Sutton Coldfield, British, Modern Restaurant Guide

Noma alumnus Ben Tesh and partner Lucy Hanlon run this “lovely smallish restaurant” in the Jewellery Quarter, whose “fantastic tasting menus” (comprising “classic dishes with a twist”) come in ‘short’ or ‘long’ versions – the latter going 14 rounds. The “brilliant” venture, which was launched in 2017, elicited real raves again this year: for one fan, this is “perhaps the finest, truest expression of modern British cuisine in the West Midlands”.

“Unmissable!”. “Chef-patron Alex Claridge with head chef Marius Gedminas are at the cutting edge of modern British cuisine” at this Jewellery Quarter venue, which is “very much of 2023” with its moodily decorated black-painted brick walls, dark wood, dark leather and open kitchen. “It produces superbly original, highly inventive, exciting and ultimately delicious tasting menus with a passion which one could only wish that all British chefs brought with them, with some exceptional items that could only be described as works of art”.

With the “lovely decor” replicated from the Theatreland icon for which they are branded, Richard Caring’s “always buzzy” spin-offs have found a gigantic audience nationally. But “these places live off the name for sure” and “it’s the ambience that keeps them going” – while fans say the food is “reliable”, more sceptical types dismiss it as “conveyor-belt cooking”; and say service is merely so-so. Some branches are better than others: best in London is ‘Chelsea Garden’, which has the same “distinctly average” standards as the others, but reliably offers an “uplifting” atmosphere and “great people watching” (and “on a sunny afternoon there is literally NO WHERE ELSE TO BE but its large garden. HEAVEN!!”). Also worth mentioning is the outlet by The Thames in SE1: “excellent views of Tower Bridge”, “even better if outside in summer and convenient for The Bridge Theatre”.

“Smart, chic, highly professional” – Adam & Natasha Stokes’s “commendably consistent” operation is “outstanding in every respect” and “one of the leading lights in Brum’s high-quality restaurant scene”: in fact the No. 1 in the city in our annual diners’ poll this year where European cuisine is concerned. “Not cheap but worth every penny”, its central location and “unfailingly impressive combination of brilliant cooking and presentation with excellent service” makes it “just the setting for a business meal” (the top option is to be “royally looked after at the chef’s table”). Top Tip – “the set menu at lunch is brilliant value”.

“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”.

2023 Review: You’re “always guaranteed a superb meal” from “a favourite top chef” – Liam Dillon (who has worked for the likes of Marcus Wareing and Tom Sellers) – at the “great pub” he has converted into an ambitious restaurant, with 4- and 6-course tasting menus in the evening and a chef’s table option.

Some would say “the doyen of Birmingham fine-dining restaurants” – fans feel that “owner Andreas Antona and chef Luke Tipping still deliver the best fine-dining experience in Birmingham, even after so many years” at this gracious-looking Edwardian villa “in leafy Edgbaston”. And even those who feel it’s “not the market leader it once was” say it’s “very good all-round”: “service is very good and delivers the high-quality dishes the Birmingham diner expects in a setting that’s excellent and very relaxing”.

2021 Review: Yummy brunches, fine coffee and stone-baked pizza are the top attractions at this funkily decorated pub, on the high street (which has a good garden for the summer months).

This “absolute jewel of a place” in Harborne, two miles from Birmingham city centre, is hailed by fans for its “outstanding food and divine tasting menus”, while “the unusual wine pairings work really well” – “how it doesn’t have a Michelin star is beyond us all!”. Midlands-born chef-patron Jamie Desogus (formerly of Gordon Ramsay’s Pétrus) opened the venue in 2016, and has not faltered since. Top Tip – the reduced five-course weeknight menu offers “exceptionally good value”.

Stop Press – in February 2023, ex-Simpson’s head chef Matt Cheal closed down his popular Henley-in-Arden venture, which was too small for his planned expansion, and upped sticks eight miles down the road to Knowle High Street, where he now co-runs things with the manager of the Jacques fine dining restaurant which previously stood in the new location. According to early reports, “the exceptional quality of Cheal’s food, not up till now as appreciated as it ought to be, has not deteriorated in its relocation”, while the new space – a former bank with a posh cocktail bar – is “comfortable” (if “a little too glitzy” for some tastes).

“Getting a booking is no mean feat” at Tom Shepherd’s “absolutely brilliant” operation – a “bright and crisp” 28-cover space “above his father’s jewellery shop” which in two short years has established itself as one of the Midlands’ most celebrated culinary destinations. “If you do, you will be rewarded with exciting and original cooking” with dishes that are “thoughtful in their concept, prepared meticulously and served beautifully”. BREAKING NEWS – In September 2023, Tom announced a second, more informal venture in the city (‘we’re going to open up with the mindset of small plates, drinks orientated, and the small plates will develop so you can almost have your own tasting menu’).

“A unique setting in a building in the garden area of Hampton Manor, and a dining area that’s spacious and modern and crisp” both help inspire a wave of superlatives for this hip yearling, built into the walled Victorian garden of Hampton Manor (and, according to The FT in April 2023, an ‘epicurean delight’ that’s already ‘a byword for chic sustainability’). It didn’t win top ratings in our annual diners’ poll due to the odd accusation that “it may have grace, but definitely lacked flavour! (the surroundings were stunning but the food was not worth the trip”). That’s very much a minority view of chef David Taylor’s cuisine, though – more commonly it’s acclaimed as “an exceptional dining experience with a 15-course tasting menu for £155 per person made up of finely judged, precisely prepared, often original dishes” (“modern British cooking at its best – the mushroom broth was my favourite dish of the year”).

“This must be the most ‘undiscovered’ fine-dining restaurant in the West Midlands”, say fans of this yearling from locally born and trained Rob Palmer, formerly head chef at Hampton Manor, whose debut as patron is a 26-seat open-kitchen venue in a former computer game shop. “Food and service are first-class”, and if it’s “a little pricey, it’s worth it”. In the evening, the five-course menu is £85 per person; or there’s a seven-course option for £99 per person.