Stuart Deeley wants accolades at The Warwick. He didn’t say as much but he didn’t need to. It’s obvious. He is here to get business done. Everything about the set-up at Mallory Court screams it. The grand house with its grand welcome. The walk around the vast gardens, and those rooms, generous in space and comfort, picture box in every sense. After spending an afternoon by the pool, crisp glass of chardonnay in hand, occasional moving between the sauna and steamroom, we go back to the room to shower and another glass of wine. Dressed appropriately some ninety minutes later, we head back down the stairs and bump into one of the great restaurant operators the city of Birmingham has ever seen six weeks into his new job here as restaurant manager. A negroni in the smart lounge then into the dining room, a blend of traditional and contemporary, with thick carpet, white tablecloths, and low lighting to lend for a discreet evening. It is very nice here.
His food too is sharpened. Prettied. More complex. I expect a tweezer is occasionally involved, whilst the heavy hitters like lobster and wagyu are here in full force. I’ll get on to them in due course. What I will say now, is what I said as feedback that very evening: if this isn’t one star Michelin Guide worthy cooking then every penny I have ever spent eating in Michelin starred restaurants to get this reference point in the last twenty years has been absolutely worthless. I’ll go one further. £105 for the tasting menu is one of the best value tasting menus in the entire country.
There are canapes of crumpets with trout tartare wearing a nest of crisp kadayif pastry, and tartlets of charcoal brik pastry with goats cheese mousse and onion and ale chutney that rumbles with umami. An amuse bouche of sweetcorn foam with pecorino almost bordered on too sweet for this early though found some balance from the brown butter bread crumbs, and then there was the bread, slices of really good wholemeal bread with excellent butter. And as good as everything was, it doesn’t scratch the surface of just how incredible the next four courses are.
It starts with a crab tart in a pecorino pastry case, slices of the season’s last tomatoes, radish, and micro basil, with a bloody mary sauce that echoes all the hangover cures best qualities whilst pulling everything together into one swaying dance. And then moves on to the agnoloti striped yellow and green like the flag of Togo, filled with a mixture of Tunworth and lightly smoked potato, gently bobbing in a vichyssoise with braised leeks and little truffle matchsticks. Immaculate pasta work, with the use of the faintly acidic Tunworth a brilliant choice. Stuart Deeley isn’t a chef I naturally associate with acid; I tend to think of his food as being more about incorporating fat and spice to bolster flavour, but here is a dish that knows not only what it needs to cut through the carbs, but a dish that also knows its position within a tasting menu.
Because the next course is brilliant. So good my wife thinks it will top her extremely sought after top ten dishes of the year. Barbecued lobster tail, Thai green sauce, black pudding from Stornoway, greens from the garden. On the side is a tempura lobster claw with batter so dainty it could crack under a hard stare. I’ve had the Thai green sauce in almost every incarnation since he cleaned-up for Wallace & Torode, but this really feels like it’s his most complete version. Then wagyu. Proper thoroughbred stuff, not the vague relatives that’s everywhere now. Wagyu rump cap, as crimson as a rose petal, with a quenelle of crushed jerusalem artichokes, pickled pear, braised ox cheek, a hash brown with Tunworth and black truffle, grilled mushroom, cabbage brushed in beef fat, black garlic puree, and an absolutely killer beef sauce. Remember when they told you about two or three ingredients and not overcomplicating the plate? Absolute nonsense. This could be Christian Bau in any other world. A dish where the wagyu shines dead centre and the rest play off it with a bit of this and a bit of that like a Del Boy deal. Faultless.
There is dessert. A miso and brown sugar custard with caramelised banana, pecan, and yogurt sorbet. It’s a little hazy if I’m honest, but I remember liking it more than Sophie who happened to be dipping into mine. This is what happens when you have a very generous £75 wine flight and decide that whisky is an ideal break time before dessert.
I had a very strong inkling I was going to enjoy the cooking at The Warwick. I’ve eaten Stu’s food for years, I had a very good idea of what dinner would look like. But I didn’t expect the food to hit the ground running as fast as it has. This is a serious restaurant, with a kitchen who hardly missed a beat and a front of house team who exuded confidence throughout. This is classy, properly high-end cooking already operating at a very high level. We adored it and we cannot wait to get back to see how it evolves.
10/10
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