Purnell's

This chic & contemporary dining room is the first solo venture from chef Glynn Purnell, who picked up a Michelin star at nearby Jessica’s (now closed) in 2005. Birmingham residents should be happy to have a restaurant of this calibre in their midst. Starters are excellent, from a reworked version of the children's party classic of pineapple & cheese - reinvented as creamy goats’ cheese & zingy pineapple with pineapple syrup & peppery watercress – to a rich yet delicate dish of poached egg yolk, smoked haddock milk foam, cornflakes & curry oil. Main courses sparkle with unusual combinations. Monkfish roasted in fennel pollen with lemon porridge, avocado, herring caviar & sour apple sounds like a disjointed assembly but packs an impressively coherent punch. There’s similar finesse in tail fillet of beef with liquorice, Jerusalem artichoke, foie gras, tamarind juice & pig’s trotter nugget - a cunning & deeply satisfying blend of posh & poor. Sensible portions leave room for accomplished desserts, such as creamy vanilla parfait, gently spiked with sweet confit rhubarb, hazelnuts & tarragon syrup.