John Dory cooked over fire fails to give it any kind of visual makeover, but cooked initially over hot coals before being finished over gentler heat, its pleasures are intensified across flavour and texture… READ MORE
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
Indian Cafe Racer
First up is gol gappa; crispy shells filled with chick peas, potato and vermicelli, accompanied with a sweet pouring sauce with a spicy kick, loaded with tamarind and mint. We clash knuckles going for the final shell, but I’m there first and they’re far too addictive for me to even consider any act of chivalry… READ MORE
ST JOHN Smithfield
Roast bone marrow is a menu mainstay since the 90s and I’m grateful for a donation of one from which I slather its rich, fatty innards onto sourdough toast before loading with a lemon dressed flat leaf parsley, caper and shallot salad and a sprinkle of salt for two mouthfuls of perfectly balanced decadence… READ MORE
Little Duck The Picklery
I’m not nearly so honourable when it comes to the next plate that offers up a fresh take on mozzarella, with stewed flat piattone beans and sweet datterini tomatoes, fresh mint and topped with the crunch of fried breadcrumbs. It’s a dish that offers a titanic blow for blow battle of textures and flavours… READ MORE
The Bournbrook Inn
Being a sucker for double fried anything, I’ve gone for the Korean chicken burger. It also promises kimchi and gochujang aioli, although the tick box quantities mean it’s nowhere near the flavour-explosion I’d imagined, but worst of all is the soggy batter. Oven chips and bought in coleslaw are unable to pick up any slack… READ MORE
Sessions Arts Club
By now, we’ve racked up £82 on ‘small plates’ and I’m pretty sure that’s amounted to six forkfuls, half a chickpea ‘churro’ and a cracker’s worth of ‘flatbread’ each. It’s mostly delivered on textures and flavour, but feels like we’ve shared a menu of tasting dishes... READ MORE
Café Cecilia
The bright pink, medium rare onglet boasting a fire-licked crust is as melt in the mouth as meat gets, with an almost spicy peppercorn sauce emboldened with cream and brandy served with chips that offer perfect crunch, despite being smashed into the gravy for dredging purposes… READ MORE
Riverine Rabbit
Chakalaka is every bit as good as it sounds; beans in a softly spiced and lightly sweet tomato sauce. A swirl of whipped goats cheese offers the perfect earthy tart limelight to meltingly moist lamb combining with crispy shards and a lick of hay smoke… READ MORE
The Bun and Barrel
My tempura battered soft shell crab brings the same joy from the matchstick potato and buttery sweetness of the demi-brioche bun. The subtle flavour of crab is bolstered by mango and chilli salsa, shellfish mayo, pickled cabbage, picked white crab meat and lemon… 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
Westerns Laundry
I’ve ordered two of the raw black bream because I just know one won’t be enough. It delivers on its promise with melt-in the mouth freshness heightened by hints of orange in EVO oil and unexpectantly sweet and tart rhubarb and perky piquancy from green peppercorns. I nearly order a third… READ MORE
Harborne Kitchen
Next is a super-succulent fillet of cod, with celeriac two ways; salt baked and pureed, with crispy, robust cavolo nero and crunch from linseed wafers, although the subtle flavours offered by salsify are lost in a bath of rich, yeasty gravy that dominates the whole dish. It just about wins me over… READ MORE
Tropea
By sight alone I know it’ll delight and it does exactly that; with perfect on the bite, caramelised grilled octopus, crispy potatoes, and a decent dollop of ‘nduja aioli providing a light kick of heat, and with sweetness coming from roasted Calabrian peppers and Sicilian datterini tomatoes… READ MORE