Trillium, Birmingham B4: ‘There’s a general feeling of people – gasp! – actually enjoying life’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants

<p>I’m somewhat in love with this weird, bold, silly restaurant</p><p><a href="https://www.trilliumrestaurant.co.uk/">Trillium</a>, the latest Birmingham restaurant by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/chefglynnpurnell">Glyn Purnell</a>, is absolutely not one of those po-faced, sedate, mumbly kind of places where some <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/feb/22/ludovico-einaudi-blend-elements-eat-similar-composing-music">Ludovico Einaudi</a> is piped plinky-plonkily throughout the dining room while guests stiffly eat six teensy courses. In fact, it’s quite the opposite, even if Purnell, via the likes of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/dec/18/purnells-birmingham-restaurant-review">Purnell’s</a> and <a href="https://platesbypurnells.com/">Plates</a>, is pretty much synonymous throughout the Midlands with fancy, special-occasion, Michelin star-winning refinement. Yet on a recent Saturday night, in this brand new, glass-fronted, multicoloured mock birdcage, the talk is loud, the music is roaring and the plates of battered potato scallop with soured cream are appearing thick and fast.</p><p>Trillium is a genuine attempt by a Michelin-starred restaurateur to translate some of their best bits into a semi-rowdier yet still upmarket stage. It’s been attempted many times by other chefs (see <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/jan/18/corenucopia-by-clare-smyth-london-sw1-grace-dent-restaurant-review">Corenucopia</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/mar/21/bar-valette-london-e2-grace-dent-restaurant-review">Bar Valette</a> for details), but, miraculously, Purnell seems to have pulled it off. There’s a general feeling of people – gasp! – actually enjoying life. Naturally, you can, if you feel like splashing out, add some <a href=&quo