Saturday, 31 May 2025
484. Namaste England, West Heath.
Friday, 30 May 2025
482. Great Brummie Menu, Birmingham College Of Food.

481. Riverine Rabbit.
I was delighted to receive an invitation from Erin Valenzuela-Heeger, best described as ‘Front of House’ (though in reality no more Front of House than Ash, her partner, the Michelin ‘Best Young Chef of 2025’), to reserve a spot at the counter of Riverine Rabbit, for dinner as it is remarkably difficult to get a place there and it had been a while since I had last dined there where things have now moved on to, perhaps surprisingly for this tiny, casual and very relaxed restaurant, diners being offered the choice of one of two tasting menus, one of five courses, the other of seven. Rabbit is clearly getting serious.
Arriving a full half hour early, I cocktailed in Couch, Rabbit’s next door neighbour which is a perfectly matched spot to start the evening before moving next door to explore Ash’s stream of edible delights. and inwardly enthused at my delicious. Despite it being highly regarded and having been the recipient of several awards, I had never visited Couch before but was pleased that I did. It was busy at the start of this particular Friday evening and the service was excellent and the gimlet variant cocktail enjoyable.
As a footnote, Brad Carter, Ash’s former employer at Carter’s of Moseley, announced that he would be opening his new restaurant, Island, at Kings Cross in London in cooperation with Chef Tom Brown. It will take the form of a surf and turf establishment with Carter handling the meat side of the menu and Brown concentrating on the fish and seafood. No early return to Birmingham, then, for Carter.
Wednesday, 28 May 2025
483 . The Oyster Club By Adam Stokes.
Lunch in town with a friend at short notice. Where to go? Where more conveniently placed as well as serving good food than The Oyster Club by Adam Stokes? A cocktail first in the very relaxing though bustling The Alchemist and then a very short walk across St Philip’s churchyard to the upper part of Temple Street.
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‘The legal one’ cocktail, The Alchemist. |
A pleasing welcome by general manager Chris Fikeis in an otherwise quiet lunchtime atmosphere. Another cocktail and then straight on to the chilled seafood platter for one with its gargantuan collection of marine life which was easily enough for two. The oysters were excellent - full of maritime salinity and the mussels were generally plump and satisfying. There was dressed crab, which caused us both to order the platter in the first place, and a multitude of other crustaceans with particular pleasure coming from the fine langoustines. There were also king prawns and Atlantic prawns and a series of dips - shallot mignonette, aioli, saffron rouille and a particularly tasty Marie Rose.
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Statue of Arnold Bennett, Stoke on Trent. |
Rating:- 🌞.
Tuesday, 6 May 2025
480. The Last Sunday Lunch At Simpsons - The Beef Wellington.
The hospitality business being what it is at present, it was announced a short while ago that with bookings not being quite as numerous as they might be, this was to be the last Sunday lunch served at Simpsons - at least for the foreseeable future. And at last I had someone to join me at Sunday lunch there so that I could order the somewhat celebrated Simpsons beef Wellington. And, who knows if Simpsons’ Sunday lunch will ever return given that Andreas Antona has put the business up for sale? The end, or the possible end, of an era. All things must pass …. eventually.