Michelin-starred Purnell's and 670 Grams are offering great value tasting menus as part of this year’s festival
Birmingham Restaurant Festival is revealing the exclusive menus that will be available from the 42 participating restaurants throughout the Festival, from 1st-31st August.
Reservations to enjoy the special menus also go live today, with booking instructions available from the Birmingham Restaurant Festival website.
The Festival is a celebration and showcase of the fantastic restaurants across Birmingham, which was crowned the Most Exciting Foodie Destination in 2022 by the Good Food Guide.*
Every year, participating restaurants create an exclusive, great value, dinner menu, with some also offering a lunch menu. Throughout August, the public is invited to make reservations at as many venues as they please, to sample these special, accessible menus.
Among the 42 participating venues are:
- 670 Grams, the modern and eclectic restaurant, known for their creative tasting menus and unique flavour combinations. 670 Grams comes recommended in the Michelin Guide.
- Lasan, which offers exquisite Indian dining and was the proud winner of Gordon Ramsay’s Best Local Restaurant in the UK and BBC’s ‘The Great British Menu’.
- The Oyster Club, the second restaurant in Birmingham by Michelin-starred chef Adam Stokes. The Oyster Club is listed in the Michelin Guide and is the recipient of 2 AA Rosettes.
- Qavali, where diners are served an Indo-Persian menu in a Persian Garden setting surrounded by pomegranate trees. Qavali’s accolades include the Best Restaurant in Birmingham from the British Restaurant Awards 2023/2024 and the Best Fine Dining Restaurant from the 2024 WOWs Awards.
- Purnell’s, Glynn Purnell’s, also known as the Yummy Brummie, Michelin-starred, flagship restaurant, offering bright and modern dishes.
The menus vary in cost, offering a range of accessible, exclusive dining experiences. Thirteen restaurants will offer menus for under £20, including Isaac’s, Rosa’s Thai, Bundobust, Aluna, Bistro Pierre, The Alchemist, Indian Street Brewery, and Malmaison.
Issac’s will offer diners a choice of Gochujang Chicken Wings, Rocket Burrata Salad, or Caesar Salad for the starter; a Beef Burger, Tagliatelle Alfredo or Cod Creole for the main course; followed by The Billionaire Cookie or NY Cheesecake for dessert.
Twenty-one restaurants will offer dining experiences for under £35, including, Chapter, Trentina, The Oyster Club, Primitivo, Chaophraya, Chung Ying, Dishoom, Lisa & Pann, Jam House, and Plates by Purnells, Michelin-starred chef, Glynn Purnell’s second restaurant in Birmingham.
The Oyster Club will offer diners Tempura King Prawns with a sriracha dipping sauce or a Warm Tomato Salad with burrata, harissa, and basil emulsion for the starter; Stone Bass with new potatoes, spinach and salsa verde or a Lamb Rump with Borlotti beans, peas & lamb bonbon for the main course; followed by Eton Mess or a Cheese Selection with chutney and crackers for dessert.
Plates by Purnell’s will offer a selection of tapas that will feature Pan Con Tomate (bread with tomato), Berenjenas con Miel y Trufa (aubergine chips with honey and truffle), Croqueta de Queso y Albahaca (mozzarella and basil croquettes), Besugo Frito con Patatas (pan-fried Sea bream with saffron and garlic potatoes and piquillo peppers) or Barriga de Cerdo (pork belly with sumac yoghurt ZaAtar and Vadouvan glaze), and Tarta de Queso Vasca (basque cheesecake).
The eight restaurants, that will offer exclusive menus for under £70 are the Michelin-Starred Purnell’s, 670 Grams, Qavali, Lasan, Tattu, Gaucho, Siamais and Lulu Wild.
Purnell’s tasting menu will feature Beetroot with dill and Brillat-Savarin, Pain de Campagne with Marmite and honey butter, Scallop Ceviche with peas and wasabi, Brixham Cod with baby gem lettuce and beurre blanc, Wiltshire Downlands Lamb with smoked aubergine and Amelia tomato, and Blueberry & Buttermilk Tart with lemon.
670 Grams will offer the choice of two tasting menus. Their shorter dining experience will feature Curry Cured Salmon, BBQ Flatbread, ‘Lamb Dressed As Mutton’, and Strawberry & Pea (pea ice cream, strawberry custard and a sour cream scone).
Meanwhile, the full tasting menu will feature Curry Cured Salmon; BBQ Flatbread; Jersey Royal, with wild garlic potato custard and lamb fat; Keema, with wild rice, Tikka, almonds and Digbeth honey; Half-Time Balti Pie; ‘Lamb Dressed As Mutton’; Crossover (Fresno Pepper Sorbet, compressed pineapple, Diplomatico Rum); Strawberry & Pea; Fruit & Nut; and ‘Custard Factory Tart’.
Alex Nicholson-Evans, Founder & Director of Living For The Weekend, organiser of Birmingham Restaurant Festival, said: “Birmingham Restaurant Festival is a fantastic celebration of the city’s dining scene and the list of participating restaurants showcases the incredible variety our city offers.”
“From Indian street food and independents serving the best of British produce, to contemporary Chinese cuisine and Michelin-starred restaurants, Birmingham Restaurant Festival truly captures the cultural diversity of the city and its culinary landscape. We’d encourage everyone to use the Festival as an excuse to try a restaurant they’ve never visited before and explore the city.”
To view each restaurant’s full menu and when they are available during Birmingham Restaurant Festival, diners should go to www.birminghamrestaurantfestival.co.uk. Each restaurant’s page will let diners know how to book the dining experience.
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