To counter those of you that say we only eat at and review upmarket venues, here’s one just for you- the cheap and cheerful Paprika Grill House in Bearwood.

On a random friday evening we decided there was nothing on TV and we were looking for an excuse to head towards Bearwood to play with a friend’s new rescue dog. They suggested we try out Paprika for “meat on a stick” – how could we refuse?!

The owners have recently renovated the interior, cladding some walls with wood, so it’s now a bit Scandinavian sauna with Tiffany lamps.   It’s very clean and bright, in fact it’s very bright and the the owner was discussing that he needed to have them dimmed – an attention to detail we appreciate seeing.

When it comes to the menu at Paprika you will spot a bit of a theme. You can have anything you want as long as it can be cooked on a skewer, and every main comes with a choice of rice, chips, naan, or if you ask, extra salad.  Spot on for a quick Friday night dinner.

The four of us ordered a selection of starters including tasty hummus served with naan, the Tomato Festival, a mix of sun dried cherry tomatoes & mozzarella marinated with basil, served with naan, and Persian Sausage Bandari pan fried with onions, chilli & tomato, served with, you guessed it, naan.  The sausage dish was a bit too cool, but I enjoyed it.

For the mains we opted for Koobideh Skewer, two skewers of minced lamb mixed with grated onions, salt, pepper, and saffron which came served with fresh salad and a choice of side dish.  Of course to add some variation for my side I chose……. naan.  But this time with garlic.  Two of our party went for the Masala Fish Skewer which consisted of marinated sea bass cooked on a charcoal grill and this was also served with fresh salad and a choice of side dish (both had the naan) .  Our fourth main dish a charcoal grilled Salmon Skewer but this time with extra salad rather then the obligatory naan (splitter!).

The presentation of the food was never going to remind one of a Michelin establishment but it was attractive enough for such simple food. There is no hiding bad food when it’s this simple, and the flavours of every dish were really good. One of the pieces of fish did have a few bones in it but that can happen anywhere I guess.

If you are a diehard curry fan and are looking forward to the fluffy warm naan you may need to adjust your expectations as I would describe the naan more as a flatbread, and the garlic naan is just the same flatbread with some garlic oil brushed on.

At £3.50 or £4.50 for the starters and £6.99 to £12.99 for the mains including the salad and side dish, this is cheap and tasty filling food.  We will drop in again when we’re in the area.

Paprika Grill House can be found at 85 Three Shires Oak Road, Bearwood B67 5BY and also at 9 Raddlebarn Road, Selly Oak, B29 6HJ