BIRMINGHAM DRAWS A BLANC

16-02-2008

When Raymond Blanc’s restaurant first arrived in Birmingham nine years ago it was a sign of great things to come – the city was at last ready to host fine dining establishments where the maitre d’ didn’t sneer at working class customers. Now though, we’ve got plenty of decent places to eat and though its closure, announced yesterday, is disappointing this is no tragedy.

Within yards of Brasserie Blanc you can still feast on authentic tapas at The Ikon, get a mouthful of eastern flavours at Thai Edge, or opt for a traditional Italian at Cielo.

If that doesn’t satisfy your tastebuds, Bank offers the Modern European option two minutes walk away at Brindley Place, while canny diners with an eye on quality will take advantage of The Stirrer’s offer of a bargain meal at the wonderful Filini in the Radisson Hotel (details here).

Then there are the upmarket duo of Simpson's in Edgbaston and Purnell's in Cornwall Street; not to mention a slew of upmarket Asian restaurants in the city centre ranging from Asha’s to Lasan to Bilash.

When Le Petit Blanc arrived, it certainly set the standard for brasserie-style dining; but it’s heyday was short lived, partly because it was overtaken by new arrivals, partly because it’s patron appeared to have over-extended himself.

What began as Raymond's pet project grew into a small franchise and eventually became over-extended. Inevitably, standards declined.

I remember one meal a few years ago where I had to ask the waiting staff for a fish knife – they didn’t seem to know what one was, and athough I had a very pleasant lunchtime there last year, the writing was on the wall – Brasserie Blanc (as it became known, following previous financial problems) was trading on its star name rather than a reputation for excellence.

We certainly owe Raymond Blanc a debt for his willingness to pioneer a certain kind of foodie experience in the city, but there is no reason to suppose that it’s demise represents anything more than a good business gone bad.