The Kings Head, Bearwood

Out with the old and in with the new - it couldn't be a more apt adage to describe The Kings Head.

Once considered a bit of dingy drinking hole by some, the landmark pub in Bearwood, has now been transformed into a new 150-seat restaurant and bar.

Some of the pub's original features are still there, including the pretty green tiles leading to the toilets and the solid oak staircase, but the rest has been stripped away.

Eager to see if the £1.5 million pound revamp had stretched as far as the kitchen, my partner and I popped into the Hagley Road venue for a meal.

As we arrived we were promptly greeted by a member of staff before being shown through to the restaurant area of the pub where we were seated at a table.

As I scanned the dining area I was pleased to see that despite the awful wind and rain a number of people had decided to brave the weather and dine out.

In fact although the bar seemed relatively quiet, the restaurant had a delightful buzz about it which instantly helped us feel more relaxed. Both thirsty from battling against the blustery gales, my partner and I eagerly surveyed the wine list, which has a good selection of white and red wines as well as around 14 types of champagne.

After much consideration we finally decided on a bottle of Chenin Blanc 2005 priced at £9.95 or £2.85 per glass.

Relieved that there wasn't a national scallop shortage following Gordon Ramsay's January cook-a-long, I plumped for the seared scallops with pea puree and chorizo crisps (£6) for starter.

While my partner, who is normally a renowned carnivore, chose the Mediterranean vegetables, feta cheese and bruschetta (£3.95).

The scallops were scrumptious and cooked to perfection and matched with the medley of pea puree and chorizo they created a mouth watering buzz.

My partner was equally pleased with his choice, which he said tasted extremely fresh and flavoursome.

With our taste buds tingling, it was onto the mains, which for me meant corn fed chicken with smoked mozzarella and prosciutto, served with spring greens, sun blush tomato beurre blanc (£10.50).

My companion picked the peppered sea bass served with bubble and squeak cake, spinach and mustard and chive beurre blanc (£13.95).

Both were well-presented, full of flavour and cooked splendidly. The fish in particular was very well seasoned and tender.

The dishes were both filling enough for us, but those with a larger appetite may wish to order one of the scores of side dishes on offer.

These include snaps, beans and peas (£2), thyme roasted new potatoes (£2) or all time pub favourite brick chips (£1.50).

Having a sweet tooth, the question of whether or not we should indulge in a dessert was easy to answer.

Chocolate tart with pistachio ice cream (£3.95) was

the order of the day for my partner while I went for

the vanilla panacotta served with rum and raisin compote (£2.95).

Both were delicious especially the pistachio ice cream, which we both concluded was the best we had ever tasted.

After a brief respite, I caught up with restaurant manager Yaska Shahrokh to find out more about pub's new look.

"The Kings Head is a landmark, it's a very old building and we've tried to respect that as much as possible," she said.

"In the day time we have people that want to read their paper and enjoy a pint but we also have a great kids menu too.

"It's a pub but it's also so much more.

"It's friendly, relaxed and the food speaks for itself."

Claire Morrall

Hagley Road, Bearwood

Tel: 0121 277 4130