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Chris Wynne's been working at the market for 33 years and has seen it change hugely over that time. "Cars used to come right up to the stalls — once the traffic stopped, no one could move. That was a good twenty years ago, the pub closed more recently." Yep, as good as on-site, The Mercat Cross used to open at a ballsy 4am, for first and last drinks alike — Chris regularly found himself directing revellers through the market maze for that final tipple after a night in town. But that's not an excuse you need to witness this big-hearted bite of Brum. The market is open Monday through Saturday — you'll be very welcome. More pics
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MOVIE OF THE WEEK: T2 TRAINSPOTTING
It isn’t unheard of for long-awaited sequels to deliver on the hype — look no further than Mad Max: Fury Road or The Force Awakens. But then stop looking, because that’s about it. And the awkwardly titled T2 Trainspotting, the reunion of everyone’s favourite loveable Edinburgh junkies, doesn’t quite nail it. Returning from Amsterdam two decades after ripping off his mates at the end of the first film, Renton (Piers Morgan-basher Ewan McGregor) is looking to reconnect with his pals after the break up of his marriage. What follows is a nostalgia-soaked two hours that honours the first film but, despite having its moments, doesn’t match up to its classic, era-defining predecessor. But, if we're describing it like that, how could it? Times & trailer
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A PUB QUIZ YOU'RE GOING TO LIKE
Knowledge, general or otherwise, has its place. That place is not Rafiki's Cuisine. A weekly production, which can loosely be described as a quiz, a trippy trio of talent will serenade you, convince you to do things the rest of the globe haven't yet imagined, and make you smile plenty. If your experience is anything like ours, you should also expect bananas, art (sort of), literature (sort of) and Donald Trump (sort of). In a nod to the title, there'll be a food round too, though we can't guarantee it'll be completely pleasurable. Taking over The Dark Horse each Tuesday from 8pm, break up your working week with some silly, and pay what you feel. We can neither confirm nor deny that a live celebrity sculpting round is imminent.
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Venue: 筷乐, Woodstock Cafe, 584 Bristol Road, B29 6BE; 0121 249 0968
Choice: Pork wontons (£4) Chooser: Grace Ma, owner and head chef
Chinese new year starts on Saturday, which strikes us as a slam dunking excuse to tell you about our most welcome discovery. Taking over the site of Woodstock Cafe in Selly Oak, 筷乐 broadly translates as happiness, and everything about the experience made us almost smugly grinny. With a multi-luminous menu that changes throughout the day (a number of patrons eat both lunch and dinner at 筷乐), on top of the wontons (obligatory) allow owners Grace and Dennis to do the ordering. Served in a chicken broth with seaweed and shrimp, the steamed pork mince wontons are refreshingly light and addictively tasty. Based on a recipe created by Grace's family, the mince, which sits inside the little parcels of superlatives, is stewed for at least four hours, with a combination of vegetables and herbs being added at strategic moments that chef is not for revealing. Expel any thoughts of the westernised Chinese we've come to think of as normal, this is proper good home-style cooking, evidenced by the queue which forms every lunchtime. You'll find it easier to get a table come the evening and at weekends. Open daily from 12pm until 9pm.
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BHX: NOW FLYING DIRECT TO VIENNA
The primary object of our gap year was to drink White Russians in as many different countries as possible. With our priorities clear, there wasn't a great deal of lolly for, well, everything else. The Belvedere Palaces (pictured) are one of the few higher-end endeavours that made the cut, and like the rest of Vienna, are bamboozlingly beautiful. The tall, handsome, assured city is best explored by bike, and there are plenty of organised pedal tours that will keep you going in the right direction (and crucially, on the right side of the tram network). In operation since 1865, it's an absolute asset for moving round the capital, as long as you take some time to understand it. Wien's reputation for the grandest of coffee houses and unapologetically hard electronic music are two further contrasting reasons we've got love for Birmingham's latest aerial win. Starting March 26, Eurowings is offering six times weekly direct flights to Vienna. We've found one-way fares from £29.99, which pretty much equates to three good White Russians.
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TONKOTSU'S BIG DUCK GIVEAWAY
As a rather spectacular addendum to the aforementioned Chinese new year, Selfridges-based ramen restaurant Tonkotsu is giving away 140 aromatic crispy duck salads to I Choose Birmingham readers, a dish they've bought to the menu to toast the Year of the Rooster. Hiyashi ramen is a cold noodle dish referred to as ‘hiyashi chuka’ in Japan. Classic homemade noodles are cooked then chilled in cold water (to retain bite and bounce), before the duck with hoisin sauce is added to give the creation a Chinese twist. Starting this Saturday (January 28) and running until Friday February 3, inclusive, the first 20 people to show staff this very email will receive the dish for free. That's (*gets out calculator*) 140 aromatic duck hiyashi ramen salads. It's going to be a good week. (T&C: Cannot be used in relation to any other item on the menu. No purchase necessary.)
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