Epi Restaurant is located in Bromsgrove a little outside of Birmingham in Worcestershire.

The Epi concept is one that is innovative. Nathan Eades is an excellent chef, his vegetarian creations were thoughtful and innovative, sublime in texture with no risotto or pasta in sight.

I had heard many excellent reports of Epi. From their pop ups in Kings Heath in Birmingham which were well received, though I didn’t make any of their nights I knew Nathan was a creative sympathetic chef when it came to vegetarian food and had thus kept an eye on his movements.

Epi headed to Bromsgrove and has been open close to a year so I thought it was about time I tasted the Epi concept in the beautiful courtyard in which it resides.

Ruth and I headed to Bromsgrove on a Friday night and found the courtyard to be a beautiful setting for what was to prove to be a fine evening.

The building Epi at the Courtyard is in has delightful period details, low beams and a creaking floor and staircase. It has a lovely atmosphere, with nooks and a small intimate feel that is charming and quaint with a winding stair case that leads to an upstairs restaurant where we sat. There is also a downstairs section too.

Nathan and his wife and business partner Charlie run the restaurant jointly. Charlie looks after front of house and Nathan the kitchen.

Ruth and I chose the 5 course menu. Ruth had the non vegetarian.

The dishes I ate were not off a set menu but created on the night adapting the main menu with the ingredients at hand. This makes for an organic and challenging process that keeps dishes fresh.

We began with some beautiful home made bread.

I began with the Sweetcorn fritters, Sweetcorn relish, celeriac, remoulade, (veggie BBQ)

Well cooked Sweetcorn fritters with a subtle notes of Sweetcorn relish. With a thinly sliced celeriac remoulade offering a bite of mustard. (Celeri remoulade) which gave it a BBQ flavour. A lovely dish.

To follow I had what was called Cauliflower tasting, roasted florets, purée, couscous, tempura, carpaccio.

My favourite dish on the night. Beautiful contrasting textures of cauliflower, perfect for the cauliflower lover. The roasted cauliflower and the purée sitting on a bed of couscous like rice offering contrasting textures. Every texture of cauliflower shone through independently to make a complete dish. Absorbing.

To follow I had the Roast shallots, blue cheese croquettes, onion purée/ash/pickled.

The roast shallots harmonised well with the blue cheese croquettes to create a pickled texture that worked well.

Then came the fennel braised in orange, heritage carrots, watercress purée, roasted millet couscous.

A delicious combination of flavours, a fine main course dish the carrots offering a crunch against the purée of the watercress and the brayed fennel with the subtle sweetness of orange on a bed of millet couscous.

A lovely dish.

For desert Ruth and I had the same dish it was stunning.

The white chocolate mousse, blackberry purée, foraged blackberries macerated in port with pistachio crumble and praline lemon curd.

A complex desert, lavish and decadent. A lush port flavour complimented by the wild blackberry, offering a splash of colour. The mousse creamy and full of lovely chocolate flavour.

The service was friendly throughout without being intrusive.

Nathan is an enthusiastic chef who shows a generous flair for creating superb and memorable vegetarian dishes. Very high end on style and flavours, the textures are sophisticated and worthy of the hard work he puts into his menu and restaurant.

Epi at the courtyard is a lovely restaurant that is as good as many more expensive restaurants in the midlands and for vegetarians it is a dream. Well worth a trip out to.

It cannot be recommended more than that.

Epi at The Courtyard
Satchwells Court
High street
Bromsgrove
Worcestershire
B61 8AQ

http://www.epirestaurant.co.uk
@RestaurantEpi

01527878242

Epirestaurant@hotmail.co.uk

We paid for our own meal. My opinions are my own and honest of the food and the service.