Thursday 17 February 2011

Restaurants in Birmingham

Restaurants in Birmingham are famous for their assorted offerings and with so many cultures living side by side in the bustling city, it is little wonder that making restaurant reservations is often a necessity!

Dining Out on a Budget at Birmingham restaurants

Eating out in Birmingham restaurants offers a little something for everyone as there are eateries that cater to all kinds of palates and budgets. If you are on a tight budget then you may choose to eat in one of the fast food restaurants that can be found all over the city. These stay open until the early hours of the morning allowing you to satisfy your cravings well into the night. Foods include kebabs, burgers, pittas, fried chicken, pizzas and sandwiches which are available in a range of famous chain name suppliers as well as locally-run establishments. Locals and visitors alike can make use of the cheap-eat restaurants in Birmingham. Brindley Square is often frequented by party goers looking for a late night snack.

Splashing Out on Dinner at Restaurants in Birmingham

If your budget allows you to enjoy dining out in plush Birmingham restaurants then you will be spoilt for choice. Everything from tasty Caribbean food through to Lebanese dishes can be found along with Italian, Indian, Thai and Chinese restaurants, as well as classic American steak houses. Broad Street is home to some great restaurants in Birmingham and the Mailbox is another popular venue to head to if you want to spoil yourself. Some other fine dining establishments include Opus and Crystal Rivers. Restaurant reservations are always advisable at weekends and popular names such as Nandos, Zizzi and Pizza Express will often attract crowds of hungry visitors during the week as well, so be sure to reserve your table prior to your visit.

Drinking in Birmingham

Birmingham is famous for its nightlife, and as the second most populous city in the UK, it is inevitable that there are endless choices when it comes to choosing where to drink. There are many pubs that are great for starting a night off in or spending a lazy Sunday afternoon in, while party-diehards may prefer to head to Broad Street where the main congregation of bars and clubs can be found. Drinking options in Broad Street include a cheap Lloyds Bar, O’Neills, The Brasshouse and The Figure of Eight. Hats and trainers should always be left at home.

About Bookatable.com

Bookatable.com is Europe’s largest online restaurant reservations service. People using the website can make online restaurant bookings over 6000 restaurants in 19 countries. Booking a table is as convenient and simple as making a few clicks. Restaurant bookings are free, in real-time and are instantly confirmed. Bookatable.com opens up Europe’s top restaurants to site visitors – and we’ve got the tables that you’ll most want to dine at. That’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Diners don’t even need to be next to their computer to research and book a table – they can use our restaurant iPhone app to do this wherever they might be. We’re different because we’re 100% dedicated to restaurant booking and nothing else. We are always looking for new ways to improve the site and would love to hear your opinion.

Tuesday 15 February 2011

From Saints to Restaurants the origins of Valentine’s Day

The big debate surrounding the origin of Valentine’s Day is whether or not the name relates to one martyr, or a number of them all called Valentine (or Valentinus in Latin). There were a number of martyrs called Valentine from the same ancient Roman time, so it is not conclusively know which one of them the feast was actually established to celebrate. However, the Saint Valentine that the feast is most associated with was buried on 14th February a little north of Rome, but other than that very little is actually know about one of the most famous saints in the history of the church. In fact, because so little is known about the Valentine in question, he was removed from the Catholic calendar of saints when it was revised in 1969.

What is known for sure is that the feast to celebrate Saint Valentine was established by Pope Galasius I in the 5th Century, but even at that time very little was known about Saint Valentine, or the martyrs that could be connected to the name.

The Saint’s feast day remained solely a religious ceremony for nearly a thousand years until Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400), along with his circle of peers, came to associate the day with courtly love. The English poet, philosopher and courtier famous for his work The Canterbury Tales was one of many celebrated authors of the Middle Ages to have written about courtly love, including Sir Thomas Malory, Dante and John Gower. Valentine’s Day was first written about with an association with matters of the heart in Chaucer’s Parliament of Fouls in 1382. However, it has been suggested that this reference could actually have related to a date other than the 14th February due to the fact that it may have been mixed up with Valentine of Genoa, whose Saint’s day in the liturgical calendar is in May.

By the 15th century Valentine’s Day messages had already been exchanged and the tradition of the association with love became so well established that by the 17th century it featured in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The 18th Century saw the first how-to Valentine’s Day kit for the young lover containing poems to send on Valentine’s Day. While in the 19th Century, innovations in the postal system and mass production through factories made cards freely available and easy to send anonymously.

