Marco Pierre White Christmas in July review

If you’re a ‘Brummie’ like me, you’ll know that Marco Pierre White and his Steakhouse Bar and Grill on Level 25 of The Cube really is the best of the best. If you’re not from Birmingham, hopefully I can explain why should seriously consider taking a visit. It’s the classiest place to go, for those truly special occasions.

Milestone birthdays, anniversaries, parties’ bookings and of course the festive time. That’s why it was nothing less than an absolute honour and privilege to attend their ‘Christmas in July’ event last Friday. Alongside my plus one, I had the fortune of tasting a few samples from their festive menu. Here’s all the details, including a Christmas hat…

Merely the words on the menu alone made my mouth water. Feast your eyes on these scrummy choices.

From our meet and greet upon arrival at the Marco Pierre White front desk to our firm handshake after the event, the service was impeccable, as expected. We were soon served with our first meal of the three courses. You can see above how the chefs have entitled it, but I prefer the easier ‘prawn cocktail’.

Now, the prawn cocktail starter is a real classic for me. I don’t think there have been many times I’ve not ordered it as my starter. It’s light, healthy and always promises a zingy twist of flavour. Not too much to overwhelm you pre-main course and not too little that you don’t miss out on the goodness of the taste. And this one didn’t disappoint either.

Merely the words on the menu alone made my mouth water. Feast your eyes on these scrummy choices.

This particular cocktail was served, as you can see, in a lovely little number. It was as good to look at in the Champagne Bar as it is to you now, very elegant and sophisticated. But practically, the height of the glass made it a little difficult to jiggle that spoon down. The prawns themselves were fresh, tasty and juicy. Exactly how you would want them, so was the lettuce. I couldn’t tell you about the juice at the bottom though, the design of the glass made it awkward to grab every last drop.

The provision of the lemon was a real nice touch, just adding that little bit of zing to the dish, or tower as it appears. Plus, having the lemon on the side of the dish gives you real flexibility as a diner. You choose how much lemon squeezing you’d like to do. As for the bread, there was a little too much for me, considering a Christmas dinner was coming up next. It was a little under-buttered for my liking, but that’s just personal preference. It’s perfect if you like your bread dry to dip into your prawn cocktail sauce.

Main Course

Chef really had pushed the boat out with this one, all the right trimmings as you can see above. Of course, it was turkey, which was nice if a little dry. The added herbs were a particularly nice touch, I thought. A spoonful of turkey mixed with a few of these leaves gave it a different edge to meet your tongue, rather than purely meat. The combination resulted in a tasteful texture that I particularly enjoyed.

I’m not usually a massive sprout fan, like many, but these were just right; not too hard or soft and mushy. A lovely subtle taste. If you like pigs in blankets, you will love these ones. Exactly how they are meant to be, that satisfying taste of the sausage and bacon in one.

The roast parsnips were also appealing to the tongue, especially hitting the spot with their slightly crispy ends. The carrots were just the right toughness too. The only criticism I might give concerns the potatoes. Size wise, the portion was great. They were just a little too soft for me. They missed that nice crunch, that crispy edge to them. Perhaps the gravy and bread sauce was the reason for this. Having said that, the sauce was possibly the best part, yep, even better than the turkey itself. A fantastically rich flavour, strong and tasty. A perfect taste to finish the second part of the meal.

For dessert, you can see what the menu offers; the black cherry and Sherry trifle Wally Ladd. I’m not too sure where the Wally Ladd comes from, I have to admit. However, after speaking to one of the waitresses, I soon found out that there was a hidden secret option, the crème brûlé.

Honestly and shockingly, the crème brûlé just isn’t my cup of tea, or anything coffee-related. Fortunately, my trusty plus one is. In her words, it was the “best crème brûlé ever” with a lovely balance of sweetness and cream. The raspberries accompanying it, by being lightly balanced on its easily breakable surface, were the cherry on top. You could really delve into a pool of rich vanilla mouthfuls then.

I’m sure their Christmas menu will be delicious. You’ll be able to dine yourself from as early as 20th November until as late as 23rd December 2017. You can also book a table at Marco Pierre White’s Steakhouse Bar and Grill, via their website. Simply go to www.mpwrestaurants.co.uk/our-brands/steakhouse-bar-and-grill/birmingham/menus and click ‘book’ in the top right.

Or, if you’d rather phone them directly, all you’ll need is this number to get in contact with their reservations team: 0121 634 3433. You’ll be sure to have a superb, and filling, experience! Book your table today, and get excited about Christmas at Marco’s. And yes, there’s plenty of crackers to pull too.

Written by Katie McDonald, on behalf of Grapevine Birmingham