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
Baby courgettes are perfectly al dente, coated in a tempura batter but the real magic lies in the flowers, full of soft, piquant and lemony Monte Enebro goats cheese with a generous drizzle of blossom honey amplifying the joy. Ordering two of these is undoubtedly one of the best decisions I’ve made all year… READ MORE
The BBQ butterflied mackerel, wouldn’t look out of place in an art gallery, yet it still manages to taste even better than it looks. It’s a big piece of fish, likely a heavyweight champion in the mackerel world, cooked perfectly with a sweet and sour smoked onion sambal that I’d happily drink from the plate… READ MORE
The oxtail pepper pot comes with mac and cheese. It sounds so wrong and it is actually so far wrong it emerges through the other side as something quite fabulous; melt in the mouth oxtail falling off the bone in a rich, fragrant, spicy gravy with the comfort of a creamy and perfectly sleazy mac & cheese… READ MORE
The ‘nduja croquettes are perfectly crisp on the outside, filled with parmesan-laden, creamy potato and then the almost molten, crack hit of spicy pork, sat on an aioli base and topped with pickled cucumber. These are mouthfuls of my kind of heaven, with devilish heat in the mix too… READ MORE
The braised mutton chops with chilli and prunes is rich, spicy and sweet with the meat plentiful and meltingly soft, but a lot drier ‘sauce’ than I was expecting. It’s not right for my Peshawari naan I’d forgotten about when changing my order. A wet veggie side dish would have been perfect… READ MORE
The spaghetti, tomato, onion, capers is a puttanesca with its whorishness stripped back (no anchovies, chilli, black olives, garlic). I’m a big fan of a full on tarty puttanesca but love the freshness of this, which gives all the limelight to the sweetness of high season tomatoes contrasting against the perfumed tang of capers… READ MORE
The girls have both gone for the tagliatelle ammuttunata—predominantly baby aubergines and a tomato sauce. They are big plates of pasta and Katrina throws the towel in at the halfway point. Whilst it’s got one foot firmly in the Norma camp, I’m not getting any of the promised smokiness, nor mint in the mix… READ MORE
The sea bream ceviche is cured to perfection so it melts in the mouth and again there is their signature mix of flavours and textures in abundance; from fried strips of sweet potato, tempered red onion, spicy, sourness from tiger’s milk and the taste of ‘unsugared Sugar Puffs’ and crunch from canchita (toasted corn nuts)… READ MORE
The chef’s Birmingham special comes in the shape of mutton chaap korma – slow cooked, marinated chops, with a rich gravy vibrating with onion and cashews that’s perfect for the sweet, deep flavour of lean mutton that’s hanging off its bones. This comes with a khamiri roti—a pillowy soft, leavened flatbread that’s perfect for mopping up… READ MORE
The Return of The Big Mac is a ‘Wilderness Classic’ a magical mix of textures, working across all taste points or more accurately, taste sensations. With my bouche having already been properly amused it is now being fully entertained… this is indeed ‘Rock n Roll fine dining’… READ MORE
It’s a sublime combination of flavours intensified by the barbecued charring and the nutty, earthiness of the potatoes; perfect on the bite asparagus dressed in chive oil; and then that gorgeous Cheddar custard… like an intense hit of liquified extra vintage Dairylea… READ MORE
The slow roast shin of beef, luxuriating in its gravy, breaks into shreds upon the slightest pressure from the fork. On the vegetarian side of the fence, there’s a whole, melt-in-your mouth, slow roasted onion, encased in pastry with onion gravy, getting deep purrs of satisfaction… READ MORE
My Friday the 13th special is a piece of art, covered in golden brown batter rippled like lava flows. Size wise it wouldn’t look out of place on the Sunday lunch table. The nose gushing and eyeball bursting 'hate crime' sauce must be completely off the Scoville Scale, but it’s a masochistic delight… READ MORE
My ‘gourmet’ burger is pure canteen—leaning like the Tower of Pisa with a portobello mushroom, two beef burgers, shrivelled Parma ham, two sad pieces of little gem lettuce and a slice of gherkin in a ‘brioche’ bun. All the melted stilton spills out, soaking into the unnecessary paper serviette... READ MORE
There is so much joy on this plate. I’ve got both sauces adding extra layers of flavour, mixing in with lightly smoky steak juices, the sweet hits of black garlic and caramelised onion purees, and my rib eye tastes like it’s a beautifully intensified reduction of a bigger steak … READ MORE
My burger looks picture perfect, but the bun is as brioche as Nigel Farage is French. There’s no soft, fluffy open texture; it’s dense and pushing heavily towards being on the stale side. It just dominates everything, suffocating any potential flavour from the bacon and cheese… READ MORE
The next course is easily the most photogenic plate so far; a green flecked riot of orangey-pinkness with roe, scattered like pearls off a broken necklace and a piece of trout cooked sous vide. It’s coated in a miso sauce with fresh dill and chervil providing a taste spotlight for the trout’s starring role… READ MORE
