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Opheem

West Midlands, Birmingham - Indian - Restaurant - ££££

Overall Rating: Very Good

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

Deliciousness:How delicious is the food? Exceptional

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

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

The vial of green liquid served as one of the (many) preambles to a meal at Opheem neither makes you grow smaller nor taller. Drink it as you sit at low seats in what feels like the lounge of the Gatwick Sofitel while your palate is slapped to attention by the blisteringly refreshing juice of cucumber, green chilli and apple. It sets the tone for a taste adventure that sashays in contemporary, classy style between western European and Indian influences. Among the inventive canapés, the brightest – if the trickiest to eat from a coffee table – is cured bass in a sour mango sauce with deep-fried curry leaves, ginger and puffed rice. After that, the action moves to the vast dining room – a space done out in shades of grey and lit by a many-bulbed chandelier, with tables facing a meticulously run kitchen and every detail monitored by an equally well-drilled but cool (as in chilly) front-of-house team. To begin, a pillowy, just-made milk loaf (lamb fat-glazed and cu...

The vial of green liquid served as one of the (many) preambles to a meal at Opheem neither makes you grow smaller nor taller. Drink it as you sit at low seats in what feels like the lounge of the Gatwick Sofitel while your palate is slapped to attention by the blisteringly refreshing juice of cucumber, green chilli and apple. It sets the tone for a taste adventure that sashays in contemporary, classy style between western European and Indian influences. Among the inventive canapés, the brightest – if the trickiest to eat from a coffee table – is cured bass in a sour mango sauce with deep-fried curry leaves, ginger and puffed rice. After that, the action moves to the vast dining room – a space done out in shades of grey and lit by a many-bulbed chandelier, with tables facing a meticulously run kitchen and every detail monitored by an equally well-drilled but cool (as in chilly) front-of-house team. To begin, a pillowy, just-made milk loaf (lamb fat-glazed and cumin-dusted) is gorgeous when scooped through a gently spiced lamb pâté with crisped shallots. It’s 12 years since chef Aktar Islam triumphantly prepared soft-shell crab on Great British Menu, but time does nothing to dull the deliciousness of this dish, its caraway-seed coating giving hints of liquorice, with slivers of Granny Smith apple and a tomato chutney brightening the accompanying white-crab shami kebab. The crustacean's sweet flavour is pointed up by the floral summeriness of a Dry Dragon peony blush kombucha, recommended as an alcohol-free pairing. European vibes weave through the menu – a perfect puck of golden-crusted cod, for example, with tiny courgettes parisienne and a courgette compôte, the accompanying alleppey sauce pulling you back to India with its sweetness, tang and coconut-mango warmth. A white chocolate dessert, prettily adorned with petals, a tuile and fluttering gold leaf, looks like many a conventional top-end pudding, but break the shell to unleash Opheem’s take on rasmalai. It spills out in a creamy cardamom-infused pool, rippling deliciously through pistachio in its whole, crumbed and baked form. Back in the lounge, petits fours are as generous as those earlier canapés, and somehow you find space for that mango mini Magnum with popping candy. The wine list is packed with interest and while there’s little under £50, by-the-glass suggestions such as a Moroccan Chardonnay or a Georgian Saperavi invite exploration.

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G Ives

27 August 2024

This was an exceptionally enjoyable experience, with a truly remarkable range of taste and texture combinations that set the restaurant apart even in the realms of fine dining. The bharta (heritage tomatoes with dill and sheep's milk), the badami khorma (scallop with mooli and apple) and the aloo tuk (pink fir potato with mango and tamarind) were possibly the best takes on those three main ingredients that we have ever enjoyed. The standards were maintained from start to finish with the snacks a...
This was an exceptionally enjoyable experience, with a truly remarkable range of taste and texture combinations that set the restaurant apart even in the realms of fine dining. The bharta (heritage tomatoes with dill and sheep's milk), the badami khorma (scallop with mooli and apple) and the aloo tuk (pink fir potato with mango and tamarind) were possibly the best takes on those three main ingredients that we have ever enjoyed. The standards were maintained from start to finish with the snacks and petit fours, and the wine pairings were imaginative and off the beaten track (especially the yuzu sake). We really could not see why this does not have an Exceptional rating in the Guide.
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VENUE DETAILS

48 Summer Row
Birmingham
West Midlands
B3 1JJGB

0121 201 3377

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OTHER INFORMATION

Private dining room, Wheelchair access, Credit card required

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