533. Albatross Death Cult.

 

  I made my reservation for the first service after the announcement of the 2026 Michelin Great Britain and Ireland awards in anticipation of Albatross Death Cult being awarded a Michelin star which it well deserves but did not receive. In all events its mother ship, The Wilderness, was the winner of a richly deserved Michelin star instead so Alex Claridge had something to smile about if he could find the necessary facial muscles to carry out such an act. I imagine he did while celebrating his success in Dublin where the award ceremony had been held.

  I was charmingly shown to my place at the counter as I have got used to during my now several visits to the restaurant which Grace Dent now famously described as one of the top five seafood restaurants in Britain. The maestro of the ADC kitchen, Oliver Grieve, was in place with one assistant preparing the first nibbles of the forthcoming meal and I ordered a pleasing cocktail to get myself started.

  The menu mixed old favourites with new additions. From the former group were the oyster cream amuse bouche and the signature mussels with a broth of n’duja and aflame with pepper - this dish seemed to have evolved to its ultimate state of existence - and the divine sushi rice ice cream with nori wafers. The world will not end while these three classics continue to survive.

  There were of course other wonders - Ollie Grieve was at the top of his game - the trout with dill and wasabi, the gorgeous miniature crumpet on which crab was being serenaded by apple, perfectly cooked cod partnered with artichoke and hazelnut, brill partnered by punchy smoked eel and trout once more but this time partnered with lobster. 

  The dessert brought to the table nicely poached seasonal rhubarb holding hands with crème fraiche and all shook up by Szechuan pepper. And I too felt shook up as Oliver told me that this was to be his penultimate service at ADC as he prepared to depart for Woven by Adam Smith at the Dorchester Collection. It’s hard to imagine what will happen at ADC next but Ollie Grieve is a very talented young chef and he is surely wise to expand his experience at this stage of his career. Let us hope that for the gourmands of Birmingham, it is more a question of au revoir rather than adieu.

Rating:- 🌞🌞🌞.

11 February 2026.

532. Vieni.

  Vieni had only just opened when I lunched there. It is a fresh-looking comfortable space, cheerful and spirit-lifting with the service being  enthusiasastc and friendly. The restaurant had come about as a result of another partnership of two accomplished young women - chef Angelina Adamo and front of house manager, Charlotte Carter. The style of food is Sicilian and is generously portioned and rustic and the name of the restaurant in Italian means ‘Come here’ which seems fair enough.

  To tickle up my tastebuds I ordered what turned out to be a disappointingly small portioned plate of  salami and pecorino. True, the salami was delicious but a little more of it would have been very pleasing. Then on to the starter of wild garlic mozzarella arancini. This was very good, nicely sized, the coating enjoyably crispy and the contents tasty, all enhanced by a robust sauce. 

  I gasped when presented with my remarkable main - I had chosen Sicilian fennel sausage served in a bowl with stew of butter beans, soffrito and cavalo nero and a side dish of Jersey royals which were unnecessarily roasted. The great coil of sausage was far too much for one old bloke and suffice it to say that Lucy The Labrador was happy to receive a doggy bag of some of it on my return home. It was a great pleasure to eat and that went for the both of us.

  The individual zabaglione was excellent and rounded off an enjoyable meal. There’s so much going on in the Jewellery Quarter foodwise that one feels one ought to move there but the dog would disagree as someone thought it was a good idea to have no green space in the area apart from the churchyard of St Paul’s and the cemeteries but then again it was originally built as a place where people worked for a living rather than sitting around doing nothing of any particular use except of course those restaurateurs who work hard and produce something of great worth - the Jewellery Quarter dining scene.

• 

• Angelina Adamo

Charlotte Carter

 

Rating:- 🌛🌛🌛🌛

13 February 2026.

531. Opheem, An Interlude With Jean Delport.

 

  South Africa-born Jean Delport, opened Interlude at Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens in wealthy West Sussex in 2018 and was awarded a Michelin star there the following year. His restaurant was also awarded a green star in 2023. He appeared in the 2025 series of the BBC’s Great British Menu and became one of the few competing chefs ever to present two of his dishes at the final banquet.

  Delport had been invited by Aktar Islam to cook at Opheem and it seemed a pity not to seize the opportunity to attend what promised to be an interesting evening. I enjoy collaborations but those in which sponsors push their cause too far are trying I find. This is particularly irritating when it is revealed that a sponsor will be talking to the captive audience of diners only once the diners are seated at their tables, netted and entrapped. 

  It evolved that this particular collaboration was organised by Prept, which has been set up to promote cooking, perhaps as a future career, for children. A good cause, among many, I suppose but the representative of the company was slick and pushy and reminded one of a candidate on The Apprentice trying to promote his cause to gain the favour of Lord Sugar and I felt slightly resentful about it all. I’ve paid my money and really don’t want to feel cornered to empty my pockets even more especially when all I came for was to be served a good meal.

  The evening began in the Opheem lounge, as ever, where the exalted familiar amuses gueules were served. There’s no reason to describe them as they have appeared in this blog before but, as ever, they were delicious and all part of the Aktar Islam contributions to the menu.

  Thence to the main dining room. After a delightful croustade on to Delport’s first contribution to the meal - Onion Royale - a delightful, deeply flavoured broth which would have been quite satisfactory all by itself. The N25 caviar, presumably oscietra included  to give added umami, was a luxury for this special dinner, but the broth itself would have stood alone very nicely and sometimes the simple is often the best.

  The dishes presented by Aktar and his team were all familiar to those who regularly (or at least fairly regularly) like to bask in the indulgent pleasure of Opheem’s fine food and the next course brought Badami korma, an immaculately cooked scallop with mooli, apple and almond, prepared as beautifully as we would expect. Alternating with Jean Delport’s dishes there were also our dearest friend Aloo tuk and later, Hiran karahi, unimpeachably cooked saddle of venison with bhuna sauce and Aktar’s refreshing dessert, Seb which put the emphasis on apple and had more to do with Birmingham than the subcontinent and was none the worse for that.

    Delport’s next course - his fish presentation - was aged Atlantic cod with a plump Cape Malay mussel, wild garlic and lardo. It was very tasty and finally cooked though it had the air of sous vide about it and so it never really fully appealed to me. Then on to Delport’s main which was first presented uncut to the diners and was centred on very pink salt-aged duck stuffed with boerewors (a South African sausage) with the accompanying flavour of lid rose which did not work for me. I needy something gutsier - cherry or orange - there’s a reason why they are long recognised flavours for duck. Still, this was an opportunity to dine on food prepared by a meticulous and innovative chef but on the whole I preferred the dishes which had been born in our Birmingham homeland. Delport ended the meal with a delicious dessert centred on chocolate mousse and with that I was replete.