When
I was recently in Birmingham for the weekend, I messaged my best friend and
suggested we go for lunch. Well the plan was lunch and shopping in the
afternoon, before I met Ash in the evening ready for the Halloween party we
were going to. But when Gemma and I get together, it never ends without a few
too many drinks. I booked a table at Loft Lounge, following her recommendation –
and was even able to request a booth, which was a great move.
The
Loft Lounge is in the heart of the gay village and it’s a really smart place.
Whether you’re wanting a light bite to eat, or to catch up over a coffee or
something stronger, you can expect a friendly welcome and a good time. The
interior is modern and glamorous, with plenty of seating or room at the bar if
you wish to stand. Our booth was intimate, comfortable and made me actually
feel like I was exclusive. There was even a mirror, which obviously wasn’t
ideal for two girls posey AF – and we
definitely spent far too long fixing our eyeliner and lippy. But it was a good
laugh.
One
of the highlights of a Saturday at Loft Lounge is that the Happy Hour runs all
day, with a selection of cocktails in a 2-for-£10 offer. We immediately took
advantage of this, ordering a round of strawberry daiquiris. I prefer mine
frozen, rather than chilled and this one hit the spot nicely – there was a fair
amount of rum in there, but it still went down far too easily, especially considering
it was only 2:30pm.
For
somewhere with such a focus on the bar/lounge vibe, the menu was decent and
there was quite a lot of choice. We both decided to share a few dishes between
us, to pick at while we gossiped. And of course we went all-out and committed
carbocide. The barbecue chicken & jalapeno flatbread pizza was a little too
spicy for my palate, but it was light and fresh. The Cajun fries were only
lightly seasoned, but boy were they good – we definitely made a mistake only
ordering one portion of those! Gemma chose a side of cheesy garlic bread but
the real game changer were the vegetable tempura with aioli dip. Gemma had
never had tempura before and soon as I clocked it on the menu, my eyes lit up –
strips of red and green pepper, aubergine and courgette in a light, crisp
batter... beautiful.
We
shared a bottle of prosecco with our food, before moving back on to the
cocktails. In fact, instead of ordering dessert, we went for a post-dinner
cocktail. I have to say I was disappointed with my espresso martini, but only
because it’s a personal favourite and I’ve never known anywhere to make one with
vodka and baileys. It was far too strong and completely lacked that strong
coffee hit. We had another round of daiquiris (my mistake, I completely forgot
the name of the cocktail we were supposed to be trying), before moving onto
Times West Coolers. These were probably my favourites, largely because I’d
never had one before and it contained a selection of my most-loved spirits.
They were colourful, sweet and fruity and again, I drank them like juice.
The
service was good from the moment we arrived. The staff were setting up for the
evening’s Halloween event and apologised in advance in case the lights went out
(they didn’t). Even when the bar was busy, we were still attended to. They didn’t
even mind me charging my phone or lugging a weekend bag around. For a casual
bite to eat or quiet drink with friends, I couldn’t fault Loft Lounge at all
and would definitely return when in the area.
Love,
Lucy xx
The pizza looks so good!! X
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