I've managed to nab a table at the hottest new opening in town. And not just any town – this one has just been pronounced the food capital of Britain. The chef is Michelin-starred, and well-known to the public as a former winner of TV's Great British Menu. The cocktail bar, managed by a recently crowned National Bartender of the Year, has already been open for a few weeks, to pump up anticipation. But hang on – why all the empty tables? Where are the food bloggers? How come the couple nearest me are having a whispered argument and I can hear one of them hissing, "I told you we should have gone to Café Rouge..."?
Birmingham may be, according to the food magazine Olive, Britain's foodiest city, with three Michelin-starred restaurants and a host of local-hero producers. But there's a lack of sizzle around the restaurant scene, judging by my visit to brand-new arrival, The Asquith. If this opening had been in London, it would have been PR'd to the rafters, and rammed with well-wishers and early adopters. But whatever Birmingham's foodies are doing this opening weekend, they certainly aren't at The Asquith.
Which is a surprise, seeing that this is the latest venture from Glynn Purnell, poster boy for Birmingham's food scene and probably the city's most talented chef. He made his name at Jessica's, in Edgbaston, before setting up on his own with Purnell's, where he serves modern French food of rare finesse and invention.
Read more at http://www.independent.co.uk/
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