Earlier this year I was able to visit a restaurant that I’d heard an awful lot about; Upstairs in Lichfield (West Midlands), which members of my family have visited on multiple occasions – as they raved about its quality. My brother secured us a table reservation for a lunch, which is quite the feat as bookings are very heard to come by as ‘Upstairs’ is the domain of superstar chef Tom Shepherd, whose regular TV appearances have made up hot property. Would the experience live up the hype? You bet it did!
Everyone has a tasting menu when you go to Upstairs, but there are a few choices that you have to make along the way. We started with the Orkney Scallop served with Peanut Satay, Radish, and Coriander. The radish was fresh and pickled, with a nice bite and acidity to it. There was some pumpkin on the side that was smoked with soya flavours. The satay sauce was surprisingly subtle. The scallop was glorious, juicy, and delicious. Aesthetically, I thought the contrast of colours on the plate between the vibrant green of the coriander oil and the vivid pink from the radishes was striking.
Next up was the Anjou Quail served with Devonshire Swede, Kampot Pepper, and Baked Quince. The Swede was salt-baked, which is a cooking technique that I always enjoy – and keep meaning to experiment more with myself. The sauce had been cooked using the bones of the quail to give depth of flavour, and a ‘sausage-roll’ had been made using leg meat from the quail to give a different texture to the plate. The breast of the quail was dedicate and delicious. In contrast to the last dish, this one seemed purposefully monochrome in presentation. Initially it looked a little odd as the food items were placed sparingly around the plate, but when the sauce was added it kind of united all of the ingredients.
For the next course we had a choice, I went for the Atlantic Cod served with Tandoori, Crown Prince Squash, and Cornish Crab. The crab meat had been made into a lovely crab tart (out of shot!). They had cleverly presented the squash in three different ways on the plate. A coriander foam gave the dish a vibrant presence which contrasted the deep, fragrant, and rich tandoori-style sauce. The presentation was pleasingly arty – a long narrow slice of cod contrasted nicely against the Jackson-Pollock style drizzles of sauces which were offset by the foam.
For the wine to go with our menu we chose a 2022 Poggio Alle Gazze Dell’Ornellaia (Tuscany). Ornellaia is a celebrated super-Tuscan, but I had never tried their white wine, so was keen to give it a try. It was a rich yellow in the glass. On the nose it had notes of lychee, peach, touch of elderflower, and was ever so slightly grassy. On the palate it had high acidity, bright and fresh with kiwi, peach, and some slight citrus notes. It seemed to have more Sauvignon Blanc in the blend than I expected, I was hoping for more presence from the Viognier. Still, it was a very classy bottle of wine that was a great match for the cod and the richer notes from the menu overall.
To help with the move from the savoury courses to the sweeter courses, the next course was simply called “Transition”. The dish was inspired by Thai Green curry flavours and had a fragrant lift through its spices (ginger quite prominent). Underneath the sauce was rice pudding and mango giving those sweeter elements. The coolness of the temperature of the rice pudding contrasted nicely with the heat of the ginger and spices. This was a supremely clever dish – one of my highlights from the meal.
The last course was another one where you had a choice, I went for the Caramelia Chocolate served with Salted Milk, Sherry, and Sunflower Seeds. The salted milk ice cream was a nice variation from the ubiquitous salted caramel – what was clever though was that the caramel could be found elsewhere in the dish. The plating had real drama to it. Lots of items placed precariously on one another and looking like they would fall over / collapse – needless to say, they didn’t! Again, pleasingly monochrome in presentation with various shades of brown / caramel looking stylish.
This was a very pleasing meal. A great experience, from a renowned chef. I would highly recommend a visit!
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