Birmingham, a weekend review...

Last weekend was my sister’s birthday; she wanted to do drinks in Birmingham on the Friday night and then shopping and afternoon tea on the Saturday day. Now as a family we are the most indecisive bunch of people, whether its picking a film, which takes hours by that point its too late to actually watch the film so we all go to bed angry or choosing somewhere to eat out, a decision never really gets made. Birthdays therefore are always a mammoth task to organise and DECIDE upon. However, a strange occurrence happened last week, I actually made a decision on behalf of the family. I know. It was life changing, I feel like I could decide everything for the rest of time. Admittedly it was only booking a Travel Lodge but it felt good, I’m going to try it more often!

On the Friday night we decided on the Alchemist for drinks. I’ve heard a lot of things about this place and everyone who I’ve spoken to has loved it. So we put our glad rags on and got an Uber because it was raining. It’s right by Snow Hill station on Colmore Row making it easily accessible for anyone just popping into the city for a few drinks on a work night. My first impressions were it’s hot and really busy. The décor inside was lovely though and they have two separate areas for dining and drinking.

 

The light above the bar area looks like a strand of DNA.

It took about twenty minutes for us to get served but the atmosphere was good in there and we were chatting so it didn’t feel that long. When we got to the bar one of the cocktail makers helped us decipher the menu and suggested certain drinks as my mum couldn’t make a decision!

The menu is laid out like a periodic table and each row features one main spirit e.g. vodka.

I went for the SMOKEY OLD FASHIONED. I’ve had quite a few old fashions in my time and this has got to be the best one I have ever had. It was slightly sweeter than normal mixed with the woody, smokey undertones of the whiskey it was a taste sensation. It lived up to its name as well, the cocktail maker did her voodoo magic and it started smoking everywhere, it engulfed half of the bar. All the drinks came in test tubes and my sister got to pour her drink, THE COLOUR CHANGING ONE, herself. It started off blue and turned this amazing pink colour. It looked like a mini unicorn cauldron, bubbling away long after we had left the bar. My mum went for the CARAMELISED RUM PUNCH that was heated in a saucepan and then set on fire and it practically burnt my eyelashes off!

Twisted fire starter. 

We stood for a while waiting for an edge of bar or a seat to come available but honestly I didn’t mind the standing. When we did find a seat for Momma B to rest her feet it was by the DJ. Having a DJ made the whole bar feel more up class, it really brought something to the atmosphere and I can see why it was so busy. I didn’t think the prices were too bad for the experience you get; it is more of an interactive drinking experience than just your average bar. The only thing I would say is it takes so long to make the drinks, because a lot goes into them, so make sure you order two while you are at the bar or try one of their larger sharing options.

You can find out more about the Alchemist here.

We then headed onto the Botanist, a short walk through Pigeon Park. The décor here was really nice they have an outdoor indoor look going on with dried flowers in frames and a big open sky light.

This light was above the tables and it was so unusual I loved it.

The drinks here were floral based with hints of garden herbs. I went for the PEAR & KIWI CRUSH This drink was so fresh and fruity it was scarily easy to drink!

They have a wide selection of drinks available and they were more reasonably priced than the Alchemist. The atmosphere in here was completely different; it was a slightly older crowd but still had the upbeat energy of a younger crowd. As we walked through the door we just caught the last few songs of the band that were playing. The layout allowed for a bit of a dance floor and people were definitely dancing. It was a really great venue; it had a more relaxed vibe to it and is a brilliant cheaper alternative. I personally preferred the Botanist mainly due to the atmosphere and the fact that you could have a bit of a dance looking like a drunkard and not stand out like a sore thumb. Plus anywhere with live music is my kind of night.

You can find out more about the Botanist here.

We stayed in the Birmingham Central Travel Lodge on Broad Street, right by Sainsbury’s. This location was brilliant as all the main amenities are within walking distance. We paid for three adults and ended up getting two pull out beds and a double bed, which was perfect as we used one to dump our coats on. The room comes with everything you could need, towels, hairdryer, kettle a TV and free Wi-Fi. It also worked out about the same as a taxi back to the country would be, so it is well worth doing for a night out if you live further from the city. The 8^th floor is a quiet zone and the noise from Broad Street is actually drowned out because you are so high up. If you aren’t going to be hugely noisy I would definitely request a room on this floor when booking.

Find out more details on the rooms and pricing's here.

Finally, on the Saturday we went for afternoon tea at the Malmaison Hotel. The hotel is in the mailbox and we ate in the restaurant area. It’s a very plush boutique hotel and the restaurant area echoed this. The service was excellent and we had a selection of wraps, mini burgers, scones, cakes and hot drinks.

The selection of cakes.

I thought this Malk (milk) jug was adorable and brilliant branding as well. 

There is an option to have champagne with your afternoon tea for an extra £7.50. We splashed out on a bottle before we even sat down, hair of the dog and all that! Opting for the standard afternoon tea offer coming in at £17.50. I thought this was a really good price as the majority of the offers we looked at were £20-25 without champagne.

You can find more details on the Malmaison here.

I know this post was super long but I hope it has helped if any of you are looking to book a weekend away or even just fancy a different bar to venture out to. Thanks for sticking with it until the end. I promise next weeks won’t be as long. Let me know in the comments below if you have been to any of these places? What did you think?

Until next week my loves!