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Sheldon Fish Bar, A45 Coventry Road

LOCAL knowledge can go a long way for small businesses. Read

Simpson's, 20 Highfield Road, Edgbaston. 0121 454 3434.

VANILLA has a slightly earthy flavour. It's not something I'd ever noticed before eating a complimentary starter during a celebratory meal at Simpson's. Read

Best Buys

DA Luca Alto Barbera d'Asti 2003 is a bargain £4.99 (down from £6.99 at Somerfield until March 11). It has lots of dark, seductive fruit and spice with a delicious streak of dry, bitter chocolate and vanilla from oak aging. Read

Cocktail Of The Week

CHERRY BLOSSOM Read

Don't punish us all for sins of the few

VISIONS of Britain becoming a cosmopolitan "cafe society" after the introduction of 24-hour licensing have been clouded by a government report this week which revealed "mixed results". Read

Food Hero

Sid Khan, Original Fusion Foods, Coleshill Street, Sutton Coldfield. Read

Michelin masters team up at work

THERE can have been few dinners in Birmingham prepared by such distinguished chefs. Read

Perfect Partners

SAUTERNES AND ROQUEFORT Read

The Brasshouse, Broad St, Birmingham

FRESH from a three-week closure for its first full makeover in more than 20 years, the Brasshouse provided a surreal experience last Saturday lunchtime. Read

Newtown Fish Bar, Newtown Shopping Centre, Newtown

AT FIRST glance, culinary ambitions seem limited round here, but Newtown Fish Bar's chips were spot on. Read

Simla, 18 Boldmere Road, Sutton Coldfield. 0121 354 1122.

BRIGHT orange zigzags of an indistinct sauce on one side of the square white plate. Read

Let Mother's Day go with a bang!

FLOWERS and chocolates are the obvious choice, but a bottle of something a little bit different could make an ideal alternative for a Mother's Day present on Sunday. And if you're lucky she may well share it with you! Read

Cocktail Of The Week

Bellini Read

Nick Davis

I've turned my hobby into a job

NICK Davis began brewing beer as a skint student. Now he is the toast of the Midlands after turning his love of real ale into a flourishing business with the help of his parents Jim and Katie. Read

Perfect Partners

CAVIAR AND VODKA Read

Reaping rewards after lots of work

THERE once was an ugly duckling...and it's name was Pinotage. Read

The Farm, Farmhouse Way, Solihull. 0121 711 7273.

ANYONE curious (or bored) enough to have surfed their way on to my blog might have read my moan about waiters who refer to their customers as "you guys". Read

The Holte, Villa Park, Trinity Road, Aston.

WEBSITES show that not all Villa fans like the upmarket restoration work that's rescued the Holte from dereliction. Read

Best Buys

Find out the best value Champagne. Read

Break out the fizz... because you're worth it

FOR Valentine's Day romantics the candlelit dinner and the bottle of fizz chilling in the ice bucket has to have the edge over pizza in front of the telly. Read

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