Sugarvine

These days it sometimes seems that when you've seen one restaurant, with its trendy minimalist décor, you've seen them all. So it's a welcome change to find a restaurant like the Galley, in Inge Street, just behind the Hippodrome, that stands out from the crowd. It's the sort of restaurant which, once discovered, people keep coming back to. One corner table in particular - the cubby hole, as it's known - is said to be the most sought after table in Birmingham.

So what makes the Galley so special? To begin with it's because Mike, the owner, is not just an excellent cook but also a great collector. When you mount the stairs and enter the restaurant, you're tempted to think that you've entered some fantastic Old Curiosity Shop, or maybe Aladdin's Cave would be more appropriate. Step inside the door and you're confronted by a fierce-looking Chinese sage, who seems to be eyeing an equally fierce-looking African mask. Ahead of you, weird musical instruments jostle for space with model ships, Mongol helmets and strange agricultural implements. The main theme of the restaurant, though, is naval, with relics from Nelson's flagship adorning the walls, and a long captain's table against one wall. It's an endlessly fascinating restaurant, with unusual objects everywhere you look, and the low beamed ceiling and soft lighting make it very inviting. There's also a piano in one corner, which until recently provided gentle background music; sadly though the pianist is ill at the moment, one hopes only temporarily.

Many of the tables are separated by partitions to give a welcome intimacy, most partitions consisting of finely carved church furnishings, except for one which turns out on closer inspection to be a gruesome-looking guillotine from some film set or other. Mike, in other words, is one of those people who haunts the auction houses to snap up anything that takes his fancy.

And so, without more ado, to the food. The Galley is a steak and seafood restaurant, with the fish carefully chosen every day from the market, so you can be sure it's fresh. The dishes are by and large traditional and - be warned - always come in gigantic portions. None of those dainty little dishes which leave you feeling in need of a second meal as soon as you've finished the first one. Make sure you look at the specials on the board as well as the regular dishes on the menu. The starters on offer include mussels in lemon and garlic (£5.95), deep fried whitebait and avocado with crayfish tart, topped with dill mayonaise, (both £5.95), and fresh white crabmeat and crayfish salad (£7.95). For non-fish eaters there is new English asparagus, and button mushrooms in a heavenly white wine, cream and garlic sauce, served with garlic bread (both £4.95).

The main courses on offer include fresh lobster served with asparagus (£24.95), dover sole served with asparagus and new potatoes (£24.95), finest wild seabass served with roast vegetables (£14.95), king scallops and monkfish baked in lemon and garlic (£19.95), chargrilled tunafish steak with salad and baked potatoes (£15.50), and finest red seabream baked in chilli and garlic, served with mash and sugersnaps (£14.95). If you're not a fish-eater, though, the steaks are just the job, beautifully tender. You can choose between finest Scotch sirloin, rump or fillet steak, in either 8 oz, 12 oz or 16 oz portions, all accompanied by potatoes and vegetables. The 8 oz fillet steak costs £16.95.

There's an excellent selection of wine, ranging from very drinkable house wine - the Australian red costs £13.95 - up to Pouilly Fumé at £33.95 and Puligny Montrachet at £45. Again, as well as the regular wine list, make sure you look at the wines on the board. The desserts are all traditional favourites such as crème brulee and sticky toffee pudding, not to mention spotted dick, all at £4.95.

So all in all, a unique and thoroughly enjoyable place to eat - a fascinating interior, nice atmosphere, good food, friendly and efficient service and, if you like, a guided tour of the restaurant. The Galley is open five evenings a week from 6pm; last orders are at 10.30pm. But if you want the cubby hole, be sure to book well in advance.

The Galley
Inge Street
Birmingham
Tel: 0121 666 7176