Turning The Tables

Kate Rouse discovers that top-quality dining is alive and well in Solihull.

It’s one of the most frequently asked questions in the culinary world at the moment. Is fine dining dead?

If you believe the media, you might begin to think it is. Noma in Copenhagen, voted the best restaurant in the world for many years, has just announced it will close its doors in 2024. El Bulli in Spain held the crown before that, yet maestro chef Ferran Adrià shut up shop in 2011. Hundreds of thousands of people tried to book each year for the six-month season, so it wasn’t a lack of demand, but more a lack of creative desire by the chef. The same could be said about Noma. So, is this indicative that others will follow? Perhaps.

However, whilst the world of high-pomp and formality may be drawing to a close in many quarters, the world of great food is still alive and kicking, thank goodness. For this, you only have to look at the rising stars coming into the industry pre- and post-pandemic to get excited. Especially when you find them close to home.

Presenting small but perfectly-formed menus that change often daily, weekly and certainly seasonally, Toffs in Solihull is a perfect example of this. Rob Palmer arrived at his cheekily-named restaurant (a play on the ‘posh’ Silhillians and his father’s nickname after Palmers toffee) via Peels at Hampton Manor, where he was in charge of the kitchen at the age of 27 when it won its Michelin star. Rumours are swirling that Michelin has been to visit Toffs. Are we to see another Midlands star awarded?

Stylish

Rob cooks from the heart in an intimate, yet very friendly space in – of all places – Mell Square in Solihull. Now for anyone who grew up in Solihull, like me, this is a massive about-turn. The height of sophistication back in the day was The Captain’s Locker, the California Pizza Factory and – if you really want to turn back time – Byron’s Wine Bar. The town centre’s culinary scene is now mainly dominated by restaurant chains and street food. Impressively however, Rob has managed to acquire his lease with some dynamic negotiating, and has turned what was once a shop in the middle of a fairly nondescript shopping precinct into a stylish, welcoming and memorable foodie hangout.

Intimate is one description. Small is another. It seats less than 30 people, and six of those are at the bar, known as The Chef’s Table if you want to be posh (or a toff). Personally, I love two things about any restaurant: sitting at a bar and watching chefs cook, so this couldn’t be a more perfect place for me if it tried. With a fully open kitchen, everyone gets the opportunity to view the ‘choreography’ of the chefs, as the whole team seem to have an amazing intuition as to how to avoid hot steaming pans, and literally weave and dodge each other to present extremely attractive and – crucially – very tasty food.

The menu is constantly evolving and changing, and with Rob and the team always experimenting, looking for ideas and trying out new skills, it’s a joy to watch. And consume. An example of the attention to detail is one of the typical starters, a combination of beetroot and goat’s cheese to be precise. But this beetroot had been on an adventure. It was slowly roasted for three hours, then roasted again for 24 hours on the lowest possible heat to intensify the flavour even more.

Then it was placed in a sous vide with pear juice – who knew? – to rehydrate it. Before it was then dehydrated again. It’s well worth the wait. And the perfect example of taking one humble ingredient that takes over two days to arrive on the plate. Imagine what they do with the rest of your meal?

But this is what I look for when I am spending good money. I want a dish I can’t /won’t cook at home. I want to be challenged by familiar tastes that are heightened, and I want to be surprised almost into submission by food so tasty I want to bathe in it: like their chicken butter sauce. The flavour was intense, moreish and completely addictive.

The care, skill and love that goes into making something as deceptively simple as a sauce is why you have to go and experience Toffs for its startlingly honest and extremely tasty food. I could wax lyrical about the food all day. But don’t just take my word for it. Go treat yourself. It really is worth it.