It’s been a long time since I’ve eaten tapas in Birmingham. My review of Edgbaston’s El Borracho de Oro, which is sadly no longer operating, is dated summer 2016. I gave it five stars.

Almost seven years later comes another five star review. My first in a while, in fact.

One of the city’s most recently opened eateries, Plates By Purnell’s is - as the name suggests - a new venture by Glynn Purnell, owner of Michelin-starred restaurant Purnell’s.

Reasonably priced sharing plates, inspired by classic Spanish tapas, are what you’ll find at Glynn’s new venue - a fact which makes it, for most people, a more financially viable option than his Michelin restaurant.

My partner and I visited on a fully booked Friday evening. I’ll be honest; I’d be very surprised if there’s any Friday evening in the foreseeable future that doesn’t see the restaurant fully booked. After all, Glynn is a familiar and trusted face. And then there’s the fact that great tapas is something the city has lacked for quite some time.

Boasting mosaic tiles, chunky wooden tables and an orange, green and black interior, the venue is perfect. It’s warm, cosy and dimly lit, with tantalising aromas exciting your senses as soon as you walk in the door; exactly what you want from a tapas restaurant.

The dishes here are good. Very good. So are the cocktails. And the sangria.

My partner and I were seated by the open kitchen at the front of the venue. Although at full capacity, the small kitchen team remained focused and composed. The orders were coming in thick and fast, and the dishes were flying out at the same pace. And what’s more, from what we could gather, it was a very first shift for one of the chefs, so hats off to him.

Bubbles to start, accompanied by the humble Pan con Tomate. Five ingredients: bread, tomato, olive oil, garlic and salt. Simplicity at its very best. We piled the sweet tomatoes high on the toasted bread and knew instantly we were going to like it at Plates.

The classic patatas bravas provided a double dose of tomato. The crispy potatoes were generously smothered in a rich, smoky sauce and topped with grated manchego. It was up there with the nicest patatas bravas dishes I’ve had anywhere - major Spanish cities included.

The creamy cheese croquettes with chorizo mayo were as comforting as they sound, and the lightly fried aubergine chips with truffle honey were one of the highlights of the evening. Don’t leave without sampling some.

I mentioned before that the dishes were reasonably priced. The cheapest comes in at £2.50 and the most expensive £9. I would happily pay more than £9 for the cod dish I ordered. A jug of nicely made sangria arrived at the table. There’s no skimping on alcohol here.

The tender squid, which was coated in light and crispy salt & pepper batter, was served with a lemon mayonnaise. The citrus hit was apparent without being too overpowering. The same can be said for the cod...

...Oh, the cod! The perfectly cooked piece of fish, which flaked away at barely a touch, sat in the most beautiful sauce. Featuring a hint of lemon - there was some sweet onion in there too, to balance out the flavours - it was the most wonderful taste experience. Be sure to order more bread to mop it all up. We did!

We actually ordered every dish from the fish & seafood section. Another classic arrived: the juiciest of prawns with garlic and chilli. This was followed by the octopus. Its tender and perfectly cooked pieces - served alongside a vibrant, sweet Romesco sauce, cream cheese and pieces of hazelnuts for additional texture - was another of the evening’s highlights. I’ll be ordering it again when I return.

From fish, to meat. Chicken thigh and chorizo, to be more specific. The chorizo dish couldn’t have been further away from your standard hard pieces of chorizo sitting in far too much oil. These meaty little offerings were splendidly soft and bathing in the most deliciously sweet, thick cider, honey & white onion sauce, topped with strips of green apple for sharpness. Think French onion soup. Somewhere close in both comfort and flavour, it was yet another highlight. In a contrast of flavours, the chicken was cooked in wholegrain mustard and sat atop shredded lettuce in an almost-vinaigrette dressing.

Savoury over. On to the sweet. “A couple of espresso martinis to go with the desserts?” says the manager. Now there’s a suggestion I’d never turn down!

There were two sweet options available, alongside a Spanish cheese selection.

A unique take on the traditional dessert in terms of presentation, the custard from the ‘crema catalana’ was served in a bowl, with the caramelised sugar served in shards. It’s one of those desserts that just makes you feel good. The beautifully moist orange & poppy seed sponge cake was topped with a sweet orange cream and hazelnuts. It rounded off our evening perfectly.

There are not many better feelings than leaving a restaurant completely satisfied. This was one of those times. When you’ve eaten so much great food, it’s sometimes hard not to compare or find fault with things, even when it’s not your intention to. I found fault with nothing here. The cooking, the flavours, the presentation - everything was spot on. The staff were great too, the manager especially.

I was going to refrain from saying that Plates By Purnell’s is exactly what Birmingham has needed, because the phrase has been overused - but the truth is this: Plates By Purnell’s is exactly what Birmingham has needed!

The tapas-shaped hole in the city’s culinary offer - starkly evident since the closure of El Borracho in 2019 - has finally been filled. Plates team, take a bow.

***** Lauren Foster

Image: Jack Spicer Adams