Purnell’s

55 Cornwall St, Birmingham

Without a doubt, Purnell’s is Birmingham’s best restaurant. When Michelin-starred Glynn Purnell left two-star Hibiscus to open in a down-at-heel part of Britain’s second city, it raised eyebrows. Now it’s the cooking that draws the facial gymnastics. A new lunch menu offers Purnell’s cooking at a great-value £35 and on it you’ll get the greatest hits that made his name: gravlax sea trout with pickled and raw fennel, Wiltshire lamb with basil emulsion and a millionaires chocolate tartlet that will send you back to work with a sugar high to see you through the afternoon. MS.