Review: Purnell's

Wish Fulfilment

Bread from French wheat, whipped butter & salt

I consider Birmingham to be one of my homes, and so I've always been annoyed at not having visited any of its Michelin starred restaurants. I've complained about this before, but as luck would have it I was in town at a good time and got my brother and myself a table at Purnell's for lunch. First impressions during the booking process weren't great, as the website threatened me with a £45 cover charge per person for no-shows and demanded my card details. For lunch. I find these policies faintly ridiculous for reasons I won't get into here, but I wasn't worried that I'd miss lunch so I proceeded to book anyway. 

Review: Lasan

Consistency is Key

Our poppadum dips. At the top, a unique gourd based dip I've never had before.

I've been to Lasan twice now, once in late 2012 and again now in late 2013. It came highly recommended by word of mouth. They'd won a prize on some food show by Gordon Ramsay, and apparently their approach to Indian food was incomparable to the run-of-the-mill curry house. The skeptic in me was convinced by none of this, but I decided a restaurant with so many accolades was still worth visiting. Don't be mislead by their website - the Ramsay hysteria has died down and bookings no longer need to be made very far in advance, unless you're looking for a weekend evening. 

Review: Bank Bar and Restaurant

Conspiracy Theories Abound

Bank on a beautiful summer's day

Summer was attempting a comeback yesterday in Birmingham, so my cousin and I decided to make the most of it by having lunch outdoors. If you've seen my wishlist, you'll know I've wanted to do a Birmingham-Michelin for a while. Unfortunately, yesterday was not meant to be that day as it seems they coordinate opening times, all choosing to be shut on Sundays.

Disheartened, I had to look for alternatives as I contemplated this conspiracy against me. My mind went initially to the Opus Cafe at the Ikon gallery, but their brunch menu was too lightweight for what we needed. Considering options in the area, I thought of Bank and the positive reviews I had read during my university years of poverty and procrastination.