YUMMY BRUMMY

Brummies love their curry - Birmingham is often dubbed the UK curry capital - and at upmarket eatery Pushkar (pushkardining.com) in the city centre we discovered a completely different vibe.

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When owner and creative director Rai Singh opened it 16 years ago on lively Broad Street, he wanted to trailblaze.

"Everyone felt that Indian food was quite filling and made them feel sluggish but we wanted a new approach," said Rai.

"We wanted customers to feel light afterwards. It's all down to the ingredients and how it's prepared, like steaming rather than frying.

"We also like to deconstruct a dish. We do butter chicken chops - our version of butter chicken. We have the chicken on the bone which is more flavourful, then we present the sauce with the cashews and the sweetness separately on the side. It adds to the overall experience."

A recent £500,000 refurbishment means that diners can now tuck in to Pushkar's posh nosh in a decadent decor of leopard prints, bamboo friezes and fern wallpapers amid royal blues, deep greens and midnight blacks.

Bengali tigers hanging from the ceiling and an enticing menu presented in hardback book-form emphasise the luxe feel.