From its ambiguous origins, Valentine’s Day has turned into one of the most popular celebrations of the year. Flowers, chocolates and restaurant bookings have been added to the tradition of cards, kisses and poetry to become big parts of the romance of Valentine’s Day. It has even inspired the production of a film by the same name. While clichés have crept in to the tradition, there’s something incomparable to a card and a meal at a romantic restaurant on Valentine’s Day.


About Bookatable.com

Bookatable.com is Europe’s largest online restaurant reservations service. People using the website can make online restaurant bookings over 6000 restaurants in 19 countries. Booking a table is as convenient and simple as making a few clicks. Restaurant bookings are free, in real-time and are instantly confirmed. Bookatable.com opens up Europe’s top restaurants to site visitors – and we’ve got the tables that you’ll most want to dine at. That’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Diners don’t even need to be next to their computer to research and book a table – they can use our restaurant iPhone app to do this wherever they might be. We’re different because we’re 100% dedicated to restaurant booking and nothing else. We are always looking for new ways to improve the site and would love to hear your opinion.

Tuesday 18 January 2011

A Melting Pot of Cultures and Restaurants in London

Restaurants in London represent the city’s inhabitants, with many people living in the city coming from various cultures, backgrounds and religions. As far as cuisine goes, there is a little something for everyone found on every street corner, from cheap and cheerful fast food outlets through to top quality dining options that serve up anything from tasty Thai dishes through to authentic Lebanese foods. London restaurants are as varied as its people, and here is a little look at some of the different types of foods one can expect to enjoy while visiting the city.

What Types of Cuisine Can I Expect to Find in London Restaurants?

London is home to many ethnic groups who have made London their home, from Romanian gypsies to Pakistanis and Bangladeshis, and many restaurants in London mirror the diversity of these inhabitants. The amount of cultures and sub-cultures in the city is endless, and in order to cater to such diversity, restaurants in London are now satisfying a wide range of ethnicities.

Here are some of the more unusual and exotic types of restaurants there are to choose from:

•    Lebanese cafes
•    Greek kebab houses
•    Indian takeaways
•    Chinese eateries
•    Sushi bars
•    Thai and Vietnamese restaurants
•    Persian and Afghani restaurants
•    Cypriot and Belgian restaurants
•    Polish and Russian restaurants
•    Caribbean restaurants

These are just a few of the kinds of restaurants in London that one can expect to enjoy!

What Foods Can I Enjoy at Restaurants in London?

If you are a fan of Japanese food then you may want to try out one of the funky sushi bars found throughout the city (with a large concentration located in Brewer Street, Soho). Freshly rolled Norimaki, hand-rolled Temaki and tasty Gunkan can be found with ease, and many of these bars operate a trendy rotation system whereby the dishes are continuously served up onto a conveyer belt and you take what you want as it goes past your nose!

If pizza and pasta is your favourite then you will be spoilt for choice in the big smoke. Italian restaurants in London are literally everywhere, from the modern West End region to the hippy-styled Camden Town area, and the quality of the dishes can largely be predicted based on price, decor and location.

However, if you are looking for some authentic lowbrow Chinese food then your decision of eatery should be based mainly on the décor, and the tackier the restaurant is decorated, the better the food is likely to be! You should also choose a place where there are endless rows of people eating foods that you have never seen before.

Some of the best London restaurants are quite inexpensive, as locals are often their main clientele. Greek kebab houses will serve up some of the best kebabs this side of Athens, and if you find yourself craving a tasty snack late at night, then try out a fast food outlet serving kebabs or fried chicken as many of these are tastier than you would expect!

Soft shell crab can be found in many of the Vietnamese restaurants in London, and some of the more popular Vietnamese eateries are located in the Shoreditch/Hoxton area. Indian food is the easiest food to find and, as the nation’s favourite, it is also simple to get hold of authentic Indian curries at decent prices.

London restaurants are diverse in their offerings and they cater to all budgets, styles, tastes and cultures making it easy for everyone to enjoy the foods on offer. Often referred to as the cultural centre of the world, London is one of those cities that is famous for its eclectic mixture of people, and where there is a mix of people, a mix of food is sure to follow!


About Bookatable.com

Bookatable.com is Europe’s largest online restaurant reservations service. People using the website can make online restaurant bookings over 6000 restaurants in 19 countries. Booking a table is as convenient and simple as making a few clicks. Restaurant bookings are free, in real-time and are instantly confirmed. Bookatable.com opens up Europe’s top restaurants to site visitors – and we’ve got the tables that you’ll most want to dine at. That’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Diners don’t even need to be next to their computer to research and book a table – they can use our restaurant iPhone app to do this wherever they might be. We’re different because we’re 100% dedicated to restaurant booking and nothing else. We are always looking for new ways to improve the site and would love to hear your opinion.

