Purnell’s
Birmingham, West Midlands
* Head chef Luke Butcher has announced his departure after 14 years at the helm. His 'two generals', Sam Luckett and Luke Blakemore, will be running the kitchen. Watch for a new review coming soon.*
More than 15 years down the line, local hero Glynn Purnell’s ‘inventiveness, sense of humour, proud Brummieness and devotion to detail,’ still inform every aspect of the menu at his flagship just off Birmingham city centre. ‘Friendly, polite and well-informed’ staff rise to the occasion too, delivering pitch-perfect service in the spacious modern dining room. Purnell’s full tasting menu is experimental and highly individual, with trademark trips down memory lane for ‘cheese and pineapple – emotions of soixante-dix’ (a jokey homage to 70s party food) or a ‘mint choccy chip’ finale. The chef has no truck with fancy terms such as ‘amuse-bouche’, preferring to label his dinky appetisers ‘gifts from the kitchen’ (a tomato and crème fraîche meringue with Exmoor caviar, say). After that, expect a cavalcade of surprises: a truffle-themed ‘pig’ sablé with cheese custard and balsamic; a ‘stupendous’ tongue-in-cheek breakfast riff involving a poached hen’s egg yolk, bacon, garden peas and cider gastrique; roast sirloin of beef with unlikely companions including girolles, pistachio and wasabi. The pared-down lunch menu is also ‘impossible to fault’, according to one regular – from the ‘fish du jour’ (perhaps perfectly seasoned, translucent cod dressed with sweet, plump mussels, caviar and a vibrantly green parsley sauce) to a ‘spectacularly crispy’ tart of blood-orange cream and rhubarb with white chocolate, orange and lemon balm. The wine list is presented like a book, with chapters devoted to ‘the team’s recommendations’, Coravin selections and various countries (French reds get three chapters to themselves). Expect superlative drinking across the range, whether by the glass or bottle (prices start at £32).
Dining Information:
Private dining room, Separate bar, Wheelchair access, Credit card required
55 Cornwall Street, Birmingham, West Midlands B3 2DH
0121 212 9799
