A popular UK food vlogger has praised a Birmingham restaurant as the best dining experience of his career. Gary Hanna, known as Gary Eats on YouTube, rated Opheem 10 out of 10 after sampling its five-course menu. The Indian eatery, recently awarded a second Michelin star, impressed him with its innovative dishes.
Gary Hanna, who runs the YouTube channel Gary Eats and has amassed over 430,000 subscribers through his candid food reviews across the UK, recently dined at Opheem in Birmingham's city centre. Located on Summer Row and run by chef Aktar Islam, the restaurant earned its second Michelin star shortly before Hanna's visit. He opted for the £145 five-course tasting menu, during which Islam personally explained the ingredients and preparation methods for each plate.
The meal began with gajar, featuring lentil pakora, tandoori carrot, and mint and coriander elements. Hanna expressed surprise at his enthusiasm, stating, "I can't believe I'm getting excited about carrot and lentil pakora. I'm getting excited because of the aroma. That's the best carrot I've ever tasted in my life. What makes it is a korma sauce, so creamy and the oil adds another layer."
Next came aloo tuk, made with pink fir potato and tamarind, which Hanna jokingly said made him consider turning vegetarian, calling it a 'beautiful' dish. The third course, haleem—a mutton-based porridge with lamb tendon stock and milk bread—offered complex textures and flavors. He noted, "I don't know how many elements is in the porridge. I'm getting crunchiness with a background of spices. You can taste the lamb but I'm getting an oat flavour which is coming from the porridge."
For the main, an Asian-inspired venison dish arrived alongside Nepalese-style dumplings. Hanna remarked that venison is typically too pricey for him to order but praised the dumplings as the best he had ever tasted. The dessert, seb—a samosa-style item with spiced apples and brown butter ice cream—left him reluctant to end the three-hour meal, describing it as 'clever cooking.'
Outside the restaurant, Hanna gave Opheem a perfect 10/10 score, highlighting the carrot and potato courses as two of the finest he had encountered. He concluded, "This was the best experience I've ever had and loved every aspect of it."
