There was a big birthday at Brum Towers this month. When confronted by the relentless passage of time, you can either hide under the duvet or put on your glad rags and go big.

Well, you can’t go much bigger that Brum’s first two-Michelin-star restaurant, so on went the velvet jacket and off we popped to Opheem.

We first visited Aktar Islam’s cracking restaurant not long after it opened in 2018 when we were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. And oh my, hasn’t she aged well. By which we mean Opheem! The first thing you clock is just how awesome and welcoming all the staff are – always a good sign. We were shepherded into a very comfortable and swanky bar area for fizz and snacks and kicked off events with a lively apple and cucumber shot followed by a series of amazing little canapes that included an oyster emulsion with red Kashmir chilli broth and an apple macaron with spiced beef tartare and duck liver – all fab but a special note for the mango tuile with lettuce gel and mango chutney that was incredibly pretty and entirely delicious. We had arrived with high expectations, and we were now properly excited.

For the main event, it’s through to a separate dining room that’s tastefully decorated and adorned with spectacular ceiling lights and the now obligatory, open kitchen. We’d already selected a five-course tasting menu but there’s a 10-course option if you want the full experience. There’s an interesting and extensive wine list, but we decided to put ourselves in the hands of affable Georgian sommelier, Stefan, and opted for a wine flight which is thoroughly recommended. Now let the culinary journey begin…

At this point we could chat through every course in great detail, and you could either nod off or assume we’d been treated to a freebie (we hadn’t) but let’s just say everything was in varying degrees of awesome. Highlights included the tandoori sand carrot with lentil pakora, mint and coriander – a glorious dish that actually made us a bit emotional; a delightful, street food-inspired, pink fir potato with tamarind, potato espuma and spiced potato croutons; and a perfectly cooked venison saddle, with a thin, braised neck momo and a gorgeous, deeply delicious croquette with a rich spiced sauce – no words.

All finished with an incredible dessert of granny smith apple with sorrel, cinnamon and brown butter before returning to the lounge for coffee and grappa by the fire with some rather fine petit fours, courtesy of the in-house chocolatier. High expectations entirely exceeded.

There’s no pretending that Opheim’s cheap. At £145 per head for the five-course menu, it’s probably not somewhere you’d pop into for a mid-week treat, but it’s completely excellent and entirely worth the investment. Should you prefer, there’s also a lunchtime a la carte menu from £75 which really does seem like good value. Either way, you should go – you’re worth it – and if it’s not your big birthday, just pretend!