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BIRMINGHAM'S MOST BEAUTIFUL DISHES
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"You eat with your eyes" is a saying that, if taken literally, can lead to disastrous dinner dates. We won't be making that mistake again. Truth is it's merely an adage about the power of a beautiful looking dish, something Jack Spicer Adams knows all about. Birmingham's foremost food photographer has been snapping the rise of the city's restaurant scene for over four years and here he's picked six of the most stunning looking (and tasting) dishes for your culinary consideration...
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LINE CAUGHT MACKEREL, CARTERS OF MOSELEY
"This is an exquisite dish from an excellent restaurant. Everything they do at Carters is meticulous and stunning, but the mackerel might just be my favourite. I love the way the yellow flower and the spot of mustard communicate across the dish and the showpiece fish is actually hidden beneath the cucumber. That takes guts. Fresh, summery and sharp, it also tastes terrific." CartersOfMoseley.co.uk
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FILLET STEAK, NEW INN, HARBORNE
"The meat really does the talking, here. This was a simple shot and sometimes that's exactly what food photography is - simple. If the chef nails it, I don't need to do a huge amount. The table really fits in with the whole picture. The colours match beautifully. The meal comes with chips, corn and tomato but you're paying for the 35 day, dry aged steak so that's really what we wanted to showcase." NewInnHarborne.co.uk
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FRIED CHICKEN, CLARKE & LEE, JEWELLERY QUARTER
"The chefs behind the excellent Peel & Stone bakery also do brilliant pop-up events and this dish was from one of those - as such you can't just rush out and buy it now. My advice would be to follow them on Twitter or Facebook to find out what events they have coming up and get along to one ASAP. This Asian-style fried chicken was cooked with sansho pepper which leaves just a slight numbness on the lips. It's an insane dish in a truly memorable way." Clarke & Lee; Peel & Stone
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HEARTY PLOUGHMANS, BECKETTS FARM RESTAURANT
"A ploughmans with pizzazz. The perfectly soft boiled, Scotch egg draws the eye in. The piccalilli in this dish tastes awesome - Becketts make that themselves. For me, there's something wonderful about a really simple, cold dish that looks clean and crisp. Making a cold dish look this appetising is a bigger ask than an all singing, all dancing hot main course. They're very passionate about what they do at Becketts Restaurant. It's worth visiting just for their farm shop, but I'd advise staying for a bite." BeckettsFarm.co.uk
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FISH AND CHIPS, JEKYLL & HYDE, CITY CENTRE
"Fish and chips is a dish that can quite easily look untidy. The Jekyll and Hyde haven't tried to entirely refine it, but they've given it some finesse. Some order. The gnarled batter in the fish just screams "bite me" while the greens and yellows on the plate (and the drink), provide lush vibrancy. I particularly love the mini churns in which the tartare sauce is served (you can see one more clearly here) and the way the blue and white of the plate has a nautical nod." TheJekyllAndHyde.co.uk
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MISSISSIPPI MUD PIE, THE CHURCH, JEWELLERY QUARTER
"I love the shine on this dish. There's absolutely nothing done to it to enhance that. That's exactly how it looks. Exactly how it comes from the kitchen. Shine like that usually means butter and butter means taste. Perhaps not one for the diet enthusiasts, but they'd be missing out. There's some really interesting textures, here, too. It's a good example of how we pick the right table for the right dish. In this case rough with the smooth." ChurchJQ.co.uk
(Follow Jack Spicer Adams on Facebook and Twitter and check out his website for more mouthwatering imagery)
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TOWELLING MAD
Apparently we've all got a book in us and, if Agatha Christie is to be believed, "The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes." Thus every one of us should be wielding a tea towel that we can can rely on. We're as surprised as you that we're recommending tea towels, but these dish driers from Dotmoth Studio are genuinely rather fetching and are the perfect gift for the person that has everything (the partner who never does the dishes). For £9 you can take your pick between towels emblazoned with the Bull, the best of Brum's architecture or one boasting an array of Birmingham facts.
dotmothstudio.co.uk
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MOVIE CHOICE: BOYHOOD
In a summer full of effects-packed blockbusters, Boyhood is inarguably the most ambitious film of them all. Why? Well it might seem like a small-scale indie but it was filmed over 12 years, showing the progression of a boy to, well, a man. It follows Mason, played by Ellar Coltrane, as he goes through the rites of passage that every boy experiences, from the first day at a new school, to the first kiss, to the first job. It’s an incredibly universal film with the ability to make us all relive our youth through Mason’s eyes and the overall effect is really quite overwhelming. An early frontrunner for next year’s Oscars. ✭✭✭✭✭
(Screening times: The Electric)
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