Birmingham’s Michelin-starred restaurants keep status in new guide
Jan 15 2010 by Richard McComb
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The Birmingham Post’s food critic Richard McComb reports on the winners and losers in the 2010 Michelin Guide.
Birminghams growing reputation as a culinary city has been cemented in the 2010 Michelin Guide with three restaurants retaining their coveted one-star status.
Purnells, Turners and Simpsons all maintain their position in the prestigious guide, which was leaked four days early the second time in two years Michelins publicity embargo has been breached.
Elsewhere in the Midlands, La Becasse and Mr Underhills in Ludlow both retain their stars, as does Mallory Court, near Leamington Spa, Lords of the Manor in the Cotswolds and The Stagg Inn at Titley, Herefordshire.
Le Champignon Sauvage at Cheltenham keeps two stars one of only 14 restaurants in Great Britain and Ireland in this category.
In Birmingham, there was also good news for Pascals, which keeps its Bib Gourmand listing for good food at moderate prices.
Bibs also go to Malbec Petit Bistro in Stratford-upon-Avon and The Bell Inn at Yarpole, Herefordshire.
However, there was disappointment for Edmunds in Birmingham, which had been widely tipped for a star including by me. It would be interesting to find out why Andy Waters, one of the industrys nicest and most talented chefs, missed out this time and there was widespread surprise in Birminghams restaurant circles at the snub from Michelin.
Lasan in Birmingham carries the torch for Birminghams terrific Indian restaurants and chef Aktar Islam and director Jabbar Khan will be pulling out the stops following their triumph as the F Word best restaurant in Britain.
And although 2010s guide came a little too soon for Lasan, I wouldnt bet against Michelin elevation in the not too distance future.
Nationally, the headlines go to Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, which is promoted to the giddy heights of three stars. I reviewed Ducasse for the Birmingham Post in October last year (here) and can attest to the brilliance of the place.
My starter of roasted chicken and lobster, sweetbread, creamy jus was unforgettable and as I usually get everything wrong I am delighted to have got this one right.
Ducasse now sits alongside the Fat Duck and the Waterside Inn, at Bray-on-Thames, and Gordon Ramsay in London, which all have three stars.
However, Gordon Ramsay at Claridges suffered the ignominy of being stripped of its star, as did Richard Corrigan at Lindsay House.
The guide features just one new two-star establishment, The Ledbury in London.
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