National Restaurant Awards: which Birmingham restaurants won in 2021, best dishes & how to book a table

The National Restaurant Awards have published their list of the top 100 eating experiences in the UK as voted for by the UK’s leading chefs, restaurateurs and food writers.

The awards celebrate the excellence of Britain’s eating out scene, highlighting the very best places to go for a quality dining experience.

Launched in 2007, the awards ceremony itself - at London’s exclusive Hurlingham Club - is the largest annual gathering of top chefs and restaurateurs in the UK.

“This year’s top 100 list demonstrates the breadth of top-class restaurants the UK has to offer” says Restaurant by BigHospitality editor Stefan Chomka.

Three Birmingham eateries impressed the judging panel to be included.

Here’s what judges had to say about them.

Carters of Moseley

St Mary’s Row, Wake Green Road, Moseley, B13 9EZ.

Set up by Brad Carter and his partner Holly Jackson, Judges described this Michelin-star restaurant’s dishes as “inventive and playful” and said: “The pair’s mission is to replace foreign ingredients with native alternatives and they do it with aplomb.”

Praising the chef further, the judges added: “Part of a new generation of young, ambitious chefs that are pushing the boundaries of what British food can be, Brad Carter goes deeper than most into exploring the idea of terroir in cooking.”

Booking details are available here.

Opheem

65 Summer Row, Birmingham B3 1JJ.

Opheem is owned by Aston-born Islam, who grew up working in his father’s restaurant. The judges said he is “focused on demonstrating how Indian food has evolved.”

Once described by Gordon Ramsay as a genius, the judges further praised Islam and his restaurant, saying: “Opheem’s progressive approach adopts a global range of cooking techniques; some traditional, some modern. In the kitchen, spices are ground by the brigade, and methods like pickling and fermenting are used to produce visually arresting dishes with distinct, defined flavours.

The judges were also impressed with the restaurant’s décor, highlighting its “brutalist decorative style of dark metallic colours.”

The restaurant’s seasonal menu is updated multiple times a year, and gives guests a choice of either five or 10 courses depending on how long they ‘want the adventure to last.

Booking details are available here.

Purnell’s Restaurant

55 Cornwall St, Birmingham B3 2DH.

The judges were impressed with celebrity chef Glynn Purnell’s city centre restaurant, which they said offered a “masterclass in culinary precision and technical ability.”

An impressive CV, Purnell trained with top chefs including Gordon Ramsay, Gary Rhodes and Claude Bosi, and he even won the city’s first ever Michelin Star.

Judges praised his ‘bold and innovative’ cooking, which they said “provides the ultimate gourmet adventures and has brought him critical acclaim and numerous awards.”

They were also impressed with Purnell’s ‘Brummie tapas’, as well as his smoked eel and green onion and Ramsbury Estate venison with butternut squash.

Booking details are available here.

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