The Jewellery Quarter is certainly the place to dine at present - The Wilderness, Albatross Death Cult, Folium and now Txikiteo, located at the site in Frederick Street of the previous well thought of Tierra which I never quite around to visiting.
Firstly lunch at the always delightful Folium. I have described visits there on several previous occasions but it’s always satisfying to describe the most recent experience at this soothing, delightful establishment (see also Blog 409). It’s just nice to turn up there, be greeted in a calm and welcoming way, to have the table set out taking notice of one’s previously chosen menu - short or long tasting - to order one’s gin and tonic and take advice on what wine to sip. It’s my favourite restaurant in the city, I think it really is, to go and enjoy a relaxed meal in a lovely modern little restaurant with really excellent food - each dish immaculately cooked and presented and, delicious. There’s probably a Folium in Heaven for those who’ve been good enough to get there. Outside, it was one of those rare hot days in this mediocre summer, but the air conditioning was on and did its work in making this visit to Folium even more of a joy.
Sadly, whenever I visit there, few other people seem to realise what a gem this place really is. This particular Friday lunchtime, apart from myself, there was just a couple dining there. The restaurant should be overflowing with diners. I was interested to hear that many of those who do dine there are older people who have moved to the Jewellery Quarter rather than the cool young JQ flat dwellers whom one would expect to be the dining denizens of the area.
In several previous blogs I have mentioned and included photographs of the exquisite amuse gueule- the little cylindrical burnt onion crisp containing a small blob of rich, heavenly, exquisitely smooth and well flavoured chicken liver parfait and also the fabulous, freshly baked sourdough served with salt and cultured butter - the bread’s crust as wickedly crispy as anything dreamed up in the bakeries on Olympus where it is served to Zeus and stops him hurling thunderbolts. The warm savoury custard served with the most deeply flavoursome roast chicken broth and generous shavings of Wiltshire truffle has now really taken hold of my soul and the line caught mackerel was gorgeous though again, as on my previous visit, the English wasabi was more subtle than I felt it needed to be.
Then supremely perfectly textured Cornish lobster with a fine and tasty lobster head sauce and the little beignet, which I have grown to love very much, for mopping the remains of the sauce.
The meat main course was outstanding. The A5 was wagyu was delicious and the knife cut into it as though it were the proverbial butter. Beside it was a fabulous item - a piece of endive grilled and then marinated so that when served it was brought with it the shock of sweetness and, just at the end, the hit of bitterness that we might have expected all along. This was flavourshock without doubt. Then the two desserts - the half frozen yuzu filled with zinging yuzu icecream, a true palate cleanser and then the familiar toasted hay icecream with texture from puffed rye and the perfectly judged sweetness of caramel.
Two mignardises brought up the rear - a gorgeous freshly baked brown butter Madeleine paired with Cotswolds whisky cream, like ambrosia - something else to persuade Zeus not to exercise his thunderbolt throwing area - .and the sticky butterfly macaron (though this time the wings had gone missing), gorgeously gooey in texture, giving shelter to cep fudge.
There is nowhere better to eat in Birmingham. Ben Tesh remains a craftsman and artist of the first order.
Rating:- 🌞🌞🌞 15 June 2024.
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