Purnell’s Restaurant, Birmingham

What lucky people we are – for our wedding present from my mum and step dad, we went to Purnell’s for dinner – that is – Glynn Purnell’s Michelin Starred restaurant in Birmingham.

Here’s my review of that fantastic, memorable night;
Given that we went for a special occasion, it was only right that we went all out and had the ‘8 Course Purnell’s Tour‘. We arrived to a contemporary, minimal looking lounge area and were greeted by the Maitre D’ who was friendly and welcoming. Shortly after we were sipping ice cold Bollinger and enjoying some parmesan bread puff balls and olives.

We then moved to the dining room, directly behind the bar. Again, the space was minimalist but comfortable. Its not huge, probably around 20 tables so it had a luxuriously intimate feel to it. So, here we go. I won’t include the bread and Amuse Bouche or I’ll be typing all night! As each course was served, we were told what it was in detail. A great touch which really helped you understand what you were tasting.

Poached egg yolk

Poached egg yolk – smoked haddock milk foam – cornflakes – curry oil
This was quite possibly my favourite course although even now, I can’t quite decide! The egg was rich, almost sticky and the curry oil with smoked haddock worked perfectly, like a modern day, Midlands inspired kedgeree. The little smoked haddock popsticks were a delight too.

Emotions of cheese & pineapple on sticks “Soixante-dix”
A very clever dish! Creamy goats cheese with almost crystallised pieces of pineapple in the bottom of the bowl. [At this point I have to interject your culinary tour to tell you what happened next!!  I nipped away from our table to go to the ladies and on my way, bumped into Glynn coming out of the kitchen. We stopped and had a little chat, I’d tweeted him earlier asking if I could take pictures so he knew who I was! I garbled a bit about Gingey Bites, went pink and then went back to my table (forgetting about the ladies!). How exciting!]

Devonshire Crab

Devonshire crab – apple & celeriac purée – smoked paprika honeycomb
This was my mums favourite and a close contender for me too. The crab and apple worked so well together, the sweet and the sour combined.

Carpaccio of Beef

Carpaccio of beef – red wine octopus – home corned beef – salt beef – sour cream
sweet & sour onions 
The overall winner of the evening with hubby and step dad wolfing it down with ahhs and oohs the whole time. This was another very clever dish – the corned beef was seasoned so beautifully it actually made your mouth water. Around the size of an oxo cube, it was all you needed! The sour cream complimented the carpaccio perfectly and even the octopus worked well. Mum wasn’t sure about the octopus but I think that’s because she ate it on its own rather than mixing with the other flavours.

Monkfish Masala

Monkfish Masala – Indian red lentils – pickled carrots – coconut – coriander
I’d seen this before as Glynn cooked it on Great British Menu a few years back. It didn’t dissapoint – the fish was delicious. The carrots almost tasted as though they were confit. An unusual texture and taste, totally unique! The coconut was perfect with the lentils too. A very beautiful dish, if I went back for dinner again, I’d order this as my main course!

Balmoral venison rolled in liquorice charcoal – pear – fennel – roasted confit parsnip
This was probably our combined least favourite. The venison was stunning but some of us weren’t overly keen on the liquorice as it was quite strong.  However, if this was the weakest dish, it was still one of the best I’ve ever eaten! 

[The highlight of this dish was the surprise on my family’s face as we turned to the waiter pouring the sauce, only to see that it was Glynn himself! He’d come out to meet my mum as promised in the corridor, despite being mid service.]

“Chocolate”

“Chocolate”
All gorgeous. Melted chocolate with a passion fruit/ mango type thing in the middle. The mix in temperatures was really interesting with the chocolate being warmer than the centre fruit. There were also chocolate lollipops which were fun!

Egg custard surprise & blackberries

Burnt English custard egg surprise – English blackberries – blackberry sorbet – crystalised tarragon  
A total delight – My husband refuses to eat fruit, especially berries. However, it seems that if they’re Michelin starred berries, he WILL eat them! We ate to the surprising sound of “Wow, I love these berries”. I particularly loved the crystallised tarragon with the berries too. BUT – the winner here had to be the egg creme brulee. Served from an egg basket complete with hay, the delicate egg shells were filled with a perfect vanilla, egg mixture with a sugar crust. We loved the drama of it all!

Petit Fours

After this, we went back to the bar area for coffee and petit fours. I have to admit (and apologise to Purnells if you’re reading) that by this point we were a little rowdy having enjoyed a bottle of wine and a couple of extra glasses too. We were very fortunate to again have 5 minutes with Glynn as he got ready to go home. Aside from mum letting him know what she thought of the liquorice, we had a great chat and of course a couple of photos.

To see a Michelin starred chef as well know as Glynn Purnell actually working in his kitchen on a Saturday night is impressive. With this in mind, I just want to say that even after working a saturday night in a full restaurant, and having already been to our table, Glynn then spent time talking with us – what a genuinely lovely guy! The ‘8 Course Purnells Tour’ is £80.00 per person. Whilst this may seem expensive, the effort and skill involved in producing it, as well as the experience of tasting so many different things is worth (in my mind) every penny.