The Ark Birmingham

The food was very good and tasty. We have ordered garlic Naan, Paneer butter masala , kids meal and chips. The Naan was so soft and tasty , i haven’t eaten a naan like this before in my life. The service and staffing was excellent. Ambient lighting and well decorated restaurant welcoming christmas. A NCP car parking facility is available next to this restaurant may be 5 min walking distance. Metro access available as well. Visited this restaurant as a part of my visit to the birmingham christmas market. Wasn’t an expensive restaurant. I will highly recommend this restaurant. I haven’t given a 5 star rating recently and this restaurant and staffs deserve it.

I am not sure how I haven't discovered this fine Indian restaurant sooner. To be fair the ARK doesn't exactly shout Indian food does it. Tucked away in John Bright Street, the entrance could be easily missed and looking in, the staircase is a bit imposing. Pity if you pass as it is easily up there with the likes of Asha's, Pushkar etc. It's all down to personal preference of course but for me, and the wife, it doesn't get any better than The ARK. Prices for some dishes do look a little high, conversely some of the main courses including two cocktails for £12 are very reasonable. In a nutshell we couldn't find fault with anything, the slightly Chinese looking decor, service by Arun, or the food and ambience, all were as good as it gets. 12.5% discretionary service charge. We went again some 12 months after the above review. Internally I couldn't see that there had been changes. Unfortunately it looks as though they had a problem with their heating as they were several industrial heaters dotted around. The service wasn't bad but our waitress wasn't that clued up on the drinks or the menu. To be fair to her the menu isn't very informative and I didn't notice any allergy information. However I did notice that the sheekh kebab starter was an eye watering £13.95. Alternatively you could have an Ark Special Curry for £11.95. I therefore suggest you read the menu carefully. Likewise the drinks menu, I noticed a 'Two for one all day everyday' offer on the cocktails as we walked in but when I tried to order it I was told quite abruptly told that 'we don't do it anymore'. I would also suggest that adding the strengths of the beers would be helpful. The poppadums basket was a bit miserly but apart from that I enjoyed my food. The wife was less impressed as her meal turned out to be creamy after she specifically requested that she doesn't like cream added to her curries. When queried with someone in authority I was informed that they need to do it when you request a dish to be on the milder side but beware that there medium heat here is hotter than most places. Not a problem for me but may be for some. The room was very noisy due to a couple of largish parties so I couldn't recommend it for a romantic night out. Indeed given the temperature in the room you will be hard pressed to take your coats off. The lights were much brighter than before which did show up a few rough edges.

This place is a perfect fine dine for couple or families. Ambience and service deserves maximum points. Food quality is great however quantity is less but then that's typical of fine dines. Our host for the night was Grisha, such a lovely and cheerful host! She did help us in ordering and advised on quantities which is always a help! Would definitely visit again.

It has all the flare. Looks pretty and has all the showy bits. The taster platter could have been a little better for the price. Could have had enough for two to share. The mocktails were decent. Flavoursome. We didn’t enjoy the lamb shank. It wasn’t falling off the bone the way it should have been. The curry that came with it, did not go with it well. Overall experience: would not visit again as was costly with not much memorable flavours.