A taste of summer at new look Bill's restaurant and bar at Bullring, Birmingham #review

One of my favourite things to do is to eat out but we don't always get the chance, especially to try somewhere new, with two children now. It sometimes can be difficult to find somewhere that is family friendly but also the kind of place that we would like to go, if it were just the two of us. But Bill's restaurants are different - and our local one in the Bullring, Birmingham, has just been reopened having received a fresh new look inside and out.

* Review #gifted

I first discovered Bill's when I worked in London a lot and fell in love with the quirky but homely style and more rustic style menu. I am pleased to say, having visited again last night to see what the new look Bill's Birmingham had to offer, that the mismatched furniture and eclectic mix of homely and industrial features are still in place, to create a cosy yet trendy vibe, but the layout and colours have all been refreshed. The result is a welcoming place that you could happily spend a few hours, chatting over a few drinks, but likewise somewhere that you can go with children and feel comfortable.

The team were welcoming and accommodating for the four of us, and with the pushchair, we managed to get a corner area all to ourselves, whilst still being positioned near the curved windows that look out onto St Martin's church - a really beautiful spot to enjoy.

There's a good selection for kids, and Ethan went for the classic that is sausage and mash, which came served with peas and his own gravy boat, on a somewhat kitch floral plate - making it feel like we were at a home away from home.

Hubs went for the paprika, garlic and chilli roasted half chicken, chose sweet potato fries and, when it arrived, took no time at all to savour the flavour. I was going to go for the crab risotto - two favourites of mine - but being a warm summer evening, I opted for the pan-fried sea bass with avocado salsa verdi (avocado is a weakness of mine). It was beautifully presented, sitting atop a potato rosti, and wasn't too heavy either.

We washed our meals down with two cocktails - my recommendation to you for the perfect refreshing summer drink is the watermelon frozen margarita, just what I needed to cool down and unwind with.

Before we knew it, we were looking at the dessert menu; in fact, Ste had spotted the dessert of his dreams as soon as we had sat at the table. He went for lemon meringue in a glass, which was rich and zesty and beautifully handmade, whilst I went for the fruity and creamy passionfruit and mango Eton Mess. I can highly recommend this, another fantastic summer dish. Ethan, of course, went for two scoops of ice cream, included in the kids' meal deal, and suffice to stay, it didn't last long.

Besides the delicious food and warm atmosphere, I have to make a special mention to the staff at Bill's Birmingham, particularly our waiter, Joe. He was very attentive and super friendly too, and we chatted about our children and so on in between ordering and receiving our courses. He had a lovely manner about him, and it reflected our whole experience at Bill's.

So, will we be going back? Well, I have to say that we were all happy with our meals, which were all reasonably priced (two courses for £17.50, three for £20.50),  and I for one love the new look; it's kept the style it is known for whilst feeling new and vibrant again. I would personally like to go back when it's just the two of us, for a couple of cocktails, when the lights are turned down a little. It really has a touch of romance about it.


* We were gifted our meal for purposes of review; all opinions and content are our own.