Visit: 11 September 2021, dinner for seven people
Price: **
Website: https://opheem.com/
Awards: 1 Michelin Star
The Review:
This restaurant continues to impress me. High quality, perfectly prepared dishes, with a lot of exciting innovation. When you visit Opheem, you know you are going to be amazed with the beautiful combinations of food and delicate spices.
We chose the 10-course Summer tasting menu with matching wines. The cost of the 10 courses is £95 per person and the full matching wines are £85 per person.
We started with a selection of excellent snacks served in the bar. These included a mango tuile with tomato chutney and chat masala spices, and a pâté cleverly disguised as red and green chillies.
At the table we were served grilled sweet corn, cooked over coals, with spiced chilli butter. This was followed by Isle of White tomatoes, in a coriander and basil tomato broth, which was very well balanced and refreshing. Next was a perfectly cooked Orkney scallop, with tandoor spices, apple, and charcoal. One of the chef’s signature dishes, the Silky potato mousse of Achaari Jersey Royal potatoes, with a jam of tamarind, mango and chutney, was served next.
The fish course was a perfectly cooked halibut, with kohlrabi, and mango and coconut sauce. This was followed by another signature dish of milk bread served with a bowl of crispy lamb, pâté, shallot and coriander. The final main course was an aged beef sirloin, with hispi cabbage, and bone marrow, served with rice.
The pre-dessert was sheep’s yoghurt, cardamom and blackberry, and the dessert was Valrhona Andoa chocolate, cumin, lime and peanut.
Ten courses might seem a lot, but the size and content of each course has been carefully planned, so the whole of the ten courses are well balanced and you don’t feel like you’ve eaten too much food.
They have decorated since my last visit, and the view into the working kitchen from the restaurant provides interesting entertainment.
Overall, the food and service are of a very high standard. You will be surprised and delighted. I highly recommend a visit.
Please see my last review: Opheem, 65 Summer Row, Birmingham B3 1JJ
The Menu
The Food
The Restaurant
Chef Patron Aktar Islam at the pass:
The Wine
A Cellar Credo, Aloers Xarel-lo 2018 Spanish white wine from Penedes was served with the heritage tomatoes. This very dry wine is made from 100% Xarel-lo grapes. Its only 10.6% ABV and scores 3.7 / 5 on Vivino. Its slightly fruity with mineral characteristics, and matched the tomatoes perfectly.
A Markus Molitor, Mosel Alte Reben Riesling 2018 was served with the scallop dish. This German, white wine rates 4.0 / 5 on Vivino. Minerally and acidic, with a hint of petroleum, perfect with shellfish:
Veuve Cliquot champagne was served with the Jersey royal potato dish. This is 4.3 / 5 on Vivino, a superb, brut champagne:
A Brazza, Langhe Nebbiolo 2020, light bodied, red wine was served with the halibut. This wine from Langhe, Italy, rates 3.5 / 5 on Vivino. It has a light brick red colour and is quite aromatic. It’s a great red for a fish dish:
A Tikves, Barovo Red 2017, from Northern Macedonia was served with the beef dish. This full-bodied red, rates 4.3 / 5 on Vivino. It has a dark, deep red colour, with hints of black fruit, smoke and leather, perfect with beef:
A Hetszolo, Tokaj Late Harvest 2016 dessert wine from Hungary was served with the dessert of sheep’s yoghurt, cardamom and blackberry. This rates 4.0 / 5.0 on Vivno. Deliciously sweet, with tastes of honey, white fruit, peach and some citrus:
A Cazes, Domaine de Valcros Banyuls Rimage 2017 French dessert wine was served with the chocolate dessert. This 100% Grenache rates 4.1 / 5 on Vivino. This is a rich dessert wine, with tastes of chocolate, prune, raisin and figs, perfect with a chocolate dessert:
To finish the night, we chose a superb Talenti, Brunello do Montalcino 2014, red wine from Italy. It rates 4.2 / 5 on Vivino. The wine is dry, and slightly thin, with hints of strawberry, cherry, tobacco and chocolate. An outstanding wine from 100% Sangiovese grapes:
