As one of Birmingham's newest upmarket restaurants, Filini has quickly become one of the city's most popular. Lisa Piddington enjoyed an evening of fine dining.

Go back a few years and when it came to dining in Birmingham there was little to write home about. How things change: these days the city is quickly gaining an enviable reputation as a Mecca for foodies.

One of the restaurants leading this sea change is Filini, based at the new first-class Radisson SAS Hotel. Chic and stylish, the non-smoking restaurant dominates the first floor of the Beetham Tower hotel. Decorated in relaxing creams and browns, the central feature is undoubtedly the striking wine tower, a stunning metal and wood construction that holds 200 bottles of wine.

It's a contemporary space that offers an ideal setting for a business lunch, an intimate meal a deux or the perfect place for a celebration. Food is billed as modern Italian with a Sardinian twist, while fresh ingredients are sourced from authentic suppliers.

On the busy Saturday evening we dined, there was an exciting buzz in Filini. There was time to enjoy an aperitif in the bar area, complete with a luxurious, over-sized chaise longue, before being shown to our seats and handed menus. Our table was next to the impressive floor-to-ceiling windows, dressed in pale caramel coloured drapes that give an attractive view of the night-time traffic below.

Giving us time to peruse the newly-launched menu, packed with a host of imaginative dishes, our drinks order was taken. We opted for a bottle of our favourite wine - Gavi di Gavi (£25.95) - from the exclusively Italian wine list before being served complimentary olives and the most impressive bread basket we had ever seen.

For starters, I plumped for razor clams with garlic butter (£8.95), which we were told is one of the most popular dishes on the menu, while my companion had risotto verdi, served with char-grilled asparagus (£6.50, and also available as a main course for £9.50). Artistically served in pencil-thin shells, the clams tasted as good as they looked, while the beautifully-cooked risotto was fresh tasting and not at all stodgy.

For my main course, I decided on pumpkin gnocchi, cooked with spinach and cherry tomatoes (£9.50). Delicious and as filling as you would want, the tomatoes and spinach added a fresh flavour to this classic dish. My fellow diner went for char-grilled rump of lamb (£13.50), served with baby spinach, pine nuts and sultanas, soaked in Dindarello sweet wine. Mouth-wateringly tender, the sauce was a delight, and the meat perfectly cooked.

Side orders are available - you can chose from fagioli beans, roast or mashed potatoes (not a chip in sight!), seasonal greens, creamed polenta or salads, all at £2.95 - but as we'd filled up on bread, there was little room for anything else.

To round off, we chose a mixture of sorbets, served in individual mini bowls (£4.50) and the renowned Filini tiramisu. Both were gorgeous for different reasons - the sorbets refreshing yet creamy, while the tiramisu was as indulgent as it gets.

For opening times and restaurant bookings, contact Filini on 0121 654 6000.