Turners of Harbourne

[david goodfellow]

A cheffy pal of mine e mailed me three or four months ago, to comment on his tour of some Birmingham restaurants that I had made comment on.

We agreed on a few, questioned a few others, but according to his judgment Turners was the best, as the cooking to his mind resembled his own. Now I have not tried his cooking but I did eat at Turners not long after it won its Michelin star and I have to say the food was as good as anything on offer in Birmingham.

Well we did return back in February which was almost a year after our first visit and because of his comments we were looking forward to it.

If you do not know the area its quite easy to drive past this place as its in an unassuming part of the high street. Parking is a doddle in fact just behind the restaurant, it is however a public car park not the restaurants.

Very pleasant welcome was evident from I think James Thewlis the manager. We sat at a table for two to the right, about five other tables were occupied during this midweek lunch service.

The amuse was served in a cup which was an espuma of ? (can't remember) Well it was a couple of months ago.

Bread arrived fresh from the oven and I'm glad to say it was quite a bit better than last time, so nothing wrong there.

I had, Salad of Quail, celeriac remoulade, duck liver, quail vinaigrette. The other starter was,

Ceviche of Tuna, Cornish Crab, avocado, wasabi mayonnaise, soy mirin.

" Wow, taste that " (moi)

" Wow, taste that " (madam)

Hmmmm,

Everything about both starters were zingy, so fresh on the palate, so very moreish, and I think for once we both wanted to swap plates to taste more of each others dishes.

If this was the start, roll on the next course.

Daube of Scotch beef, creamed potatoes, bourgignone garnish, red wine sauce was enjoyed by us both.

An absolute classic, expertly executed,with a classy sticky sauce, pretty faultless really.

Fillet of Lemon Sole coated with ceps, salsify, artichoke puree, swiss chard, vanilla jus was taken as an extra course I'm really glad we did.

We tend to do this all of the time now as we always seem to fancy the same meat dish on the Du Jour, however some of the fish dishes that we have eaten recently have been a delight.

As an aside Lemon Sole is looked down on a bit in favour of Dover Sole, but in saying that we had some Lemon Sole fillets next to a Dover from our fish wholesaler and the Lemon Sole was superior indeed.

Bitter Chocolate tart, caramel sauce, peanut ice cream was enjoyed by the sweet toothed one which was satisfying before we tried the other choice (at no extra cost),

Selection of English and French farmhouse cheeses, these were, Fromage de l,angres,

St Maure de Tourraine, Lancashire Bomb, Calvados Camambert,& Fourme Sauternes. And jolly good they were too.

I mentioned up thread " unassuming " and that is what this place really is, its quietly going about its everyday business working hard to please the punters, the very same punters who no doubt realize how lucky they are to have this hidden gem on their doorstep.

I'm in no way a winehead but to me the bottle of Pinot Noir we had with the meal was better than a recent one at nearly twice the money.

1 bottle Pinot Noir £19.50

2 Du Jour three course £43.00

1 extra course £12.50

Total £75 + tip ( no service charge levied)

Severn Trent Water foc.

[nickloman]

Yep, its terrific. The cooking has just got better and better.

I just rue the fact its our local (we live in Harborne) and its so popular it is hard to get a table on a whim!

If I could change anything it would be the room which is rather cramped and I don't really like the mirrors - but the trick is just to look at the food and enjoy!

[Prawncrackers]

As a self confessed Brummie "foodies", it is to our shame that it's taken us this long to visit Turners. So after much encouragement from Nick Loman we've managed to haul ourselves the 20 minutes to Harborne last Saturday with Nick himself and his lovely partner Hannah. The only menu option available was the Tasting/Degustation/Omakase, but as it has been described to me as the best cooking in Birmingham I was ready to experience what Mr Turner has to offer. So let's bring it on:

Some Canapés; Parmesan Gougeres, Pork Crackling, Salmon and Beef Tartares.

Bread with a selection of butters

A little amuse of Beetroot and Malt

Then a choice between Pork Belly, Israeli Cous Cous, apple, vanilla, bay leaf...

or Foie Gras, pain d'epices, pinapple, coconut.

We two gents chose the fatty pina colada and a very unusual but outrageously delicious combination it was.

Scallops, oxtail, parsnips & horseradish

Skate, sweetcorn, chicken, sea vegetables, buttermilk, jus gras

Veal, Asparagus, Wild Mushrooms, Celeriac, Truffle, Madiera

Chocolate, Cherry, Kirsch

Artic Roll

Perfectly executed Petit-fours

I would have to agree with the wise man who described this as the best cooking in Birmingham. Better than the other Michelin starred places; Simpsons (conservative, warm and familiar) and Purnells (flashy, modern and slick). This sits right in the middle, progressive modern British cookery with bags of confidence. My favourite dishes were the Veal and the first dessert which to my mind was a perfectly deconstructed version of a Black Forest Gateau. The only false step was the skate, which was a little bland and suffered from the pappiness that sous-videing can impart to delicate fish.

It was a great night and such terrific company. It won't be long till we're back to sample more of Mr Turners brilliant food.

[ben mcmayon]

the skate seems very pied a terre!!!

[david goodfellow]

Good report and nice photos. Bet it was packed being a Saturday.

Good the fact that foodies can meet up through a site like this. Sounds like you all had a ball.

Very confident of them only to offer a tasting menu.

I'm envious,

I could wolf that lot down, especially as I know how delicious it would all taste.

[Richard1]

Enjoyed my experience here 18 months or so ago. Would definately return again, if I was down in Brum. Was far more enjoyable than Purnells, which I honesty think is very over rated.

Edited March 9, 2011 by Richard1 (log)

[YSL]

Ah, looks good - I'm going again for my Bday next month. Am VERY happy to see the seaweed butter is still offered