 Forget Birmingham having more miles of canal than Venice - Harborne must hold some kind of UK record for the most pubs per square mile. Anyone who grew up in the area will doubtless have heard of the legendary Harborne Run - a mammoth pub crawl which entailed visiting every single drinking hole on or near the High Street. It totalled around 18. One of the last stops (or first if you began the other end) on the run was the White Swan or Dirty Duck as it was sometimes known (the pub sign displayed both names). A local landmark and popular pub over the years, its skittle alley once turned into a carvery (the locals soon got over it) before recently being acquired by Paul Hales and Paul Salisbury, the duo behind the Barnt Green Inn, Baraset Barn, Cock Inn at Wishaw etc... Before you even step in through the front door, you can tell The White Swan is one of theirs; from the signage to the cool wicker furniture on the terrace, it's unmistakable. Inside the colour scheme is whites, creams and browns, with trademark cow print rugs, leather armchairs - and with all the walls and ceilings in white, the place looks a lot lighter and more spacious than before. After having stood at the reception desk for a few minutes with noone seeming bothered to come see us - a couple of waitresses glanced across then carried on with whatever they were doing - we headed for the bar. A Budvar and a bottle of Aspall Suffolk Cyder (complete with goldfish bowl-sized glass!) later and we relaxed by the window before heading through to the table.We'd booked for 7.30, and having been told on the phone we'd only got the table for two hours I didn't want to be rushed. For a Monday night the restaurant was pleasantly busy, though as it turned out our table wasn't needed for a turnover. There was a good mix of couples, groups and families which made it a nice atmosphere.As with others in the chain, staff wear branded black T-shirts for a relaxed but efficient look, and the menu followes the same format of little dishes, leaves, fired pizzas, pasta, stove/grill/rotisserie and starches/greens. There were also half a dozen tempting specials, including scallops of the day and a venison dish. We instead went for the onion tart with goats cheese and rocket (£5.50) and the chilli crusted squid with pineapple and chilli salsa (£5.50). Unlike my squid, the tart was beautifully warm, crumbly and tangy. My fish was barely tepid - a disappointment - and the salsa lacked a real chilli kick, but the pineapple tang went well with the squid. Choosing a main course is far more of a challenge - the Leffe battered haddock with pea puree and chips sounded great, as did the crab linguini. Instead I went for the spit chicken with lemon and garlic confit and Belgian frites (£10), my companion the Hawaiian pizza (£8.50). The latter was enormous, covered in gorgeous gooey mozarella, pineapple, ham and mushrooms, a light base - top marks. And with a Caesar side salad, perfect for a summer's evening. My chicken was simple but delicious; the leg and breast separate, with a half of lemon and garlic confit, it fell off the bone and enjoyed the subtlest of flavours from its accompaniments. The chips were nice and dry, though the sprinkling of paprika on top of the mayo gave an unexpected kick. My green side salad was, like the Caesar, a good idea. I would, in hindsight however, have picked something different. A couple of glasses of excellent New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, a tea and a coffee and we were content - not that the puddings didn't tempt us both. The White Swan's a great addition to the local food offering and should do well; judging by our visit, it is doing well. Minor gripes about the timed booking and lack of welcome aside, it should go swimmingly. The White Swan, Harborne Road, Birmingham 0121 454 2359 www.thewhiteswanpub.com
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