J'AIME MAY 2019

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F O O D & D R I N K Opposites attract ANCIENT PHILOSOPHIES MEET MODERN CULINARY CREATIONS FOR ONE OF BIRMINGHAM’S NEWEST - AND MOST IMPRESSIVE - RESTAURANT OPENINGS, AS AMY NORBURY DISCOVERS When it comes to high-concept restaurants, there’s always a worry that style takes precedence over substance. And while modern Chinese eatery Tattu - a new addition to Birmingham’s business district - certainly goes all-in with the design concept, there’s certainly no shortage of substance to back it up. The 160-cover, split-level restaurant occupies a charming space within the city’s historic Grand development, and takes its inspiration from the ancient Chinese philosophy of Yin Yang. The space itself is simply stunning, using the concept of light versus dark to glorious effect. The ground floor bar - which is also home to the private dining room - embodies the light and masculine Yang side of the concept, with reflective gold finishes and temple-like rock creating a warm and engaging space, perfect for enjoying a cocktail or two before or after dining. Venture downstairs into the main restaurant and the mood shifts towards the dark, immersive Yin side, where oriental fretwork cocoons cosy booths and walls are lined with granite, while the stunning centrepiece is the canopy of beautiful cherry blossom trees, which perfectly encapsulate the more feminine element of Yin. Having already sampled the delights of Tattu’s original Manchester venue, we couldn’t resist giving Birmingham - the third and largest in the group - a try. The restaurant was already packed when we arrived, certainly impressive for an early midweek evening, and we were shown to one of the aforementioned booths, a prime spot directly under the gorgeous blossom. We immediately decided to sample one of Tattu’s signature cocktails while perusing the substantial menu offerings; a refreshing and fragrant Apple Blossom, £9, with gin, apple and jasmine for me, and an impressive Elixir of Life, £10, for my guest, a heady combination of gin, elderflower and vanilla, complete with dry ice smoke to add a touch of theatre. The menu is separated into dim sum, small plates and main dishes, as well as a selection of sides to complete your meal, with each dish sounding more mouth-watering than the last. New season offerings include the rock shrimp and scallop gau with cucumber and wasabi tobiko, £8, on the dim sum menu, with small plates including delicious red roast loin ribs with yellow bean, kumquats and star anise, £10, and koi fish mini bao with tempura cod, edamame mash and crispy sweet potato, £8. 30
Joining the main dish selection is a lotus leaf miso chicken with shiitake mushroom, pak choi and sticky chilli rice, £19, and an all-new take on the perennial favourite crispy aromatic duck pancakes, £20. If you’re faced with a case of menu blindness, there is also a selection of set offerings priced from £35 per person for the vegetarian option, right up to £98 per person for the Emperor’s Choice, which features the likes of chilli and sesame roasted scallops, whole lobster and Japanese black wagyu ribeye. We decided to share a couple of selections from each part of the menu, starting off with the mixed dim sum basket, £12, and chicken truffle shumai, £7.50, as well as a small plate of black cod croquettes, £9. Service was slick and speedy, and our friendly waitress was soon back with a tempting array of bites. The mixed dim sum included the new rock shrimp gau, as well as chicken xiao long bao and the vivid red wagyu dumplings. These, our waitress advised, pack a heady punch of sriracha hot sauce so are best left until last so as not to overpower the other, more delicate flavours. Taking her advice, we got stuck into the chicken truffle shumai, glorious little parcels packed with the most flavoursome chicken and topped with freshly shaved truffle, all sat in a salty soy broth. They were, we