Opheem – Birmingham (UK) 2 *

My first official 2 star experience (I've been to The Hand and Flowers before but they only had one star then)

What an experience. From the very start, the service was top notch and super friendly. The menu was well structured, with flavours that were familiar but still exciting. Nothing too spicy, really well balanced.

The snacks

1. Green apple, cucumber and chilli shot

Lovely kick off chilli that lingered, clean crisp apple. Good palate cleanser

1. Oyster emulsion with chilli and ginger, coriander oil

Nice oyster flavour, heavy bits of chilli and ginger yet also cooling as well

1. Mango tulle with mango powder, coriander and fermented chilli

Light and crisp tuile, great flavour of mango, coriander and a hint of spice

1. Apple macaron, spiced beef tartare, duck liver parfait

Gently spiced beef, added richness from the parfait, a great one bite

1. Crumpet with curried crab and burnt apple gel

Soft crumpet, nice crab and a hint of spice but nothing overwhelming

1. Cured sea bass, grapefruit, puffed rice and mango sauce

The spice in this built and built, balanced nicely with the sweet mango. Another perfectly spiced dish that doesn't hit you too hard but lingers beautifully

Course 1 – Pakora

Shiso, trio of chutneys – classic green, mango and cultures yoghurt

Like the best poppadoms and chutneys you've ever had. All three dips balanced nicely, lingering heat, good flavour in the shiso itself as well

Course 2 – Marag

Perfectly cooked asparagus that shone with the other flavours playing supporting roles. Onion chutney added sweetness and a bit of spice, cooling mint and coriander sauce, black and wild garlic added depth of flavour

Course 3 – Badami Korma

Scallop, Indian XO, vadovan spices, korma sauce

Stunning. Perfect cooked scallop, lightly spiced with a cracking sauce. The XO added punch

Course 4 – Aloo Tuk

Potato

Who knew potatoes could taste as good? Absolutely stunning. Slight spice, tamarind and mango, different textures of potato. There is something special about this dish that I can't quite explain

Palate cleanser – Spiced passion fruit with mango and lime

Fresh and cleaned the palate well

Course 5 – Amla Tok

Sea bass, sea bass head sauce seasoned with Indian gooseberry

Nicely cooked fish, skin nice and crispy. Depth of flavour in the sauce was impressive, spiced and fishy. Pumpkin and prawns added little surprises

Course 6 – Wazwan

Hogget kebab was amazingly cooked and seasoned, nice spice in the side dish that went well with the paratha. Nice touch to have a sauce on the side for sipping

Course 7 – Saagwala

Guinea fowl soft and tender with a light mousse, thigh kebab had more spice which worked well. Spinach was perfectly spiced and cooked

Pre dessert – Buckwheat sable, long pepper ice cream, textures of Yorkshire rhubarb

Cleansing which was needed. Sweet, yet a little savoury, nice pops from the rhubarb

Course 8 – Seb

Sweet spiced apple samosa, brown butter ice cream, white chocolate tuile, apple granita

Well balanced, sweet without being too sweet

Course 9 – After Eight

Chocolate parfait, mint fondant, pepper mint ice cream, chocolate shards

Rich chocolate, light fresh mint. Reminds me of an after eight as intended

Mithai

A good canele and Madeline to finish. Nothing that stood out

Petit Fours

Banana caramel chocolate

Mango and lychee pate de fruit

Coconut chocolate

Nicely made, good flavour and a great end to the meal