Tuesday 30 November 2010

The Rise of The Italian Restaurant from Spaghetti Bolognaise to Prezzo

When we think of Italian food our brains automatically start wondering towards the image of crispy pizzas and tasty pasta dishes. Italian restaurants are hugely popular throughout the UK and the world. Everybody loves traditional Italian food. Spaghetti bolognaise and creamy carbonara are long standing favourites, but in more recent years UK restaurants have begun to serve up new and exciting dishes, incorporating local influences while remaining true to tradition.

Innovative Italian Cuisine

Italy is an incredibly diverse country; dishes, ingredients, cooking times and seasonings change radically from one region to the next. Italian cuisine is noted for its regional diversity and abundance of difference in taste. It is undoubtedly one of the most popular cuisines in the world.

The emphasis in Italy has always been on local food and wine, the closer to home the better, with fresh seasonal ingredients dictating the dishes created. You eat seasonally, with people traveling miles from the big cities to small mountain villages to feast on wild mushrooms and truffles in autumn and fresh asparagus, or even wild asparagus, in spring.

Many Italian restaurants in the UK offer modern dishes with a Mediterranean twist and while not all are traditionally Italian dishes they are fused with traditional styles and tastes to ensure an Italian experience. UK restaurants all boast different menus but many more are branching out into new and modern menu ideas, and while pizza and pasta is far from losing its popularity many people are switching to other styles as a way to mix and match new food ideas with classic options.

UK Restaurants

The Italian community in London dates back to the 18th century. An interest in Italian cuisine has been expanding ever since and there are now thousands of Italian restaurants to be found throughout the country. However, many of these restaurants attract people from all over the world as Italian cuisine draws in hungry customers from a wide assortment of backgrounds ensuring its popularity throughout a diverse range of people!

Even the fussiest of eaters love pizza and it is one of the nation’s favourite dishes with its various toppings that range from classic tomato and mozzarella through to more adventurous options including anything from fresh seafood through to a béchamel sauce! The beauty of Italian food in the UK is that the abundance of Italian UK restaurants makes it easy to find a restaurant that offers authentic food rather than an English version of bruschetta or gnocchi.

The Introduction of Prezzo

Prezzo restaurant is one of the more popular UK restaurants and as an Italian cuisine franchise it staves off its competition by offering unique ideas that are exclusive to the brand. Prezzo restaurants has proved its worth in the UK market, as the famous Italian restaurant has quickly expanded since its first dining establishment opened in 2000 in London’s popular Oxford Street area. With more than 80 Prezzo locations throughout the south of the UK, a look at the menu makes it easy to see why the chain is so popular. As well as featuring the classic and ever-popular dishes such as beef lasagna and wood fired pizza, Prezzo offers its customers a fusion of foods while still retaining its Italian roots.

About Bookatable.com

Bookatable.com is Europe’s largest online restaurant reservations service. People using the website can make online restaurant bookings over 6000 restaurants in 19 countries. Booking a table is as convenient and simple as making a few clicks. Restaurant bookings are free, in real-time and are instantly confirmed. Bookatable.com opens up Europe’s top restaurants to site visitors – and we’ve got the tables that you’ll most want to dine at. That’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Diners don’t even need to be next to their computer to research and book a table – they can use our restaurant iPhone app to do this wherever they might be. We’re different because we’re 100% dedicated to restaurant booking and nothing else. We are always looking for new ways to improve the site and would love to hear your opinion.

Booking Christmas Meals with a Difference

Christmas is coming and as the popular holiday season approaches with great gusto, families up and down the country begin their celebratory preparations with various Christmas meals and parties frantically being organised everywhere. Families and friends often enjoy spending Christmas dinner together as the wintery cold encourages loved ones to get closer while eating and drinking their way through the seasonal break. If you don’t feel like spending your Christmas in the kitchen then why not take everyone out for their Christmas dinners cooked in your favourite restaurant? Christmas dinner is after all like any other meal; always better when someone else cooks it!

Christmas Menus

If you want to enjoy a Christmas to remember with a special meal around a table filled with family and friends then you can expect to be able to choose from a choice of festive cuisines. Some restaurants will go with traditional Christmas menus while others will offer fusion dishes that are popular in trendy eateries. The Christmas menus are often simple and fairly short of options in comparison to a ‘normal’ menu but there is usually something for everyone to choose from.

