If Opus closed with a bang, with people penning lengthy eulogies and posting the number for Samaritans, their follow-up restaurant, Chapter, opened with a relieved sigh. Found on a quiet road in a quiet bit of Edgbaston, they opened their doors in early December with little noise. No opening party. No bloody bloggers evenings. If they have PR, it’s been done so in hushed tones, rather than shouted out by short-lived stories or fleeting Tweets. There is something wonderful about watching a new business prioritise paying customers who are likely to return, as opposed to those just waiting for the next invite to drop in the inbox never to be seen again.
That may have something to do with the interior, which is built around comfort and pleasure over the ‘grams ever-changing favourite aesthetic. The front is reserved for two tables, each within the arches that frame the street-facing external walls. To the rear is a large dining area, with a presently less than elegant view of a car park (they are adding a terrace soon) via the glass wall which dominates the back. In the centre is a large bar, from which I am already drinking a martini, and a small number of stools, angled across and down to the kitchen, allowing access to a team who don’t pause for the ninety or so minutes we are there. This is where I am sat. It’s where I’ll always be sat.
They have lots of menus, but we are here in the daytime, so that’s what you’ll be getting. Three dishes between two. Four cocktails. Seventy English pounds sterling. Come in the evening and dinner will likely be around £40 once you have added your three courses up. They are going for that middle ground hard, and so they should be given that this is where Birmingham underperforms. First up is mushrooms on toast, simple, flavoursome cooking, yours for just £8. The detail is there; the mushrooms have been cleaned properly, lightly cooked and finished with a cream sauce cut with Madeira. The sourdough soaks up the best bits.
The hash has potential to be listed as one of those Brum dishes that everyone talks about. A base of parmentier potatoes and cubes of salted beef brisket, lidded by a duck egg that fits neatly over the skillet. Spuds, onion, garlic, herbs, beef, and plenty of oozy yolk. Its success is not to overcomplicate things: the end product one suitable for breakfast, lunch, or light dinner. We finish with agnolotti of roasted squash with sprouting broccoli and burnt butter flavoured with sage. The pasta work is nigh on perfect. I’ll likely order this even more than the beef hash. This post was originally meant to include more dishes, though they were closed on my last attempt to eat, dealing with the tiny matter of a global pandemic. It’s no problem, I intend to spend a lot of time at Chapter. There is always next time to turn the page to a new menu.
8/10
