REVIEWS
OPHEEM BIRMINGHAM •
OPHEEM.COM
“Do you have a reservation with us this evening?” the waiter asks. The group of four realise their faux pas and head off to their plan B. Because there’s no doubt Opheem, on the edge of Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, is the city’s plan A. Michelin certainly thinks so, as Aktar Islam’s first solo venture was recently awarded a star — one of 10 West Midlands restaurants with the accolade. The tasting menu starts with a trio of amuse-
bouches, including a tiny, shredded beef ‘taco’ that’s punchy with cumin and tucked neatly into a wafer-thin pancake. Next is the mutton porridge, which risks sounding like something served to a Victorian orphan, but is a Persian-
inspired, dahl-like pool of spice, crowned with a crispy orb of lamb kebab. Opheem’s menu is an odyssey across the
subcontinent, taking inspiration from its complex history. Case in point is the king crab with cauliflower ‘custard’, doused in a rich bacon broth that’s a nod to Chinese influences on India’s culinary culture. The climax of the meal is the Valrhona
Opalys, a dome of white chocolate adorned with gold leaf, served with a macadamia ice cream so good that I’m probably still thinking about it as you read this. Eight-course tasting menu £75 per person, wine from £19.95 a bottle. Connor McGovern
KINNEUCHAR INN FIFE •
KINNEUCHARINN.COM
When James Ferguson and Alethea Palmer bought Kinneuchar Inn two years ago, it was leaning precariously to one side, as if it had downed one too many ales. Since then, the 17th-century former coaching inn has been through a dramatic transformation. The restaurant has just 32 seats and a menu
of simple British cooking with an almost obsessive focus on the finest ingredients. James (the chef) and Alethea (front of house) worked at east London’s lauded Rochelle Canteen before they moved to Scotland, tempted by Fife’s cornucopia of ingredients. The menu changes daily, and on my visit there’s trout that’s been smoked in the pub’s
SILO LONDON •
SILOLONDON.COM
The best way to eat at Silo is perched at the bar surrounding the open kitchen. From these front-row seats, you can watch the plates being meticulously arranged and enjoy the flames of the open fire over which much of the cooking is done. Following the closure of its previous iteration, in Brighton, last June, Silo’s started a new life in east London’s swiftly gentrifying Hackney Wick. It’s several times the size of the original, and the decor is more industrial-chic, but the zero-waste ethos remains. Vegetable peel is made into treacle, sourdough ends become miso, and the menu changes daily to reflect what’s available. It’s always six courses, though — small
plates celebrating top-notch ingredients. A dish of badger flame beetroot is sweet and
earthy, served with sticky beet molasses. Elsewhere, red artichokes are softened almost to liquid inside charred skin, set off perfectly by finely diced ruby kraut and a creamy sauce lightly flavoured with stichelton (an English blue cheese). Braised dairy beef falls apart beautifully under the fork. But the highlight is a plate of pink fir apple potatoes with whey sauce, crispy kale leaves and vegetable treacle. It looks simple, but tastes incredible. The desserts are surprising, skewing
slightly savoury with the likes of linseed ice cream, and sea buckthorn snow. But Silo is an experiment in pushing the boundaries of cooking — and a successful one at that. Six-course tasting menu £45 per person, wine from £26 a bottle. Nicola Trup
NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.CO.UK/FOOD-TRAVEL 123
own smokehouse. Thick, tender slices arrive with an intoxicating aroma of wood and spice, and a fennel-tinted beetroot slaw on the side. It’s a simple, unfussy joy. I choose the roe venison for mains — sourced from the Balcaskie Estate next door, it comes on a bed of swede, roasted sprouts and bacon. It’s hearty, satisfying stuff and the venison is
sublime. It’s exactly what you want from a pub meal, yet also somehow very special — which sums up the dishes here nicely: impeccable and uncomplicated. Kinneuchar Inn might look wobbly from the outside, but the cooking couldn’t be any more solid. Four courses with wine for two around £80. Gail Tolley
IMAGES: LATEEF PHOTOGRAPHY; STUART MANLEY; CHRISTINA RILEY; MATT RUSSELL
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