Folium
Birmingham, West Midlands
The broad grey frontage indicates the industrial provenance of Ben Tesh's contemporary restaurant. Inside, a similarly expansive room is kitted out with lightweight tables, a gleaming parquet floor, painstakingly restored red brickwork and low-hanging light bulbs. For a place that majors in the tasting format, delivered from a tiled open kitchen, there is a refreshing lack of stiff-necked formality, with manicured pinkies indicating each herb leaf. Some of the multiple courses are scarcely more than a bite, but what bites: Mayan Gold potato croquette with taramasalata and yellow pike roe, or a capered and gherkined oyster emulsion with crisp cod-skin coated in vinegar powder. Umami is the lodestar of the repertoire, returning to its Japanese roots by means of cured char and caviar with kombu jelly, or lobster tail in ponzu cream resting on a swipe of truffle mayo. Something of the Zen approach to garden design distinguishes the principal dishes, where the main items are minimally garnished to set them off – and because they have so much to say for themselves, anyway. Two slices of fatty pink wagyu are garnished only with a slice of potato terrine napped with yeast-boosted béarnaise. Desserts move as far from sweet indulgence as is realistically possible: horseradish ice cream in a bright green sauce of sorrel and cucumber; another ice cream involving sunflower seeds dressed in birch syrup; a baba-like sponge redolent of peat, topped with piped whisky cream. The variety and energetic ingenuity of the cooking makes the tasting-menu tariff seem fully cost-effective. Wines need another look, though. As it is, the pairings barely do justice to the kitchen's output, and the glass selections seem perfunctory and dull.
Dining Information:
Wheelchair access, Credit card required
8 Caroline Street, Birmingham, West Midlands B3 1TW
0121 638 0100
