It is not fair to judge anything on first acquaintance but I often find that first impressions are rarely far off the mark. I was not, shall we say, overly impressed by the food served on my opening minute’s visit to Glynn Purnell’s Trillium, though others visiting a few days after me were jumping in the air with exhilaration after their first meals in this glitzy, sparkling, energetic and expensive dining establishment.
However, I had made reservations for a second visit the following week and the question was to be whether or not I was going to appreciate the food more than previously.
I started off with the Trillium cocktail which had not been available the previous week. It was pleasant enough though in the future I would opt for something less sweet.
I had resolved to order less food on this second visit as I had ordered far too much for me to handle the previous week. I ordered two snacks and no starters and once more enjoyed the extra large gougère (the menu still has the accent over the first e pointing in the wrong direction) and, this time, the battered potato scallop which, though rather lightweight, brought with it pleasure and a hint of Aktar Islam’s sophisticated aloo tuk..
It was all very busy but the staff had time to chat passingly and the service was fine save that the food was coming out, as in the first week, a little cooler than one might have hoped. It was difficult to see why. It all came to a head with a dish of otherwise very good confit leeks which I had ordered for my main course of braised shoulder of lamb and which were almost inedibly cold. When I mentioned this, apologies were made and a very much better hot dish of leeks was quickly served but at these sort of prices, food should be being served hot. With so many distinguished chefs in the kitchen and with the high prices, Trillium must do better. No simple errors like that should happen at any time. I’m sure that placing cold sour cream on the leeks does not help them to retain a reasonable temperature. The lamb itself was excellent and a big improvement on the pork chop I had had the previous week. The meat was succulent and delightfully tender but best of all it tasted like lamb (this is not the case in a lot of restaurants) - perhaps because it was hogget - and its being matched with mint - the two always making the ideal combination (though you can add some redcurrant if you like and a sprig of rosemary). I thoroughly enjoyed my main apart from the misstart with the cold leeks and my confidence in this new restaurant was starting to build.
For dessert I opted again for the very passable zabaglione made joyous by the two accompanying beignets and topped it all off with a very, very quaffable Old Fashioned.
This was a distinct improvement compared with the opening day. In between my two visits, a gourmand friend whom I sometimes suspect of having a Stockholm Syndrome as regards restaurateurs, had pronounced that he’d had a very good meal centred on the £55 Creedy Carver duck dish and the photographs certainly looked very good but man can not live by duck alone and I remain to be convinced that apart from Trillium being the spot to be seen at, it lives up to expectations, and its prices.
Rating:- 🌛🌛🌛🌛.
17 December 2025.
After all the glitz and bustle of Trillium, I paid another visit to a recently reopened Namaste England in West Heath. It really is a lovely place, sadly far too quiet but I hope that is just because I chose to dine there early lunchtime midweek, its decor bright with colourful elephants painted on the walls and a Christmas tree to bring seasonal pleasure; with a short and enticing menu which has a marked emphasis on vegetarian dishes while not proscribing meat and poultry. It’s all nicely presented but has a charming home-cooked and rustic air to it all. I like going there.
This time I started with a pistachio lassi - very good - and then, as on my previous occasion, ordered the nice little onion bhajis which were perfectly spicy and matched by a nice yogurt dip though they were a little dark and looked as though they had been fried for longer than they should have been.
As my main, this time I had the chicken biryani which was served nicely but there was no pastry cover over the biryani. The rice was well cooked and the little chipmunks of chicken incorporated in it were moist and pleasant. The rice was a little oily and I could not help wondering if this had been a stir fried pilau with added chicken rather than a steamed true biryani. The fried onion slices scattered on the top were also burnt and did not look good. It was certainly a very generous portion but after a number of mouthfuls I grew a little tired and bored with it and asked for the remainder to be boxed up for me to have for summer. Despite its faults the dish was aromatic and tasty and pleasant enough.
Once again I had the excellent homemade pistachio kulfi served beautifully in a pretty little dish and thoroughly enjoyed it.
This is a lovely place where a decent enough meal can be had. The prices are remarkably low (I paid about £27 for the three courses plus lassi and service which was added at just 5%). Tge service was, as before, charming. I hope that it succeeds.
Rating:- 🌛🌛🌛.
23 December 2025.
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