located on the 25th floor of new landmark the cube, the marco pierre white steakhouse bar and grill is the first restaurant in birmingham to offer 360 degree views of the city. dine birmingham invited famous local lady alison hammond along to sample fine dining served in an empire state of mind.
as i waited at the bar for my lunch date, itv1’s this morning reporter and local doyenne alison hammond, i regretted not making it an evening booking. admiring a twinkling city below which could be anywhere in the world, would send the glamour quota of this already glitzy venue through the roof.
when alison arrived we were shown to our table in the chic and spacious restaurant area. the hearty all-day menu includes a pleasing number of other dishes as well as steak. for starters, i opted for the six-month cured coppa ham moscardo di cremona, a colourful dish so beautifully presented that i spent a few moments gazing at it! mostardo di cremona is an italian preserve of candied fruit and a mustard flavoured syrup. the sweet/spicy tang perfectly complemented the ham and the portion was so generous i had no desire to touch the bread basket.
alison ordered the calamari, which were very flavoursome. starters aside, marco pierre white seriously caters for the comfort eater. i could have kissed the waiter for recommending the roast rump of lamb a la dijonnaise with pommes dauphinois. the meat was succulent, juicy and very pink, and the potatoes were crispy on top and super-creamy inside. alison opted for the pork belly marco polo and butter beans but because of the “mmm” noises i was making, couldn’t hide her food envy!
my starter and mains were nicely matched with merlot cabernet sauvignon. teetotal alison kept refreshed with coke. both of us were mindful of being in detox january, so it was disappointing to discover that the kitchen had run out of spinach. we were somewhat appeased, however, with very tasty roasted vegetables as a side dish.
marco pierre white is known for classic, rich english puddings. egging each other on, we decided to order three to share! crème brulee, bread and butterpuddingand sticky toffeepuddinghelped us to end our indulgent lunch magnificently! afterwards we were given a tour of the suitably a-list style laurent perrier champagne lounge, also on the 25th floor of the cube.
alison’s verdict
“it’s a fabulous location with great views and food. the company wasn’t too shabby either! i love really sweet puddings so the bread and butter pudding, sticky toffeepuddingand the accompanying sauces went down a treat. the crème brulee was sadly onepuddingtoo many – even for both of us!”