Birmingham has for decades had a love of Indian food, from the humble balti you can eat in Sparkbrook for £4, to the extravagant banquets available at our high-end Indian restaurants like Lasan’s and Itihaas. The Indian Brewery Company now compliment these offerings by adding their street food and beer venue, serving food made by mum, and the family’s own brewery’s beers and lager.

We’ve been a few times now. When we’ve been about town and wanted a nibble but not the faff of a full restaurant meal, it has served as a stop off before heading home. The food is inexpensive and tasty, and the lager refreshing. They also offer breakfast, so we’ve had to try that too of course.

For a hungover Saturday breakfast we tried their bacon and egg naan – plenty of bacon and egg wrapped in a fresh fluffy naan bread with some light spice to make your tongue tingle. We also had their Bombay Breakfast, their piquant take on a full English – sausage, bacon, eggs, spicy beans, and masala fried bread, with masala fries. Plus, for the vegetarian with us we had an Amritsari Kulcha – a chickpea curry, with a vegetable kulcha (veg stuffed flatbread cooked in the tandoor oven like a naan), with sides of yoghurt and lime and chilli pickles. All washed down with coffee and a full fat coke (I told you, I was proper hungover) it was a great start to a Saturday, I’ll take kulcha over Kellogg’s any day.

The evening food we ate was also spot on, and I think we’ve eaten 95% of the menu over two or three visits.  The spiced paneer roti roll (£4.50) was punchy and filling, I didn’t need the Pakora Pops (£4) I ordered to go with it – crunchy pakora veg – but never known to be someone to let good food go to waste I scoffed the lot.  We’ve also tried the Chaat Bomb (£4.50), chopped veggie samosas with spiced chickpeas, yoghurt, chutney, topped with crunchy sev (gram flour noodles deep fried and spiced).  The Chicken Run Fat Naan (£7.50) was full of succulent tandoor cooked chicken with accompaniments and was easily enough for dinner.

I need to go back after work on a Friday and try their Indian Fish and Chips – marinated cod in spicy batter with masala fries.  We’ve not braved the £45 eat-the-menu food challenge, because, you know, we’re not red-necks, and it’s a gimmick that this place could do without given the quality of the food and overall experience.  It’s very often packed so go being prepared to share a bench table or to have a beer while you wait.  My only criticism? The benches are an inch or two too tall for me, but I’m taking a saw next time to sort that out.

The beer is worth a mention, it’s called “The Indian Brewery Company” for a reason.  The family behind the venue run a successful craft brewery and their beers and lager are showcased well in the venue and match wonderfully with the food on offer.  I enjoy their refreshing Birmingham Lager, and the beer drinkers we’ve taken have loved the Bombay Honey particularly.

The eatery has been opened in the unit previously occupied by Brewsmith’s Coffee shop, in the arches by the rear Snow Hill entrance on Livery Street, just two minutes from St. Paul’s Square in the Jewellery Quarter. They also offer takeaway.

Great food, lovely atmosphere.  Give it a go soon.