On our recent trip to Birmingham UK, we did visit a few places that stood out. The Café Rouge was one of them. Café Rouge is a cozy little French restaurant located on New Street, in Birmingham’s downtown district. The atmosphere was nice, and the staff was pleasant. What I liked the best, of course, was the food. They offered a large selection to choose from, but once I saw the Moules (mussels) du Café Rouge, I was sold. Coming from a French family (and working 6 years as a sous chef in a French restaurant), I have had the pleasure of enjoying many different French dishes, and properly prepared mussels is one of my favorite. The Moules du Café Rouge consisted of mussels cooked in a white wine, garlic, herb and cream, and came with a basket of baguette (French bread). Let me tell you, they were every bit as good as they sounded. The portion was very generous and even though I was pleasantly full afterward, I still continued sopping up the broth with my baguette. It was good stuff all around. Even the price was fair, with the whole meal just under $20. It was a good stop, with good food and atmosphere, and sure beat the hell out of fish and chips.