Edmunds Restaurant Review Birmingham

Edmunds: A Gem in the Heart of the City
Edmunds is the creation of Chef Patron Andy Waters who wanted fine dining with a relaxed atmosphere. This has been achieved by creating a simple menu using local regional produce, with an Andy Waters twist and a hassle-free approach to pricing, with a three-course dinner costing £40 with Amuse Bouche, pre- dessert, coffee and petit fours all included.

My partner and I went to Edmunds on a Monday evening to celebrate my birthday on the Gourmet Life scheme, which gives members 20% of their food bill at a carefully selected range of venues in the Midlands.  We were warmly welcomed by the staff and offered a glass of champagne and were invited to sit outside to peruse the menu and watch the world at Brindleyplace go by. A selection of nibbles including breadsticks and olives were brought to us.  We selected a bottle of Don Jacobo Gran Reserva 1995, a Spanish Rioja to accompany our dinner and we were taken to our table.
At the table, our wine and water were brought over, along with some freshly made bread to eat with our meal.  After a brief pause and a chance to taste the excellent wine, our amuse bouche was brought out. It was an artichoke veloute with truffle oil which was light, fresh tasting and got the taste buds set up for the meal to come.

For starters, I had English Asparagus with Poached Free Range Egg with Smoked Salmon and Summer Truffle Dressing. The asparagus was cooked flawlessly, which complimented brilliantly by richness of the egg and the smoked salmon.  My Other Half had Beignet of King Prawn with Loch Duart Salmon, Watercress Yoghurt, Watercress and Sorrel Salad and loved it. The fish and the prawn were super fresh and were contrasted in a good way by the watercress, which gave the dish a real peppery kick.

For mains, my partner had Jimmy Butler’s Free Range Belly of Pork, with Fillet and Cheek, Black Pudding and an Apple and Calvados Sauce, which had the best crackling ever. The pork is from Jimmy’s Farm in Suffolk  which meets the RSPCA Freedom Food Standard. I had Fillet of Scottish Beef with Ravioli of Braised Blade and Creamed Peppercorn sauce. The fillet was cooked to perfection, as was the braised blade in the thinnest pasta I have ever seen, so thin you could see the juicy meat within.  The peppercorn sauce gave the dish a pleasant bite but did not overpower anything on the plate and let the beef be the star.

For pre-dessert, we had a custard with a granita in the bottom of the glass. It was topped off by popping candy and really woke up the taste buds after our rich main courses.

For pudding, I had a Tasting of English Strawberries – delice, gratin and parfait which came with an extra dose of chocolate in the form of Happy Birthday written on it. Thanks to the little birdie who told them it was my birthday and the team at Edmunds for this extra special touch.  It really showed the strawberries at their seasonal best and the different texture made it very interesting for the palette. My partner had a Cylinder of Milk Chocolate and Mint Ice Cream, which was yummy.

After the wine and the food, we needed something to wake us up for the journey home and we had a cappuccino each and some strawberry and chocolate flavoured petit fours. We went home, with full belly and a big smile on our faces. We will definitely be going to Edmunds again soon.

Edmunds Restaurant, Brindley Place, Birmingham.

Guest review for ETM by Midlands food Blogger & Writer of www.twitter.com/Jo_kitchen Summer 2010