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RestaurantsWest MidlandsBirminghamB3

survey result

Summary

£164
£££££
5
Exceptional
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Phwoar!” – “Aktar Islam’s remarkable restaurant situated on the edge of Birmingham‘s Jewellery Quarter goes from strength to strength”: it remains Brum’s most commented-on destination in our annual diners’ poll (and, in early 2024, became Brum’s first-ever Michelin two star restaurant in the tyre men’s awards). “Aktar’s cooking has matured wonderfully” and here (and with his Aktar at Home delivery service) is succeeding in “taking Indian cuisine to a new and exalted level”. “Despite us being bored with taster menus, these are exceptional”, with “totally outstanding flavours and presentation”. There are two options (with five- and ten-course alternatives) which “provide good value and a great and memorable experience”. “After canapés in the chic lounge/bar, the main meal is served in the dining area with a view of a large open kitchen where the chefs can be seen purposefully and calmly going about their work. Service is very good and the atmosphere is relaxing”. “Quite simply the best”. Top Menu Tip – “The signature potato dish is amazing! Never had anything quite like it!”

Summary

£73
  £££
5
Exceptional
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Just wow!” – Aktar Islam’s city-centre HQ reliably “lives up to expectations… and more!”; and remains Brum’s most commented on and highest-rated destination in our annual diners’ poll. “His unique twist on his family’s ancestral dishes with superb matching wine flight provided by sommelier Stefan” (Liperowski) “magnificently takes Indian food to the highest possible level” – “flavours are off the scale” – and “the range and variety of each distinctly different meal is glorious”.

Summary

£73
  £££
5
Exceptional
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“The tasting menu is an exciting journey” at Aktar Islam’s increasingly famous dining room a little out of the city centre, which is “going from strength to strength” as Brum’s most commented-on destination; one of the top-10 most mentioned outside London in our annual diners’ poll; and with some claim on being “the best Indian restaurant outside of London”. The “elegantly presented” cuisine is rooted in the subcontinent, but might equally be described as “European with Indian flavours and spices”. However you define the kitchen, it provides “a great experience with subtle spicing and some unique touches and flavours” complemented by “outstanding wine matches”. The main dining room is a dim-lit, modern and stylish space and among improvements in recent times “the new lounge in particular is a fabulous addition”.

Summary

£73
  £££
5
Exceptional
4
Very Good
4
Very Good
* Based on a three course dinner, half a bottle of wine, coffee, cover charge, service and VAT.

“Continuing to excite since it first opened in 2018: we always leave feeling wonderfully fulfilled!” – Aktar Islam’s “sensational” fine-dining Indian a little way out of the city-centre “is another step up from his former restaurant Lasan” and it is nowadays Brum’s most-commented on restaurant. The cuisine is “arguably more modern-European-with-Indian-influences rather than pure ‘Indian’ but perfectly spiced and spectacular!”. Islam did his brand no harm at all with his “superb Aktar At Home service”, which also inspires many adulatory reviews.

For 33 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).

Have you eaten at Opheem?

65 Summer Row, Birmingham, B3 1JJ

Restaurant details

No dress code
12

Opheem Restaurant Diner Reviews

Reviews of Opheem Restaurant in B3, Birmingham by users of Hardens.com. Also see the editors review of Opheem restaurant.
Darren F
Everything I could ever want from a restaur...
Reviewed 8 months, 10 days ago

"Everything I could ever want from a restaurant meal. Food flawless. Service also. Chefs bring the food to the table which is a nice touch"

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John G
Opheem delivers ambitiious and interesting ...
Reviewed 8 months, 16 days ago

"Opheem delivers ambitiious and interesting Indian food - but not all the combinations work. The best a beautiful sirloin with delicately spiced slow cooked beef. Less good a crab amuse bouche which was too moist and lacked punch, similarly rice in a broth lacked focus and was to be honest dull. Bread with Indian spiced butter was a first and fun. Several of the dishes had too many components. Sometimes restraint pays off"

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What the Newspaper Critics are saying

The Sunday Times

With Charlotte Ivers away, the doctor-turned-comedian and writer Adam Kay dropped in to her slot on the Sunday Times as a locum, heading to Birmingham to sample the tasting menu at Aktar Islam’s Opheem, which he declared “sensational”.

Each course was “clever, characterful, delicately spiced and sure, showy. Islam can choose every dish I eat for the next four months”.

The only minor minus point was “a vague ‘business-class lounge at a European airport’ vibe” that resulted from the “quintuple glazing” required to block out the sound of the passing traffic.

Adam Kay - 2024-04-14

Prices

  Cost Availability Courses
Menu1 135.00 Dinner only 5
Drinks  
Wine per bottle £20.00
Filter Coffee £4.00
Extras  
Service 10.00%
65 Summer Row, Birmingham, B3 1JJ
Opening hours
MondayCLOSED
TuesdayCLOSED
Wednesday5:30 pm‑9:30 pm
Thursday5:30 pm‑9:30 pm
Friday12 pm‑1 pm, 5:30 pm‑9:30 pm
Saturday12 pm‑1 pm, 5 pm‑9:30 pm
SundayCLOSED

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