A Tale of Two Ducks

A trumpeter and a duck walk into a bar, bao and noodles follow. Okay, they don't. But you will find bao and noodles at newly-opened Lucky Duck, and a world-renowned trumpeter doing world-renowned things (with a trumpet) at The Paper Duck. Hence our Dickensian headline. And that's probably where the parallels between us and Charles Dickens end.  

BAO, BROTHS AND LUCKY DUCKS
Lucky Duck is exactly the sort of place JQ-ites are out-and-out clamouring for: a small, indie, neighbourhood outfit run by a hard-working, super-smiley team. The sort of place you'd hit on the way home from work, because you don't want to cook but nor do you want to start breaking banks in the name of supper. And on its first full day of service, the stripped back noodle and bao bar was turning people away, which is some distance from usual practice on Tuesday nights in Brum. So we're kind of thinking they're on to something.

Food-wise, the team have still got some honing to do. There are three ramen-style noodley broths and three bao buns to pick from. Easily the strongest dish was the pink duck breast with pak choi served on homemade noodles, which retained a satisfying bite (£9, pictured). And on bao, it was the aubergine with coriander and chilli (£3) which was the surprise pick over the cod and the pork. But the bun was too doughy, and the dishes generally needed more of a kick. Once sprinkled with Togarashi (the Japanese equivalent of five spice) and doused in tamari (a dark, Japanese soy sauce) the potential here became really clear. So go and support this potential, and very likely watch it flourish. With a wedge of lime, a few more herbs, and that handsome tamari on every table, this place could become a regular — we'll be watching with interest, and we'll most definitely be back. Currently BYOB; menu

CRAFT BEER, CLASSICAL MUSIC AND PAPER DUCKS
On an average Sunday night, you'd be much more likely to find trumpet virtuosoTamás Pálfalvi in a major European concert hall than a pub. But this Sunday night the 26-year-old Hungarian is doing 30-minutes of superstar trumpetering, while you sup one of The Paper Duck's 18 craft beers (and those are just the ones that are on tap). Pálfalvi'll be doing his thing from 7.45pm until 8.15pm, which is pretty perfect in terms of avoiding Sunday night work fear, but getting home in time to iron that shirt.

Pálfalvi's won more awards than you've had birthdays. His style and programme selection have been described as 'innovative', 'visionary' and even 'acrobatic' — so if this'll be your first foray into the world of classical, you can confidently leave all stuffy preconceptions at the bar. The informal Harborne gig is taking place the night before Pálfalvi's full concert at Symphony Hall the very next evening, so best not keep him up at the bar too late.