It was longer than it should have been since my last visit to Kray Tredwell’s 670 Grams in Digbeth. The last word of the previous sentence is the likely explanation of my absence from Tredwell’s excellent dining establishment - “Digbeth” . I really don’t like Digbeth. To visit there involves a lot of girding of the loins and raising of the moral fortitude. But that is where 670 Grams is located and if I want to eat there then ‘tis to Digbeth I must go. So I did, trailing a regular dining companion with me, our Digbethphobia dispelled by a punchy Red Zombie at The Alchemist in Colmore Row prior to embarking on our Digbeth-bound journey.
And there it was, the trendy Custard Factory in Digbeth, less unattractive in the bright spring sunshine and home to 670 Grams. Digbeth, Birmingham’s downmarket Bohemia.We probed our way into the restaurant, nicely extended since our last visit and were seated in the bar prior to mounting the steps to the now quite large dining area. Alas we were the only diners booked that lunchtime which rather dampened the atmosphere but did not, it appeared, reduce Kray Tredwell’s fine - very fine - culinary skills and inventiveness and ability to thrill both visually and with the flavour and textures of his food. The lack of customers was worrying given that a few weeks before, a social media comment from Tredwell identified the falling off of trade and the threat of resulting closure.
We did our best to spend what we could and I hope we covered his lunchtime overheads at least. 670 Grams is too good a restaurant for Birmingham to lose as our lunch there reminded us. Tredwell has tried different menus recently to address the needs of potential customers but has now gone back to doing what he most likes doing - a Tasting menu of his highly original dishes to bring some colour and thrill to the whole proceedings and this he indeed succeeded in doing that particular lunchtime. The Tasting menu is somewhat shorter than it once was but that is not a bad thing as what was presented this day was immaculate, extraordinary, exciting and delicious - not a dropped ball with any of the courses. The whole of it seemed more mature, more polished, more harmonious. And the length of the menu now seems absolutely correct - nothing excessive requiring old blokes to dig in the their pockets in search of their proton pump inhibitors. What a relief - a meal should be a pleasure not a convoy of numerous dishes each adding more and more to the thunderous flow of gastric acid.
And how pretty it all looked, starting with three pleasing amuses bouches or whatever you call to call them which were savoured in the bar prior to ascending to the restaurant. The menu listed them as ‘Tom yum’, ‘Balti pie’ and ‘Venison’ which was broadly what they were - in miniature. Then, once settled comfortably rapt our table in full view of the proceedings in the kitchen, the menu trumpeted, ‘The Brummie Welcome’ soup & cake whereby a deeply flavoured broth was presented to general purrs of delight.
Then the courses began to arrive in earnest. First perfectly textured new season asparagus with an asparagus cream and grapes and we splashed out on the addition of Exmoor caviar about which the critic-blogger, Andy Hayley, is always a little sniffy but which we being two old men with less critical caviar acumen found to be perfectly pleasing.
Next, a flashback to Tredwell’s days at the Man Behind The Curtain with a Jackson Pollockesque presentation of barbecued hispi which was so gorgeously sweet with its smoked butter, caper and togarashi dressing. Normally my heart sinks when hispi raises its head above the parapet and finds its way to a plate from which I am about to eat from but this dish was in a different league altogether and showed convincingly that it is possible to serve the rather cliched ingredients and still bring immense pleasure to the diner. Tgere’s no doubting that Kray Tredwell is a master of flavours.
Next beautifully cooked virginal white cod, with an espuma of goma dare (sesame) sauce , bone oil and smoked ham topped with our second helping of caviar which added to the visual beauty of the dish. A dish of true harmony of textures and flavour.
And then to the main. This was Ethical Game venison (Ethical Game is a Stirchley-based business specialising in venison sold only for a limited season) which was supremely well prepared - tender and delicious, cooked perfectly and served with a delightful combination of sweet black fig, maitake, a light massaman curry sauce and a small milk bun which was useful for soaking up the remains of the curry sauce. This was a delightful dish.
A dessert - ‘Milk Street’ - was centred on ice cream which was apt post-curry and then a second dessert titled 1926 (I forgot to ask why - perhaps it had something to do with the general strike or perhaps something else quite different) which combined Mayan Red chocolate, raisins, the texture of almonds and the luxurious sweetness of Pedro Ximenez.
A petit four in the form of a light carrot cake rounded off the meal.
Rating:- 🌞🌞🌞.
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