Check out these ideas for what one can largely expect to find on Christmas menus this year:

•    Rich, warm soups such as cream of tomato, leek and potato and carrot
•    Appetisers such as prawn cocktail, pate and meat plates
•    Traditional Christmas dinner - roast turkey, potatoes, stuffing, vegetables and gravy
•    Alternative dinner for vegetarians – crunchy nut roast with vegetables
•    Alternative dinner with fish, baked meats such as ham or a pasta dish
•    Tasty cheese boards and crisp dessert wines
•    Calorific desserts served with warm, sweet custards or creams
•    Christmas cake, trifle and Christmas pudding

Gathering everyone important to you around a festively decorated table without the additional hassle of cooking and cleaning is a great way to celebrate and most Christmas menus will offer a choice of starters/mains/desserts that includes a selection of a traditional menu, a modern choice, a vegetarian option, a meat dish and a fish meal in order to ensure that everyone’s needs are catered to. Imagine sitting down to a table filled with sparkly crackers, merry hats and jovial streamers without having to decorate it yourself.

Eggnog and mulled wine are popular at many a Christmas party as well as a fine selection of wines or a crisp bottle of Champagne for those really celebrating while dining out at a Christmas restaurant this year.

Online Bookings

The dawn of the internet era has changed the way we do many things including making bookings for Christmas dinners. Getting together with your loved ones is important and Christmas is famous for its encouragement of excessive wining and dining that naturally brings people closer. So, why spend all of the holiday season cooking your own Christmas meals when you can book your dinner online with ease and take the whole family out instead? Booking online is simple to do and the simplicity of the process makes it appealing to many people – especially so during peak holiday periods such as Christmas. The online booking systems mean that you can make a booking for your Christmas dinner from your office or from home and you needn’t worry about having the phone number to hand.

Booking in Advance

It is hugely important to pre-book your Christmas meals as the season is particularly popular with people looking to celebrate out for the very same reasons that you want to. With everyone thinking the same thing, the only way to ensure that you don’t miss out on the festive celebrations is to book well in advance. The best offers and deals are also usually only available on a first come first served basis and with Christmas meals for all the family proving somewhat costly it is wise to get in there early to make sure that your special night out can be as special as your wish to Santa intended it to be.


About Bookatable.com

Bookatable.com is Europe’s largest online restaurant reservations service. People using the website can make online restaurant bookings over 6000 restaurants in 19 countries. Booking a table is as convenient and simple as making a few clicks. Restaurant bookings are free, in real-time and are instantly confirmed. Bookatable.com opens up Europe’s top restaurants to site visitors – and we’ve got the tables that you’ll most want to dine at. That’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Diners don’t even need to be next to their computer to research and book a table – they can use our restaurant iPhone app to do this wherever they might be. We’re different because we’re 100% dedicated to restaurant booking and nothing else. We are always looking for new ways to improve the site and would love to hear your opinion.

Be Spellbound by The Witchery

Edinburgh is an eclectic city with a unique selection of historic architecture that successfully blends in with the modern amenities that one would expect to find in the bustling Scottish capital. Edinburgh is home to a wide choice of dining options that range from traditional pubs through to trendy and exclusive establishments, and tourist hotspot The Witchery consistently proves to be one of the most popular. The Witchery Edinburgh boasts amazing Scottish cuisines served up in a somewhat unusual, yet extremely enticing setting, with an opulent interior and a gothic appearance.

What is The Witchery?

The Witchery Edinburgh is located in an historic area, home to endless amounts of streets filled with old buildings and an eerie ambiance, known as Castlehill at the top end of Royal Mile. As diners make their way to the looming castle, The Witchery can be seen on the left hand side of the road, easily distinguishable by its gothic façade and signage.


The interior and exterior are equally gothic, dark and thoroughly theatrical, and indulgence is a primary target for those edgy enough to enjoy the dining experience here. It’s advisable to make a restaurant booking to ensure you don’t miss out on the unique dining experience offered by this stylish restaurant.

The following list gives an idea of what you can expect during a trip to The Witchery:

•    Lunch and dinner served daily
•    Three-course menus for £30
•    An extensive a la carte menu
•    Sensational food that is recognised world-wide
•    An indulgent setting with a unique atmosphere
•    Classic cuisines from Scotland including Angus beef, lamb, game and seafood
•    A relaxed and self-confessed unfussy nature and style

What Can I Eat at The Witchery?

