thank You Nipper
 
The Slowboat was the first Chinese restaurant I ever went to. It faced the open market and yes, it did seem very posh at the time. I was surprised when the public health once closed it down for serving cat or something. :roll: If my memory serves me correctly, there was a cheaper place, The Chopsticks, on the elevated area, overlooking the market.

Just off Smallbrook Queensway, near the Wandering Mistral, was the Heaven's Bridge. I once caught my brother in there entertaining a married lady. :shock:

Then there was The Clover in Cannon Street. But for a change, there was Fanny's on Snow Hill, above the underpass, opposite St Chad's Cathedral. This was a Victorian theme eatery, serving old traditional working class food. They had old treadle sewing machines as tables. A meal there was a night out culminating in a good old sing-song of music hall hits to the accompaniment of a sort of barrel organ. :lol:

Out of town on Hagley Road was The Garden House - simple food at a reasonable price.
 
Indian 60's-70's

Manzils in Digbeth - still there?? probably the first in the city centre.

Another favorite was just off New Street on the corner of Pinfold St., and Stepheson st., The Slow Boat rings a bell, but might be mistaken. Never one for the Vindaloo and boiled rice or full He Mans grill after a night on the beer, here you could order a curry soup and pompadoms. Actually spent seeing the new year in here once, because we couldn,t get in any of the night clubs!
 
I can remember Long Johns , its the firts restaurant that I took a girl to .

The CEYLON TEA ROOMS was the only remotely foreign place I can remember .

The first time I ever eat foreign food was on me first foriegn holiday in 1970,s and we went to Rome. then off to Elba.

I was hungry most of the time, now I can and will eat anything
 
Brum's first Asian Resturant?

PETER WALKER WROTE:

Am I right in thinking that the Tung Kong Chinese restaurant, bottom of Holloway Head, was Birmingham's very first in very early 1957? It was fairly soon followed by another Chinese in Bristol Street, and by November that year by the Kam Ling in Livery Street.
In think the first Indian was the Shar Jahan in Stafford Street, (site of James Watt Queensway), but another soon followed in Steelhouse Lane.
You got an interesting, tasty and filling meal for 3s6d, but you could get lunchtime specials at the Shar Jhan for 2/9 - about 13p!
I moved to London in 1959, and have lost touch with the local scene, but I haven't forgotten eating a 'Kam Ling Special' chow mien with a fried egg on top, just using chopsticks.
Ah, nostalgia isn't the same any more!
Porky Walker
 
Restaurants in the l960's

Hi Porky:
That resturant at Holloway Head may have appeared around the time you stated, however, I'm not familiar with it. I worked at New Street Station offices in the Queens Hotel starting in January l957 and some of our office used to go to a Chinese restuarant on Market Street at the other end of the station entrance from Stephenson Place every Friday. We would save our one shilling a day Luncheon Vouchers until Fridays and then go to this restaurant for lunch. The scampi was super and also many of the other dishes and that was the first time I ever had Chinese food. This restaurant had a Western menu as well.

I am not sure when the Kam Ling opened but I was a frequent visitor and at times twice a day. I worked in Lloyd House in l961. This building was then separate offices but is now the Police Headquarters. I worked for the Heat Exchangers Department(boring as h). Anyway, we used to go for lunch and then some evenings dance at the Locarno and go again ahead of dancing. The chow mein has stayed in my memory for ever just as you described it. I have travelled a lot and now live in a city with the second largest Chinatown's outside of China, in the world, but I have yet to have a chow mein quite like that one. I really mean that. I found out that the Kam Ling had brokered a chef or two from Hong Kong and those poor chefs had to work every hour in order to pay back their fares/sponsorship and we often saw the same men working in the evening as we saw at lunch times. I also remember we often had lychees and ice crem for dessert and sometimes put ice cream in our coffee as well. I have a photo of the Kam Ling.

I remember John's restaurant on Steelhouse Lane, an Indian restaurant. There is a photo of that on a coloured postcard in the Transportation section of this site. The one with the last tram on it in Steelhouse Lane. I did relay a story about my first visit to John's Restaurant on this site sometime ago. My brother and his friends used to attend a Jazz Club in the pub across from the Fire Station at Lancaster Place and they all used to go to John's for curry afterwards. Happy Days.
 
l cannot remember the names but there was an Indian Restaurant in Lower Priory on the left as you go down and another restaurant on the left as you would walk up Upper Priory. Then one which l think may have been more like a milk bar in Colemore Row by the Victorian Arcade.  Hope this may help. These would have been first half of the 1950's.
 
That milk bar was the Kardoma Ger22van (can we call you Ger please.) If you put the name into search you will find a thread and piccys. :)
 
aaaaah........the Tow Rope, Broad St! I remember it well when I went to college in Broad St (was it Matthew Boulton Institute) - this was in the 70's by which time the clientele were upstanding members of society!
 
The tow rope rings a bell , but I cant for the life of me remember anything about it .

I used to go to matthew boulton off broad street in the early 70,s as well we were on the retail courses and I seem to remember the police cadets were there as well.

Today I have a porly aunt in an old peopels home just behind there and my nephew (adam) works in the pub that used to be the Long Boat It is a Rock pub now I think.
 
The Tow Rope used to be open near enough 24 hrs a day and was often the haunt of the city's down and outs who would make a cup of tea last for many hours, so I believe. ::)
 
Colin - The Long Boat, is now the Flapper and Firkin.

It does indeed have a very dark room downstairs where I first went to see Mowglee play - the four lads from Handsworth, who have now released their second single
 
The Long Boat......... I spent most Friday evenings in there around the mid 70's. Great pub at the time, not sure what it's like now?
 
I remember Les's Cafe on Dollman Street too!!
Mum used to send me over sometimes for breakfast sandwiches etc.. Les used to make me a "Tomatoe Dip" to eat while I waited - it was doorstep bread dipped in bacon juices and then tomatoe juices Mmmm!! I loved it :smitten:

Isn't it amazing how bacon or sausages never smells the same and so appitising when you cook it yourself??
 
I am a "Brummie" - fed on tomatoe dips!! Yep that was "classy" for the 60s ha ha

Les must have thought I needed feeding up?? ha ha - he used to sit me in a corner while I waited for my order - I'd sit there all day waiting withour a word as long as I was being fed tomato dips!! ha ha he could take as long as he needed doing my order ha ha
 
"The Lights of Asia" a Chinese were I did all my courting was opposite the law courts
 
Di. Poppitt. How stupid of me, l somehow overlooked what you said but am now going to put that right. By the way you can call me Ernie.
l found the search button for my search for Kardoma.
Every day in every way l'm getting better and better.
 
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