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670 Grams

West Midlands, Birmingham - Modern British - Restaurant - £££

Overall Rating: Good

Uniqueness:Does the establishment stand out in the context of the local area? Good

Deliciousness:How delicious is the food? Very Good

Warmth:How warm is the service and the hospitality in general? Good

Strength of recommendation:How enthusiastically and widely would you recommend the establishment? Good

If eating while squeezed into a monochrome graffiti-themed space with pumping rap music is not your idea of a good time, then Kray Treadwell’s ‘absolutely unique’ vision of what constitutes a night out is not for you. Occupying a two-floor shop unit in Digbeth’s Custard Factory (a refurb of the old Bird’s plant), it’s a tight fit with a tiny kitchen-bar on the mezzanine floor, just big enough for Treadwell and his deputy. As for the food, time spent at Michael O’Hare’s The Man Behind the Curtain is an influence, but the young chef is clearly finding his own voice. 'Almost everything I ate from the 17 bites/servings of food was delicious,’ noted one visitor. Ingredients are reimagined and reinvigorated, whether a light and crisp lobster doughnut with black sesame and a dot of wasabi served, challengingly, on a ceramic tongue, or a grilled stick of pineapple, hot and lacquered with kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce), or a delica...

If eating while squeezed into a monochrome graffiti-themed space with pumping rap music is not your idea of a good time, then Kray Treadwell’s ‘absolutely unique’ vision of what constitutes a night out is not for you. Occupying a two-floor shop unit in Digbeth’s Custard Factory (a refurb of the old Bird’s plant), it’s a tight fit with a tiny kitchen-bar on the mezzanine floor, just big enough for Treadwell and his deputy. As for the food, time spent at Michael O’Hare’s The Man Behind the Curtain is an influence, but the young chef is clearly finding his own voice. 'Almost everything I ate from the 17 bites/servings of food was delicious,’ noted one visitor. Ingredients are reimagined and reinvigorated, whether a light and crisp lobster doughnut with black sesame and a dot of wasabi served, challengingly, on a ceramic tongue, or a grilled stick of pineapple, hot and lacquered with kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce), or a delicately spiced rice bhaji with cured salmon tartare and a ‘full of flavour’ smoked tomato consommé. Less daring, and more elemental, is a refreshing langoustine tartare with scallop (blowtorched to send a little pulse of heat into the mix) with caviar and a soy-honey consommé cut with coriander oil – nothing fussy about it, just excellent cooking. Or there’s the ‘half-time balti pie’, a tiny one-bite tart inspired by pies served at local football matches, but filled with truffle and foie gras and given heft with a hit of warming chilli. To conclude, a chocolate crémeux with candied orange, a light olive-oil sponge, and a whipped white chocolate and honey cream is impressively rendered, though pieces of puffy pork scratching seem like an odd idea. With just three whites, three reds and a rosé – all of them fruit-first easy drinkers at £45 a bottle or £12.50 a glass – the one-size-fits-all wine list lags some distance behind the food.

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VENUE DETAILS

The Custard Factory, 4 Gibb Street
Birmingham
West Midlands
B9 4AUGB

07985 637139

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OTHER INFORMATION

Counter seating, Family friendly, Credit card required, Deposit required, Pre-payment required

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