agreed, little morsels of heaven. The black cod croquettes were beautifully crisp, the delicate cod filling nicely complemented by a chilli garlic aioli which artistically adorned the plate, while the dim sum basket offered up a trio of tasty treats, the wagyu dumplings a particular highlight. There was just time for a couple more cocktails before the main event, a gorgeous Cherry Blossom Negroni, £10, for me and a heady From China with Love, £10, a take on a classic martini flavoured with blood orange, for my guest. We’d opted for two of Tattu’s signature dishes; the wonderfully tender caramel soy beef fillet with asparagus and shiitake, £30, and the saffron black cod, £30.50, as well as side dishes of XO fried rice, £7, and the tenderstem broccoli with black sesame and truffle, £5, which is another new menu addition. The beef, thinly sliced and cooked a perfect medium-rare, was melt-inthe-mouth stuff, with the sweet-salty caramel soy dipping sauce offering a glorious balance - there’s that Yin Yang element coming into play again. But it was the delicately sweet black cod with miso, razor clams and Chinese sausage which proved to be the highlight of the two, a plate which was as pleasing on the eye as it was on the palate, adorned with tiny edible flowers and offering an explosion of tantalising tastes. The XO rice, studded with shrimp, scallop and pancetta was a flavoursome accompaniment - and a deceptively generous portion. But it was the black sesame and truffle paste paired with the lightly crunchy broccoli which offered the biggest surprise - this was broccoli better than broccoli has ever tasted before. With the superlative savoury offerings, we were almost sorry to be moving onto dessert. And while there are a couple of sweet showstoppers, we decided on a couple of the more traditional affairs. The crispy, chocolate-filled dessert wontons with a selection of dips, £8, were just enough to curb the sweet cravings, as were the fortune cookies with ice cream and sorbets, £7. I cracked open a delicately crisp cookie to reveal perhaps the most pertinent words I’ve ever seen in such circumstances. ‘When hungry, order more dim sum’. And next time yes, I most certainly will. After all, who am I to argue with the ancient Chinese wisdom of the fortune cookie? Just make mine a chicken truffle shumai. 31
Page 1: M AY 2 0 1 9 J’AIME Y O U R L O C
Page 4 and 5: CONTENTS InsideJ’aime this month.
Page 6 and 7: FEATURE Daring to bare SOAP STAR-TU
Page 8 and 9: Channel 5’s Springtime on the Far
Page 10 and 11: pressures of soapland have allowed
Page 12: PROPERTY Property of the Month WE T
Page 15 and 16: OUR NEW BROCHURE IS NOW AVAILABLE P
Page 17 and 18: LEGEND MAGIC COLLECTION, £POA, FRO
Page 19 and 20: SPECIALISTS IN FITTED, SLIDING AND
Page 21 and 22: Proud to be a family run business f
Page 24 and 25: F E AT U R E Treasure tales THERE A
Page 26 and 27: CO M P E T I T I O N A taste of sum
Page 28 and 29: F O O D & D R I N K Go nuts for lam
Page 32 and 33: F O O D & D R I N K Cocktail of the
Page 34 and 35: F O O D & D R I N K Let the fun be-
Page 36 and 37: F O O D & D R I N K Look on the lig
Page 38 and 39: F O O D & D R I N K Brewed to perfe
Page 40 and 41: H E A LT H Introducing the TRX Susp
Page 42 and 43: F E AT U R E Hanging by a thread JA
Page 44 and 45: Mother-in-law loudly mansplains up
Page 46 and 47: T R AV E L Colourful Cuba RB COLLEC
Page 48 and 49: TYPES OF CUBA HOLIDAYS Luxury beach
Page 50 and 51: LO CA L A R E A What’s On Local Y
Page 52 and 53: LO CA L A R E A What’s on Second
Page 54 and 55: FA S H I O N Cover story DITCH YOUR
Page 56 and 57: FA S H I O N Earn your fashion stri
Page 58 and 59: These trousers look phenomenal pair
Page 60 and 61: B E AU T Y The five masks your face
Page 62 and 63: H E A LT H Facing the challenge of
Page 64 and 65: I N T H E N E W S Room to relax at
Page 66: take drastic action to reduce costs

J'AIME MAY 2019

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