202. Purnell’s At Christmas.

 

  Birmingham is Birmingham is Birmimgham. Everyone, well most people at any rate, will see the place where they live as the best place in the world. And so it is here in this second city. We know that Birmingham is fairly unique. It’s a second city, true, but relatively, it’s fairly small. One point one million people live within its boundaries. They have origins from just about anywhere - for all I know there are people who were born in Kiribati or The Marshall Islands or Tristan Da Cunha or Svalbard living here. But the backbone of the city remains those who came here from Warwickshire and Worcestershire and Staffordshire and Shropshire and Gloucestershire and Herefordshire in the course of the Nineteenth century (various ancestors of mine were born in all six of these counties) . Agricultural workers seeking work in Birmingham’s burgeoning industries. And then too came the Irish fleeing poverty and famine and prepared to do the work that not even the poor native Mercians were keen to carry out. And so we had Birmingham. The rich lived in Edgbaston and Handsworth and the poor who served them or worked for them lived in Ladywood and Bordesley Green and Small Heath. The city thrived and evolved. You had the jewellery industry, Guest Keen and Nettlefolds which brought the Chamberlains to the city, the Quakers in south Birmingham which gave us the Cadburys, the car industry which found Herbert Austin in Longbridge, King Edwards School which gave us Tolkien, numerous city professionals and latterly writes such as Jonathan Coe, and military men such as Viscount Slim and do not forget politicians including the now notorious Enoch Powell and by all these influences the Brummies became the Brummies. What a great city and what fine people live here.

  I reflected on this as I sat in the bar of Purnell’s quaffing a glass of bubbly and following up with a Japanese version of a Martini. Well, at least it was a Purnell’s Japanese Martini containing sake and yuzu. And a mighty fine drink it was too. My reflections were initiated by the arrival of a good Brummie family with a dominant male in late middle age - probably a rough but very wealthy builder or scaffolder (likely with a big house in Four Oaks) - two sons who obviously worked in and shared the profits of the family business plus daughters-in-law and a much cherished grandson aged about seven or eight. I thought momentarily of the Shelby’s. How I love my fellow Brummies -  ‘My people’, to quote Kathleen Dayus, I thought. The pater familiaris asked me if I was doing the Full Monty, by which, I gleaned he meant the Tasting Menu, to which question  I had to reply in the negative. I was having what looked like a very promising five course meal from the lunch menu. Purnell’s is all about Birmingham. It’s comfortable with the Brummie voices around you. It’s the right atmosphere. It does a good job just like the city at whose centre it sits.

   And so onwards into the dining room. To start as always, and ever welcome, the edible charcoal, black potatoes and delicious chorizo dip along with the relative newcomer - the celeriac and apple ball. All delicious, original and mesmerising to those eating them for the first time. Then, of course, Purnell’s’ own light and gorgeous pain de campagne.  By then mellowness and contentment had set in and the delightful butter-roasted cauliflower starter enhanced my contentment. 

  

    Moving on to the second starter of a Purnell’s favourite which always looks different every time you have it but is always silky smooth and gorgeously flavoured - chicken liver parfait, perfectly poached pear in red wine with roasted grains and a wafer thin slice of the pain de campagne. Such pleasure. Then the ‘fish du jour’ - wonderfully cooked cod which may have been slightly over seasoned  - others might disagree - with perfectly flavoured black salsify, butternut squash purée, sorrel gel and an orange sauce. More pleasure.

  The main course was finely prepared pork belly with sprout leaves, red cabbage gel, purple carrot and chestnut. The dish reminded of why I so enjoy visiting Purnell’s and why I have developed my own personal tradition of making sure I dine there immediately before Christmas - a visit to this doyen of great Birmingham restaurants is my Christmas gift to myself. I had so enjoyed myself that I forgot to photograph the lovely dessert, new to the menu, of milk chocolate and hazelnut delice perfectly and joyfully accompanyed by mango, coffee cream and candied pistachio. 

  Purnell’s remains my favourite Birmingham restaurant for many reasons covered in previous Blogs. I had the opportunity to have a short conversation with Jarek Samborski who took over as Mâitre d’Hôtel of Purnell’s a couple of years ago and has done a very fine job in that role. I was sad to hear that after the final service this December he will be leaving his job there and will soon after return with his family to Poland. The end of another era at Purnell’s. As to who would take over his role in the new year it does look very much as though Adrien Garnier, Purnell’s present sommelier, will be promoted to that post and I expect he will do a very good job of it.