Land
DAY OF THE TERRIFICS
It’s fifteen months since our daughter left home and nearly a year since she turned vegan. I’ve just about come to terms with her leaving home, but still struggle with having brought a vegan into this world. So, whilst Land has been around since 2019, given lockdowns followed by their protracted relocation, it’s never really been on my radar.
Despite the vegan ‘thing’, as a family we bond over food, so a meal out is a fabulous negotiating tool when it comes to committing our daughter to spend time with us. And so it is we’re here for some ‘modern, plant focused dining’, with a 6.30 table in case she wants to hook up with old friends and go out later.
It’s a four course or six course tasting option, but as that’s a pre-paid option at booking, the only real decision is wine flight or not. Three wine flights then.
Land - interior
We’ve dressed up, although it’s a room that can accommodate casual or fine dining and it’s noticeable as we transition into evening the clientele becomes less jeans and jumpers and more jackets and heels. It’s smart but muted, nothing at all showy offy, with about 20 covers, an open kitchen and small bar with service noticeably efficient and friendly.
Vodka, beetroot, lime & tonic
We settle in with drinks and it just feels right to go for the fully plant-based vodka, beetroot, lime and tonic and I’m still ooh-aahing about it when snacks are brought.
Snacks
I’m straight it with a seaweed wafer with finely diced carrot and soy ‘caviar’ that’s every bit the seafood trick it’s attempting to be. Next is a crispy polenta with smoked paprika aioli providing subtle heat. And then the curried, winter spiced cauliflower croquette has my palate sizzling like a KFC Zinger—assuming I’m allowed to mention chicken.
Treacle bread with cultured sunflower seed ‘butter’
As ever, I’m determined to save my bread for mopping duties but one bite of the muffin-style treacle bread with cultured sunflower seed ‘butter’ leads to another, and then another, and then it’s gone
Mushroom — tofu – dashi - herbs
The first course is mushroom cooked with dashi—a Japanese broth that’s umami played at volume 11— with crisp tofu wafers for crunch and a verdant herb oil offering a delicate balance of flavours that are fresh, savoury and with a hint of sweetness too. It’s a triumphant start as is the first of the wine parings, a Sicillian Grillo with fresh minerality and green apple in the mix.
Beetroot — red wine – wasabi – linseed
Next up is beetroot poached in a red wine sauce. It’s another ‘oh wow’ dish for both the eyes and palate with sweet earthiness of beetroot, pungency rather than heat from wasabi and subtle nutty earthiness and crunch from the linseed wafer. The Malbec plays its supporting role with aplomb.
Jerusalem artichoke — cashew – quince
Dish number three is pure comfort, with the nuttiness of roasted artichoke and crisp artichoke wafers, a subtly sweet cashew cream and tartness from quince jelly. It’s another perfect pairing with a bone-dry Muscadet softened by more than a hint of honeydew melon.
Celeriac — black garlic – buttermilk – duxelle
Trying to put the first three courses into order in terms of our favourites only brings us to the conclusion they’ve all been faultless and the fourth dish delivers on the same criterion. There’s celeriac with perfect bite as well as crisp fried celeriac shoestrings, with the sweet intensity of a duxelle and black garlic purée that’s all brought into line by the lightly sour tang of buttermilk sauce. A perfumed, aromatic Godello balanced with stone dry minerality is another dream wine pairing.
Madeira — oat – raisin – coffee
The next course, Madeira ice cream, bittersweet, plump raisins soaked in coffee and a caramelised Florentine oatmeal biscuit offering subtle toffee-crispiness has me completely smitten. It’s accompanied by a creamy, off dry Grauburgunder that cranks me up to besotted.
The final dish is a butternut squash sponge with hints of coriander and nutmeg, a butternut purée and citrusy tart sea-buckthorn and lightly sweet crunch from caramelised pumpkin seeds. Whilst there’s nothing whatsoever to complain about—indeed, it’s another wonderful play across the palate—it’s the one dish I’m least enamoured by. As the finale I’d prefer something sticky or sickly sweet, but even the bread roll was sweeter than this. Although it’s another great drinks pairing with a plum cider that’s all farmyard on the nose but is divinely balanced sweet and sour in the mouth.
It’s been a quite magical two hours and it matters not one jot that the food is vegan… there has not been one thing missing across all courses, be it taste, layers of flavour, texture or plain fabulousness and it’s all been a joy for the eyes too. The wine pairing—all vegan and mostly organic—has put that joy in bold.
At £39 for six courses and £36 for the wine pairing there’s not remotely a better priced fine dining tasting menu on offer in Birmingham. With the food already paid at booking, I’m left with a drinks bill of £142.60 plus tip.
We head home with the night still ahead of us and our daughter still with us—it turns out she never had any plans to meet friends—it’s a family weekend.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 10/10
30 Great Western Arcade, Birmingham B2 5HU
