Well I might “have my connoisseur face on” in the above photograph, as Opheem is a Michelin starred Indian restaurant in Birmingham and there Janie and I were taking it all in.
I mean ALL in.
I’m in
We were sensible enough to book the five course tasting menu, not the 10 course one. Had we booked the latter I think we’d have needed to be removed from the restaurant on stretchers.
“Five course” tasting menu is a bit of a misnomer, as we were also treated to diverse, wonderful nibbles and amuse-gueules – a great many of those before we even got to course number one.
The first of many nibblesMore nibblesYet more nibblesMe nibblingFishy melange in the style of a cheesecake nibbleWhen we are finally seated in the restaurant, we get an amuse-gueule[Insert your own corny joke about this amusel-guele here]The five course menu – we are finally going on piste
Actually, before we had that amazing pineapple & coconut thing, we had a sweet amuse-gueule that was well photogenic.
The staff were super friendly and very knowledgeable about the food. We didn’t do the wine pairing thing, but the staff were able to recommend some excellent wine choices for us which for sure went well with the food.
Aktar Islam (left) & his team
After the meal, petit fours back in the lounge area.
Thoughtful…or nodding off?
Fabulous meal. This place is certainly deserving of its star.
Gresham Society Walking Tour Of Thomas Gresham’s City, 15 June 2022
Coffee houses came after Gresham, but Sir Thomas’s grasshopper persisted
It was a super idea, for the Gresham Society to get back into the swing of face-to-face activities by having a walking tour. When people arrange such events, they don’t normally anticipate 15 June being one of the hottest days of the year, but by gosh it was blistering.
Our guide took pity on us and tended to stand us in shady spots, even if at some distance from the location she was describing, to minimise our time in the sun.
I noted that she omitted to mention 1 King William Street (the current location of Z/Yen’s office) as a Thomas Gresham place, although it was the original location of The Gresham Club.
In truth, most of the tour might have been interpreted as a tour of Z/Yen offices, once we had progressed from the Royal Exchange. We didn’t get as far as St Helen’s Church, where Sir Thomas now resides, but Z/Yen was located in St Helen’s Place overlooking that church, for 16 years (1995 to 2011), following our initial short stop at 31 Gresham Street (1994 to 1995). We also strolled past 41 Lothbury (Z/Yen 2016 to 2022) and looked at the site of the old college on the corner of Gresham Street and Basinghall Street (Z/Yen 2011 to 2016).
There really should be a series of Z/Yen & Gresham plaques around that central part of the City.
The chat covered the period after Gresham as well as the Tudor period, so we learnt about coffee houses and the establishment of modern banks, insurance companies and exchanges.
The tour was a wonderful opportunity to stroll and look around the City – I have walked around the City plenty in my time but usually with “head down purpose” rather than head up, taking in the sights. For example, I had never previously noticed the carved Gresham grasshopper in the stone towards the back of The Royal Exchange, only having noticed the glistening gold grasshopper at the top of the tower.
Note the stone grasshopper left as well as the golden hopper atop
From Gresham Street and a look at The Guildhall, a stroll down Old Jewry to Mercers’ Hall, where Mike Dudgeon, mercer and Greshamista, hosted us for tea and gave us a fascinating guided tour of the hall.
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Peppered with some superb anecdotes from Mercers’ history and Mercers’ legend, this last part of the tour was a feast for our ears and our eyes…and our backsides, after a couple of hours on our feet walking around!
Joking apart, it was wonderful to do a Gresham Society outing and spend time with those interesting, friendly Gresham Society people again. Also, for me, it was the ideal half-holiday to initiate my short break.
A Wander Around Central Birmingham Before Dinner With Janie, 16 June 2022
Birmingham Museum & Art gallery
Earlier we stopped in Leamington allowing me to play (and Janie to shoot some videos of) a spot of real tennis – the Strange Case of Dr Robson & Mr Hyde against me and Charlie at doubles…
…followed by lunch with the Leamington fellas.
That still gave me and Janie plenty of time to get to our Harborne Road Air B’nB and then stroll off towards our restaurant through central Birmingham.
We witnessed a dance festival for a while
On our way to Chamberlain Square, we spotted a dance festival and had a quick look. Then on to that central square area where the Museum (see above), Town Hall (now a concert hall) and Chamberlain Memorial hove into view.
Town Hall & Chamberlain Memorial
We were keen to get to our restaurant on time, so took a photo of Queen Victoria in Victoria Square from a distance. Normally she looks like this – click here – but she has been “reimagined all at sea” for the Commonwealth Games, so now looks more like the following:
We can surely be forgiven for not hanging around, as we were on our way to Opheem Restaurant for a very special treat. I shall write that meal up soon enough.
