William Sitwell reviews Opheem, Birmingham: ‘When your world is a melting pot, beautiful things happen’
telegraph.co.ukAktar Islam popping up on the telly here and there. But my natural aversion to both tasting menus and the idea of posh Indians made me hesitate.
If I were nipping to Birmingham shouldn’t I be sticking my face in a sizzling balti?But here I was: some 10 courses laying in wait at Opheem, and in through the heavy, dark grey front doors and I was ushered into a dimly lit bar.
A delicious glass of viognier swiftly brought and along came some little snacks, like so many glistening pebbles revealed by a retreating ocean as a quiet warning of the tsunami to follow.There were four of them: clever, dainty little one-bite jobbies that hinted at the liberties Islam takes with his Indian heritage.
Among them smoked eel mixed with a light korma sauce, held in a crisp funnel of potato, topped with caviar. As I savoured the delightful texture of smoked eel gently nurtured to new cultural heights with the korma, I pondered Aktar Islam, the usurper.
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