Those of you who know Birmingham may not think that a New Year’s Eve spent near Broad Street would be a wise move given the drunken antics of the thousands of revellers, and the reputation of some of the area’s bars.  Hiding round the corner though is the intimate Edmunds Fine Dining Restaurant.  For the second New Year’s Eve running we’ve been delighted by the sumptuous wines and foods proffered by Andy Waters and the Edmunds team.  This year was a double celebration with us seeing in both the new year and a friend’s 21st birthday on 1/1/11.  As a surprise, in the afternoon I dropped off a birthday cake and the restaurant very kindly volunteered to add some writing to it – they made a great job of it and the chocolate icing was delicious.

On arrival for our 9pm table we chose some champagne and wines with the affable sommelier on hand to provide hints and tips.  The wine list is varied in terms of content and price, we had a white and a red burgundy.  We also had an excellent red dessert wine recommended to us (Mas Amiel Maury 2007 – give it a go, it’s sticky blackberry gorgeousness in a glass).  The evening wasn’t all about the wine though, we started our meal with chef’s aperitifs: salmon & crab with Caviar, handmade breadsticks, olives, and warm goats cheese bonbons.  My personal favourite was the salmon which melted in the mouth and worked wonderfully with the salty caviar and creamy crab.

Following the aperitif was an amuse bouche of Jerusalem artichoke and truffle soup.  The fish course was of sea bass with grilled chicory and a confit of lemon.  Perfectly cooked, the sea bass worked well with the sweetness of the lemon confit.

The main course was a traditional fillet of Aberdeen Angus beef with slow cooked potatoes, braised blade of beef, celeriac, and carrots.  I always enjoy simple dishes done well and this was definitely done brilliantly.  The depth of the beef flavour in the braised blade was superb and complimented, rather than fought with, the strongly flavoured fillet.

The feast was concluded with warmed chocolate dessert with rhubarb & custard ice-creams.  The pretty plate promised much and delivered with potent rhubarb and custard flavours from the ice cream, and desiccated rhubarb which made my cheeks tingle.  Perfect

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Including 2 bottles of champagne, 1 bottle of dessert wine, and 4 bottles of red and white wine, our bill came to about £120 per person for the eight of us dining.  And unlike at least one other restaurant of this ilk I’ve been too (Rhodes at The Cumberland – shame on them!) I left replete, not stuffed, and certainly not hungry.

Thanks to the wonderful team at Edmunds for a luxurious night.  We will hopefully be back soon…