Results tagged “Manchester” from Birmingham Mail - Restaurant Spy

The old debate about which is the better city - Birmingham or Manchester - has reared its ugly mug again.

What a load of hot air. Brum is clearly the winner.

Manchester doesn't have a single Michelin starred restaurant while Birmingham has Simpson's and - i predict - will have two more starred restaurants - Purnell's and Edmunds - when the fat bloke's new guide is published in the new year.

The standard of curry houses in Manchester is not as high as it is in Birmingham and I've not been impressed by the Chinese meals I've eaten up there either.

At last! I finally got round to eating at Andy Waters's new restaurant Edmunds. And it was every bit as good as I'd hoped.

There'll be a proper review in the Birmingham Mail soon, but in the meantime I'll say the decor is stylish and welcoming, the service is friendly and efficient, the food is fabulous and the prices are very reasonable for cuisine of such high quality.

I'm hopeful that Edmund's - and Purnell's - will soon gain a Michelin star like that other great Birmingham restaurant, Simpson's.

Birmingham is undeniably England's second city, no matter what arguments might be put forward by the quaint folk 80 or so miles north along the M6. We've also got a internationally renowned restaurant scene...unlike Manchester.

So it's appropriate that the Taste of Birmingham food festival at Cannon Hilll Park this July should feature a restaurant from Lyon - France's second city and a gastronomic paradise.

Its identity has not yet been revealed, but I'm told it's a top place. This is another feather in Birmingham's culinary cap following our involvement as Britain's only city in the Delice project, which celebrates the world's foodie hotspots.