The Dog in Warley, Bearwood

Well slap my wrists. Consider me well and truly chastised. I made the mistake of thinking this place was an Ember Inn,

.

But no, no, no Sir, this is no Ember Inn, perish the thought. This is Ember Pub & Dining.

So that is the new name for the Ember Inn pub chain? Well no. Ember Inns are still going strong. The Dog & Gun in Tettenhall, The Westacres in Finchfield, The Foley Arms in Stourbridge. In fact there are 22 of them around the West Midlands.

Confused? Well Ember Pub & Dining is the new sister brand to Ember Inns. A little trendier, with a funky black, white and red logo and fancier food. Why, it's even got its own coat of arms.

Now you could be forgiven for thinking I have turned up for this review wearing my finest anorak, but there is a reason for my interest in these apparently arcane details.

Namely, I wanted to find out how the new Ember Pub & Dining brand compares with its established sister chain.

Why, the Dog in Warley – it used to be just The Dog Inn – is even now being billed as a gastropub, and the new chain has already won an award for its new menu.

Viewed from the busy Hagley Road, it sure looks the business. A wide-fronted, imposing building, the tasteful cream and green paintwork has a gentle, restrained elegance about it, although the brick totem pole at the front is a touch incongruous.

There is a reasonably sized car park to the rear, although for a place with gastropub pretensions, I do think it could be better planned, the steps and ramp down to the pub could be more attractive.

No such problems inside, where the pub has a modern and stylish feel. Divided into several small rooms, it has a more intimate feel than the usual Ember Inn, particularly at night when it can be seen by candlelight, and I was quite taken by the silver, leaf-patterned wallpaper, which adds a real touch of individuality.

The smart black boxes containing the freshly printed menu cards, cutlery and condiments are a nice touch, too, giving a feel of understated quality.

I'm in two minds about the 1950s-style wood-backed chairs, though. While they have a certain minimalist appeal, and would probably go down a storm in a design exhibition, they're possibly a little too utilitarian for my taste. I was also a little surprised to see one of the walls painted in battleship grey – only a small area of the pub, but even so, it's hard to understand why anyone would choose such an oppressive colour scheme. These minor niggles apart, though, the atmosphere is bright, stylish and relaxing.

As you would perhaps expect, it tends to be popular with the younger crowd; not kids, but young adults in their late 20s, 30 or early 40s. In our small room at the back of the pub there was a young couple sat in the corner, another couple around 40 who had arrived by motorcycle judging from the headwear on the seats, and a slightly older group of four in another corner.

While there is certainly a good choice of real ales – I think there were six on offer during our visit – they were all, apart from Greene King IPA, a little on the strong side. We decided instead to share a bottle of Rossellini pinot grigio rose, a bright, fruity number with a zesty aftertaste.

One thing that does make the Dog seem a little special compared to the usual chain pub is the good choice of chef's daily specials, which are outlined on a large blackboard mounted on the wall; I was quite tempted by the steak wrapped in bacon and served in red wine and mushroom sauce.

Not that there is any shortage of choice on the main menu. Fish is something of a speciality, with six different dishes on offer including smoked haddock fishcakes, line-caught cod and grilled sea bass fillets in Somerset cider and chive beurre blanc. The award-winning sausages and mash – it doesn't say which award, mind – also sound interesting, offering a variety of pork, apple and wild boar bangers, and there is a choice of rump, sirloin or ribeye steaks.

While the majority of the dishes are meat or fish, there is also a vegetable risotto and chickpea, broad bean and pea burger for the herbivores among us.

In the end I went for the pork stuffed with pear and wrapped in bacon, served with mash, while my companion for the evening chose the grilled chicken breast in barbecue sauce.

As a general rule, the food is a little more sophisticated than at a normal Ember Inn, but this is reflected in the correspondingly more expensive prices.

For example, the steak, baby onion and London Pride ale pie is £7.95, compared to £6.50 for a steak and Timothy Taylor pie at a normal Ember Inn, while the mixed grill is £8.95 at a normal Ember Inn, compared to £9.95 at The Dog.

On the other hand, my pork dish showed how this was a cut above the normal pub-chain food. Immaculately presented, it almost seemed a shame to eat it.

I was a little sceptical about the pork stuffing, but actually I think that is what actually made the meal, providing a delicate sweet flavour which contrasted nicely with the smoky taste from the bacon. I would like to have seen a little more red wine sauce, though.

The chicken was also enjoyable, with my companion singling the cheddar and barbecue sauce out for particular praise, and it came with generous helpings of large, chunky chips.

To finish I went for the honeycomb ice cream sourced from Devon, which was served with an excellent shortbread crumble. While all the desserts look good value, I thought this was particularly impressive for just £2.95.

We were served by a young lady called Charlie, who it has to be said was extremely friendly and efficient, going about her business with a big smile on her face.

The total bill came to £35.75, which I would say represents good value for two mains, plus a bottle of wine, a dessert and two coffees.

I do think the gastropub claim is stretching things a bit, though. It's a stylish, modern pub, with friendly, professional staff serving up attractive, good quality food. But if you're expecting silver service and Michelin stars you could be disappointed.

Best to view it as a good value, slightly more upmarket alternative to a normal Ember Inn – and I think you will go away more than happy.

ADDRESS

The Dog in Warley, 8 Hagley Road West, Bearwood B67 5EU

Tel: 0121 4292305

Web: www.emberpubanddining.co.uk/thedogwarley

MENU SAMPLE

STARTERS

Cauliflower mulligatawny soup, £2.95

Severn & Wye smoked salmon, £4.95

Beer-battered mushrooms with smoked paprika mayonnaise, £3.25

MAINS

Pork, apple and wild boar sausages with mash and caramelised onion gravy, £7.95

Ploughman's lunch, £7.95

Steak, baby onion and London Pride ake pie with mash and caramelised onion gravy, £7.95

DESSERTS

Bramley apple, pear and sultana shortbread crumble with custard, £3.75

Chocolate marbled brownie with farmhouse vanilla ice cream, £3.95

Chocolate fondant pudding with freshly whipped cream and marmalade, £4.50