Mint Restaurant, Little Aston

Sometimes you just know when you're about to come across something special,

First was the address. One of the most exclusive locations in the West Midlands, residents of Little Aston's palatial homes have included a string of footballers and celebrities, including former England manager Graham Taylor and Waking the Dead actor Trevor Eve.

Any business wanting to survive in this well-heeled environment certainly needs to be in a league of its own.

The second was the website, which I came across looking for the postcode for the sat-nav, having not had much cause to frequent these parts before.

Images of candelabras in dimly-lit windows and perfectly laid tables in luxurious surroundings made this spot look particularly appealing. But it was the invitation to vote Mint as the best restaurant on Gordon Ramsey's F Word that really stood out. It takes a brave soul to want to be grilled by the acid-tongued culinary king, but someone at Mint certainly reckons it's up there with the best. Picking out my Sunday best, last weekend I went to find out if it was.

Mint is situated on pretty, tree-lined Thornhill Road, among a row of designer boutiques I'm sure are regular haunts of Little Aston's ladies and gents.

The restaurant is opposite Sutton Park and takes up a beautifully-converted building which apparently used to be Fenwick's clothes shop. Its black and white frontage exudes Tudor-style, and it has a balcony with a terrace that would be lovely to sit out on in summer.

There were no spaces at the front of the restaurant, so we left the car round the corner in Burnett Road.

While full of historic character outside, inside it is modern and chic, with black leather seating and wooden floors. One wall is covered in a black and white paisley pattern, hiding huge wardrobes which our coats were put in on arrival.

There are around 10 tables, and three were full when we arrived last Sunday, one with a family of seven and two couples on the others.

I noticed a secluded, circular spot just next to the bar which looked particularly cosy, but we were led to an equally pleasant spot by the window.

We immediately relaxed into our surroundings, accompanied by a smooth soundtrack of chill-out tunes that included Gabrielle and 90s trip-hop band Morcheeba.

Mint is a great advocator of locally-produced food and drink. The Freedom lager my friend ordered was brewed in Abbots Bromley in Staffordshire, the sirloin of beef hails from Great Wyrley, while the pigeon from Drayton Bassett in Tamworth is apparently a popular choice, as is the Packington pork, from Barton-under-Needwood, near Lichfield.

Our attentive waitress, Rhiannon, offered us a choice of four freshly-baked breads from a large basket and was happy to bring more at our request. It's a small but welcome touch that I find sets very good restaurants apart from the rest.

The menu is limited, with just six starters and mains, but it is full of exotic sounding, yet very British fare, such as the tian of Devonshire crab and taste of local rabbit. And while the main menu could not be described as cheap, judging by the painstakingly-presented plates that were being delivered to the tables around us you clearly get what you pay that little bit extra for (and it is only a little bit).

A fellow diner had to ask what the crispy duck egg and hen's egg entailed, and was given an in-depth description lasting what seemed like several minutes.

The blow-by-blow elaborate account omitted no detail but while I was mesmerised at the time, the only detail I can recall as I write this was something about the egg being brushed with Japanese breadcrumbs, which are apparently much finer than our own.

In the end our four-strong group decided to order from the Sunday supper menu, which offers a very reasonable two courses for £15.95, or three for £17.95. We chose a French Sauvignon Blanc at £20 to accompany it.

Two of our party chose carrot and ginger soup - a very full plateful of a rich, tasting soup that was of such a bright colour it was almost luminous. It was described as "full of flavour" albeit with "more ginger than carrot", but both were delighted with their choice.

The third diner had sardines on toast - that wonderful comfort food we remarked we hadn't enjoyed since our school days. Bathed in a tasty tomato sauce, and light pieces of toasted bread, it certainly got the thumbs up.

My choice was chicken liver parfait, a large helping of which came with two small slices of toast and an absolutely delicious, fruity marmalade. I then had pan-fried rainbow river trout, a fillet of fish which was nestled atop a generous portion of creamed leeks and leek rosti. Cooked in a tasty almond butter, it was creamy, fresh, and one of those meals you really don't want to end.

My companions chose the other three mains on the supper menu.

The Derbyshire beef came in two large slices, a huge Yorkshire pudding and was covered in a rich, meaty gravy. It was served with a side order of fresh vegetables and super-soft roast potatoes.

The rack of Packington pork was accompanied with black pudding from Cork in Ireland, apple sauce and savoy cabbage, and the crispy hen's egg was a lighter meal that came on a bed of asparagus.

All were beautifully presented, and far from being the tiny portions some fine restaurants serve, we were all absolutely stuffed and decided to stick to two courses instead of three.

A cappucino to finish brought our bill, with a £10 service charge, to £114.73 - which I thought was very reasonable for the first class service and food we received.

Our evening at Mint had been a memorable one, and I'd certainly go back here again, particularly for a special occasion. It certainly delivered what we'd hoped - classy surroundings, attentive service and very fine food.

Would it meet Mr Ramsay's standards? I think so.

We added our vote to the website - hopefully some of you might too.

ADDRESS

Mint Restaurant, 52 Thornhill Road, Little Aston, B74 3EN

Phone: 0121 353 0488

www.mint-restaurant.com

MENU SAMPLE

Duo of Elmhurst farm white and green asparagus, with parmesan shavings and poached egg, £5; Potted smoked ham hock - poached egg yolk, pea cream, fresh pea and honeycomb salad, £7; Pan-fried mackerel - pickled cucumber, soused mackerel, mackerel pate, coriander and parsley mustard, £7; Taste of local rabbit, light tarragon stew, roasted loin and faggot, £16; Roast cod with truffled leek, morel puree, warm potato and parma ham terrine, £16; Sirloin of Staffordshire beef, with watercress puree, wild mushroom and red onion rosti, £19