A typical menu at The Witchery Edinburgh includes a wide range of Scottish meals, and the exceptional food choices mixed with such plush, yet distinctive, surroundings makes the experience a must for visitors making a trip to the city. The food compliments the dark and theatrical surroundings of the restaurant, and the style of food here is neither fussy nor too intricate, allowing diners to truly enjoy the ambiance along with their hearty Scottish meals.

Some of the most popular dishes that regularly feature on the menu are:

1.    Scottish lobster
2.    Rock oysters
3.    Hot smoked salmon with leeks and hollandaise sauce
4.    Angus beef fillet with smoked garlic broth

Special ‘Witchery’ dishes are also popular, such as the Witchery haggis served with potatoes and the Witchery fish soup with crispy croutons. Dining out at The Witchery Edinburgh is truly a unique and amazing experience, but making a restaurant booking prior to your arrival is highly recommended due to its huge popularity.

About Bookatable.com

Bookatable.com is Europe’s largest online restaurant reservations service. People using the website can make online restaurant bookings over 6000 restaurants in 19 countries. Booking a table is as convenient and simple as making a few clicks. Restaurant bookings are free, in real-time and are instantly confirmed. Bookatable.com opens up Europe’s top restaurants to site visitors – and we’ve got the tables that you’ll most want to dine at. That’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Diners don’t even need to be next to their computer to research and book a table – they can use our restaurant iPhone app to do this wherever they might be. We’re different because we’re 100% dedicated to restaurant booking and nothing else. We are always looking for new ways to improve the site and would love to hear your opinion.

Tea at The Ritz

Enjoying afternoon tea at The Ritz is synonymous with luxurious living and high quality of life and the institution is talked about the world over. Tea at The Ritz famous for its grand offerings and it is all served up in opulent surroundings in the lavish Palm Court. The age old tradition has never wavered in its worldwide appeal and it continues to welcome diners from all four corners of the world to enjoy the unique surroundings in the heart of London.

A Truly English Afternoon…


Everyone should experience tea at The Ritz at least once in their lifetime and the luxurious dining area boasts a range of teas to taste as well as freshly baked pastries, scone and cakes accompanies with sweet jams and rich clotted cream. Delicately cut sandwiches are also available and tea at The Ritz truly is an English dining experience at its very best. An unforgettable experience is on offer and it is wise to make a restaurant booking to ensure that you don’t miss out during your trip to the city as the experience is so popular.

Here is an example of a typical menu for afternoon tea at The Ritz:

    * Freshly made sandwiches that range from smoked salmon through to mature cheddar cheese
    * Scones complete with Cornish clotted cream and tasty preserve
    * A variety of teas including Chinese, Sri Lankan and Indian leafs
    * Champagne menus for those more daring in the afternoon

Tea at The Ritz makes for an ideal birthday gift or Christmas present and is enjoyed by all who attend. It is safe to call it an institution and it can be thought of as a high class adult version of Disney World. People from around the globe come to enjoy afternoon tea at The Ritz and the famous experience can be guaranteed simply by making a restaurant booking as far in advance as possible.

What to Expect from Your Ritz Experience…

The dress code for tea at The Ritz is as one would expect with jeans and sportswear banned and a formal code is in place for the public areas of the hotel. The food is served up freshly made every day and the tea menu is impressive with teas listed from all over the world. Champagne is also on offer on a special menu choice and all of the food and drink is of an extremely high standard. All of the food and drink is served up in spectacular surroundings with intricately designed tables and chairs standing beneath chandeliers and magnificent lighting assortments. Afternoon tea at The Ritz really is a memorable experience and one that will be treasured for a lifetime.

Ensure your Place at the Table…


Tables for afternoon tea at The Ritz can be reserved up to 12 months prior to your visit and making a restaurant booking is highly recommendable. Weekends can get particularly busy and there are ways to avoid being disappointed on missing out on the experience with a little forward planning.


About Bookatable.com

Bookatable.com is Europe’s largest online restaurant reservations service. People using the website can make online restaurant bookings over 6000 restaurants in 19 countries. Booking a table is as convenient and simple as making a few clicks. Restaurant bookings are free, in real-time and are instantly confirmed. Bookatable.com opens up Europe’s top restaurants to site visitors – and we’ve got the tables that you’ll most want to dine at. That’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Diners don’t even need to be next to their computer to research and book a table – they can use our restaurant iPhone app to do this wherever they might be. We’re different because we’re 100% dedicated to restaurant booking and nothing else. We are always looking for new ways to improve the site and would love to hear your opinion.