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Restaurants In Birmingham 1960s

La Reserve is, I believe, now known as The Miller And Carter. I haven't been there for years and years, but back in 1964 my parents had their 25th anniversary dinner there, and very good it was too. I think it's changed hands (and names) many times during the intervening years, never a good sign IMHO.

G
 
jennyann said:
Indian Restaurants

I only remember John's Restaurant on Steelhouse Lane in about l960.
My brother Peter loved Indian food and told me to go there. I went only once
by myself on a lunch hour. I ordered Bombay Duck because I had seen this
in a film. It was very hot and I drank loads of water. The staff were all gathered at the kitchen window watching me "suffer".
Got to like Indian food later on though and we are getting a few more Indian restaurants here in Vancouver.
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Bombay Duck was actually a dried fish and I always had a portion with my curry but it has been banned on health and safety grounds for some years.
 
Rod said:
The one over the road from the Law Courts was the first one I ever visited. I wasn't aware it was over the top of a Chemists shop? and I can't remember the name either. It was perhaps around 1964? maybe someone with a Kelly's from that time might be able to help. I do remember I had Chinese style beef curry with rice, and had trouble eating it all. My only previous taste of curry was from a packet made Vesta Beef Curry & Rice which contained little peices of fruit, apple and I think sultanas. The real thing was so much different. :shock:
I went with my brothers Ronnie & Tony who paid the bill. My mom & dad would not eat what they though of as foriegn muck :lol: . I still eat Chinese curry as opposed to Indian/Asian curries :lol:
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That was called The Happy Gathering. I used it regularly in the 60's.
 
Lumphammer

The Chinese Restaurant over the Chemist that was previously the Court Dining Rooms was called the Dragons Gate in the 60's and into the 70's, it may have changed names then, but I don't remember it being called anything else in the 60's.

City Corporation St 1964 .jpg
 
Around 1970 the Happy Gathering was in Station St, as that was where I was shown by the owner how to use chopsticks, on the one occasion when I tried eating with them.
 
Where in Station Street was that Mike, not that I would have ever been in there as I'm not a fan of Chinese food and the only Chinese restaurant I have ever been in was in Barnstable and I had a streak.
 
Phil said:
Where in Station Street was that Mike, not that I would have ever been in there as I'm not a fan of Chinese food and the only Chinese restaurant I have ever been in was in Barnstable and I had a streak.
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ahh so it was you splattered all over the sunday papers then phil:D janice...avert yer eyes:D:D
 
Well it might have been a streak when I saw the bill, but there again the bill would have been on the duck.
 
Phil
Must be old age getting to my brain. It was in Pershore St, no 54. I could have sworn it was Station St
 
In the 1974, I was studying in Birmingham and was a working waiter at Kam Ling over the weekend. At that time the restaurant was owned by two Indian brothers and the Chef was a Chinese. The restaurant no longer exist and I wonder anyone can still remembered patronizing the place as I am writing about that time in Birmingham
 
As a student, missing out on Chinese food then, it was Happy Gathering or the Slow Boat. I bought my lovely Indonesian Chinese girl there for dinner after a movie. She loved the roast meat and noodles with a lot of chilli sauce
 
jennyann said:
Restaurants

My memories come up with one or two places. A couple of Chinese restaurants at least. There was one at the back end of New Street Station in l957. I worked in the Station Offices at Stephenson Place next to the old Queen's Hotel. They issued the staff with Luncheon Vouchers and the girls in the office used to save them up. I think they were worth l shilling a day per working week. We would take them to this restaurant on Friday lunchtimes (anyone remember the name?) and they would take them all at once, so we had a great meal shared out with say three or four of us. My first Chinese food and I have loved it every since. I remember Scampi tails and beansprouts particularly. We had lychee nuts and vanilla ice cream for afters. Yummy. You could also buy standard English food at this resturant as well on their lunch specials. The custard was always strange on the pies I remember....
One other place was the Kam Ling in Livery Street. The food there in the late l950's and early l960's was excellent. Sometimes on a Friday I would go twice in one day. The Kam Ling also took Luncheon vouchers. Then in the evenings I would go with my friends to the "Lockers" on Hurst Street and we would meet at Kam Ling first. I also remember the Slow Boat which had a huge menu. There was also another place I used to go to in Cannon Street called The Cloverleaf. It was a family run business and survived until the late l980's I believe. I always went there when I visited Brum from Canada on home visits.

