Blacklock, Birmingham

I first went to a Blacklock in 2015. I wrote about it in 2022 for the first time. By my estimates I’ve been about a dozen times to varying sites in the last ten years, including the opening of Canary Wharf and, more recently, an ill-fated afternoon in Soho that left me a lovely scar on my forehead and a £300 Uber back to Birmingham. I like Blacklock. Must do given the amount of times I’ve been. And yet I’m struggling to reach the same fever pitch of excitement over the opening in Birmingham. I have already eaten everything on the menu several times over. When it comes to Blacklock I’ve been there and I’ve bloodied the tote bag. It looks like other Blacklocks; undeniably handsome, it doesn’t intimidate, with tables close enough to eavesdrop under the light that goes from dim to dark as dinner progresses. It’s old London in new Birmingham, on the street with all the other meat places from other cities. The team wear what they want, and the bar buzzes with the chink of glass on glass.…