What we’ve got is dry-grilled, pre-cooked stewing steak that whilst not chewy per se, it’s far more of a jaw exercise and massively less joy than its name promises. A benign bacon ketchup provides no real support other than wetness… READ MORE
All tagged Birmingham
Stu Deeley at Laghi's
The onglet with salsa verde splits the table. I’m OK with it, cooked just right and the accompanying salsa verde gets a real sweet and fatty lift from bone marrow… across the table—a cook-on-fire master—the verdict is “no seasoning; no taste; no caramelisation”… READ MORE
Albatross Death Cult
The biggest surprise is whilst the Kagoshima wagyu A5 is indeed the fat-primed meat bomb that’s expected and further boosted by an umami-loaded 4-year-old soy sauce, it’s matched stride by stride by a buttery, crusted pommes Anna-style hash brown… READ MORE
Six by Nico Birmingham
There’s more crunch fail from the deep fried Mars Bar that should be the eponymous hero of the dish, but the under cooked batter is an unpleasant texture. Whilst that’s a huge disappointment, the rest is a sticky, sweet, crunchy and chocolatey dream and then there’s the smile inducing Irn Bru sorbet… READ MORE
Plates by Purnell's
Build-your-own anchovies on toast starts the belief that we’re looking at very well priced food. A generous pile of superior quality anchovies—meaty, firm and packing umami with the saltiness—sit on top of fresh tomato reduced almost to a sweet puree and then also a zesty, tangy and fragrant salsa verde… READ MORE
Orelle
My dressed crab is everything I want from a plate of food; there’s lightly sweet buttermilk with citrussy-anise attitude from a dill coulis swirl, freshness and crunch in abundance from rainbow radish and tart, green apple, but the sweet, delicate flavour of the crab still takes centre stage… READ MORE
Trentina
The orecchiette sits in a puddle of oil that would have Doctor Foster worried, with strands of leafy, mustardy friarielli sauteed in garlic and chilli and this looks the part, but it’s way over salted. But that’s insignificant compared to the pasta that I refuse to believe has been made fresh in the kitchen or even by hand… READ MORE
Albert's Schloss
Wonderfully densely meaty frankfurters with a quiet kick of chilli that builds slowly. And credit to the curry sauce that offers no more sophistication than generic curry powder. It’s perfect and exactly as I remember it in Berlin, although they’d be goose stepped out of there with a price tag of £16.50… READ MORE
Rosa's Thai Café Birmingham
Rosa’s green curry (with more dry chicken) dangling the carrot of three out of three on the chilli scale merely confirms it’s not so much a recalibration of the scoville scale in the kitchen that’s required but a reprint of the menus… READ MORE
670 GRAMS
A potential winner for the ‘best dish of the year’ crown is next. Barbecued octopus, crisp and caramelised on the outside and wonderfully tender on the bite, a stunning langoustine tartare with a hint of Thai spices, Exmoor caviar and an aloe vera emulsion. I’d happily eat this on a loop for eternity… READ MORE
Legna
When the starters arrive, I see the others have mostly gone for antipasti and it only takes one mouthful to realise what a tragic mistake they’ve made. The ragù has cucina povera in abundance; it’s intensely meaty, beautifully flavoursome and succulent in a sauce richer than the deepest baritone… READ MORE