Stu Deeley at Home
PEAKY BLINDING FINE DINING
Pretty much the first thing I did after our recent POW ‘Eat at Home’ fine dining experience was to look for the next one. A few options stood out… Chakana, Moseley; Simpson’s, Edgbaston; ‘Stu Deeley at Home’, also from Simpson’s.
My decision seems to be based entirely on being a fellow Brummie called Stu, as it’s not the sort of menu that has me particularly excited… asparagus salad; pork belly with a teriyaki sauce; and cookie with raspberries and salted caramel. But, having eaten at The Wilderness whilst he was head chef, and salivated as he cooked his way to being crowned winner of Masterchef: The Professionals 2019, I know he’s all about flavour. And he’s not shy of fusion; there’s nothing sacred in Stu’s world.
Just as we did with Peels On Wheels we’re treating it like ‘dining out’ and booked ourselves in for an 8pm table. It also means another first shave for a few days and a freshly ironed shirt for me. With the table laid, I pull up a Napa Valley Liparita 2013 V Block Cabernet Sauvignon from the cellar… one I brought back from California a few years ago.
The marvellous Liparita V Block Yountville Cabarnet Sauvignon 2013
Georgie is going to prep and plate up her own vegetarian options, so after watching the cook along video, we crank the music up and get stuck into the task. The bread goes in the oven for a quick blast and with no cooking required, we start plating up the starter. We assemble the asparagus with Jersey new potatoes, then squeeze in blobs of cheddar custard, layer with pickled shallots and place on the chick pea wafers. There are a few mangy, yellowing leaves of watercress for garnish but it’s a minor quibble, once we start eating.
Asparagus salad and Japanese milk loaves with garlic butter
The main trio of flavours is a sublime combination intensified by the barbecued charring and the nutty, earthiness of the potatoes; perfect on the bite asparagus dressed in chive oil; and then the Cheddar custard… like an intense hit of liquified extra vintage Dairylea. Pickled shallots and lightly crisp chickpea crackers prove to be a perfect supporting cast.
I’m torn between saving the Japanese milk loaf for mopping up the divine mix of chive oil and Cheddar custard or just turning it into a garlic dough ball on steroids with its gorgeously whipped garlic butter.
Sublime asparagus salad
With a large glass of the gorgeous full-bodied, black fruit-drenched Cabernet Sauvignon in hand, we head back to ‘cooking duties’. Just two ‘eat at home’ experiences in, we’re already feeling like seasoned fine dining chefs—even if the second course only requires searing the pork belly golden, crisping up the black pudding and some heating up.
With only me as judge, I’d say it’s another impressive looking plate but the real joy is in the eating. The succulent pork belly has been confited overnight and is given a spotlight with the ginger, garlic, soy and mirin of the teriyaki sauce and sweet spices of the crisp black pudding. Then there are officially the most carrotty carrots ever, having been cooked in carrot juice, pak choi with its crunch, the pure comfort of sweet carrot puree, against the lightly acidic freshness of chimichurri and all topped with a dust of ‘pork scratchings’.
Pork belly with teriyaki sauce
It’s a dish inspired from the chef’s table at Simpsons with very much Stu’s own unique fusion spin on things… from South America to the Far East, with a pit stop in the Black Country. If only that final dusting of ‘pork scratchings’ was with those fatty, crunchy scraggy bits you get in the bottom of the packets sold in pubs, this would be pretty much perfect. As it happens, it’s still an extraordinarily delicious plate of food.
Georgie is equal in her praise with the veggie plate and uploads a picture to her Instagram story asking if @stuart_deeley is proud of her plating up. An hour later he responds that he’s very impressed.
Veggie version - main
Back to the kitchen, the 15.4% of booze in the wine appears to be impacting my presentation skills, but its flavours are completely unspoilt. The crisp cep cookie is practically vibrating with umami; the perfect backdrop for the sweet, freshness of the raspberries; the sweet, salty hit of caramel custard and the soft crunch and bitterness of dark chocolate Aero. I’d happily stay in this moment on loop for eternity.
Cep cookie with raspberries, salted caramel custard and dark chocolate Aero
Overall, it’s another fabulous meal and experience. I was a little apprehensive that the previous POW fine dining ‘eat at home’ experience was inflated by novelty value, but this was every bit as fun and delicious. We are still round the table chatting until well past midnight. Everything is good in Stu’s world.
As for the bill it was £115 for 2 standard & 1 vegetarian option.
RECOMMENDED
20 Highfield Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 3DU