My brother Peter was a lover of Indian food even all those years ago and went to one of the first Indian restaurants in Steelhouse Lane called John's.
This would be around l960. It was on the same side as the Gaumont but down a few buildings. I ventured in there alone one Saturday out of plain curiosity. I hadn't a clue what to order but I remembered Bombay Duck from a film I had seen. It was a very hot curried Chicken Leg with rice when it came. I remember seeing many faces looking out of the kitchen door watching me tackle this. I thought it was awful and barely got through it, it was sooo hot. I fled out into Steelhouse Lane and
didn't have another curry for a very long time. On the Transportation site with "The Last Trams" postcards you can spot John's Restaurant on the right hand side of Steelhouse Lane on one of them. I also have ia photo of Kam Ling in one of my Alton Douglas Brum Books. Lovely memories.


:oops: :roll:
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I was serving tables at Kam Ling over the weekend in 1973-75. Many pleasant memories of the Chef Choy
 
TsingShih said:
In the 1974, I was studying in Birmingham and was a working waiter at Kam Ling over the weekend. At that time the restaurant was owned by two Indian brothers and the Chef was a Chinese. The restaurant no longer exist and I wonder anyone can still remembered patronizing the place as I am writing about that time in Birmingham
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All I remember is the it was in Livery Street
 
My friend and I ate at the Kam Ling restaurant after shopping for clothes etc., on a Saturday morning during the 1950's and I think Kam Ling restaurant was the first Chinese restaurant in Birmingham (I daresay someone will correct me if I am wrong!).
Anthea
 
Hi

I remember visiting the Kam Ling in around 1961-1963 with some workmates
when I worked in Newhall Street, but like Roger Baker I just recollect where it was.

Kind regards
Dave
 
So what was the Chinese restaurant open in 1958 either in Station Street or very close by?

Maurice :cool:
 
Dave89 said:
Hi

I remember visiting the Kam Ling in around 1961-1963 with some workmates
when I worked in Newhall Street, but like Roger Baker I just recollect where it was.

Kind regards
Dave
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good and am sure you must have enjoyed te meals. What was your usual dining meals. They were good in curry
 
anthea said:
My friend and I ate at the Kam Ling restaurant after shopping for clothes etc., on a Saturday morning during the 1950's and I think Kam Ling restaurant was the first Chinese restaurant in Birmingham (I daresay someone will correct me if I am wrong!).
Anthea
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I would said it was the one of the first sit down restaurant first owned by a Chinese family and in theearly 1970's sold to the Indian Family and closed in late 1990
 
Lumpammer said:
That was called The Happy Gathering. I used it regularly in the 60's.
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Would you believe that the original Chinese restaurant never had curry on the menu until through circumstances coping to compete with Indian Restaurant and demand from those who had lived in the Far East like India and Singapore. Today a good and real typical Chinese restaurant in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia do not carry much curry dishes as spics were not part of Chinese menus
 
The first Chinese restaurant I knew of was one at the end of Sutton New Road, Erdington. It was in that block of shops between Wilton Road and Station Road, by the church. It was there for years.
 
I think I knew that restaurant as the owner was someone that came in from Hong Kong after working a few years with relatives who got them over. The owner went to open another - The Slow Boat - close to the Chinese quarters at Hagley Road
 
TsingShih said:
In the 1974, I was studying in Birmingham and was a working waiter at Kam Ling over the weekend. At that time the restaurant was owned by two Indian brothers and the Chef was a Chinese. The restaurant no longer exist and I wonder anyone can still remembered patronizing the place as I am writing about that time in Birmingham
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The Kam Ling was my favourite restaurant and our scooter club The Birmingham Cerubs used it quite often in the late 50s early 60s. My last meal out was there in June 1961, it was a suprise the club sprung on me when I left for Australia. Cheers Tim. Ps always ended my meals there with Lychees and icecream.
 
tim eborn said:
The Kam Ling was my favourite restaurant and our scooter club The Birmingham Cerubs used it quite often in the late 50s early 60s. My last meal out was there in June 1961, it was a suprise the club sprung on me when I left for Australia. Cheers Tim. Ps always ended my meals there with Lychees and icecream.
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Thank You Sir, I am sure that taste of Lychee still lingers in your memory taste. Just to share a humor with you that that was the dessert that the restaurant loved to sell as that makes the best return of profit. Today a good restaurant would try to get fresh Lychees. Hahahah
 
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