If my birthday present was Dublin, the birthday meal was Cuubo. The early dinner before the early bed time before the early flight. Only one of those things went to plan, and without going into specifics, Sophie pinpoints the exact moment she knew it wasn’t going to be a 9pm bedtime to the picture she received at 2pm of one man and two martinis, which was my lunch and not a sequel to a porno. I went home, opened some good wine, drank a little scotch and sauntered the one minute walk to Cuubo. Happy Birthday to me.

And now for a little backstory. Cuubo opened six months ago, six months after initially planned. I wrote about it two weeks after it opened, Jay Rayner went two weeks after and described Dan as “a storming talent”. They weren’t ready for that level of success, not with that sized kitchen and a team that was mostly made up of Dan’s mates back then. And then the Rayner review dropped. It’s improved over the last 5 months. Improved so much. I go frequently. I love it and that love will show over the next few hundred words. I make no apology for it.

Part of the charm is it’s classic approach. Sure, take the tasting menu if you wish, but if you want choice, it’s there in abundance. After arguably the best sourdough in the city it’s starters; a risotto of bitter friggitelli peppers, vegetal and a little hot, a light green colour splashed with red pepper oils and herb oils as if camouflaged. It’s textbook risotto; the starch beaten out of it, the texture of the aged aquerello rice just cooked. Sophie has the crab risotto now upgraded to include fried pieces of soft shell crab. It’s one of her favourite things to eat in Birmingham. Also upgraded is the pork belly that finds its way to the table along with some fizz because it’s my birthday. The bacon cream now dotted with ‘nduja oil to add another layer of piggyness. I beg for more bread to mop up the last of the sauce. You should do the same.


Then the main. The main originated from a private dinner with a very famous local band who requested jerk chicken. Rather than be tempted to riff on the flavours of jerk as some chefs would, Dan sought out a recipe from a friend in Wolverhampton and cooks it over barbecue. Leave the dish here and you have something exceptional. High quality chicken, brined, marinated and cooked to the highest standard over flames. But he doesn’t stop. He counters the earthy, aromatic chicken with sweetcorn and spring onions, a bright purée of sweet corn and a jerk sauce that’s intense and classical. It’s the perfect shift between light and shade, not just the best thing Cuubo has done to date, but one of the best things in Birmingham right now. We share dessert, a pave of obscenely expensive Mexican vanilla which I’m told also goes to The Ledbury, with strawberries and a sorbet of the same fruit. It’s brilliant. Sophie pays the bill.


I remember a friend going shortly before that Rayner bloke and telling me it’s going to get a Michelin star. I told him then they were miles off with service and decor, and that the food needed some tweaking. I’ve seen it progress a lot since February, not only in the kitchen but out front, too. This morning I passed it on the way back from the shop; the builders are in for new booth seating, a cloak room and a bar to offer more on the drinks front. Whilst I imagine 2025 isn’t going to be the year the plaque goes outside, it is clear what the ambition is. With this being the best opening in Birmingham this year, only a fool would bet against it happening soon.
10/10