Opheem becomes Birmingham's first two Michelin-starred restaurant

Opheem has become Birmingham's first restaurant to receive two Michelin stars

An Indian fine dining restaurant has become the first in Birmingham to receive two Michelin stars.

Opheem, in the city centre, was given the prestigious award for what Michelin described as its "highly original Indian cooking."

Chef and owner Aktar Islam, who is from Aston, said on X the recognition was "an incredible honour".

The restaurant was among six in the UK to be given two stars at a Michelin Guide ceremony in Manchester on Monday.

Aktar Islam said he was "still on cloud nine"

The eatery, described by Mr Islam as "progressive Indian cuisine," opened in Summer Row in 2018.

It was awarded its first Michelin star in October 2019.

At the ceremony, Mr Islam said his journey started 31 years ago when he "got kicked out of school."

"It just goes to show what this industry can give someone with no prospects, and here I am," he added.

Opheem said on its website it was "striving to push the boundaries with Indian flavours"

Mr Islam told the BBC the city's first two-star rating was a "momentous event" that had "never happened before" in Birmingham.

"I'm still on cloud nine, I'm in outer space, the feeling is just incredible, my phone hasn't stopped going all day," he said.

"I'm just very happy being a Brummie born and bred that I've been able to be part of that, me and my team, we've been able to deliver something that the city has never seen before."

Aktar Islam said the rating was also good for the city

Opheem, along with GymKhana in London, also became the first Indian restaurant in the UK to achieve two-stars at Monday's ceremony.

Mr Islam said his restaurant's team had been celebrating their success until "too late" but were "loving the moment" following the award.

"To be able to say, we as a city now do have two Michelin stars, we've always proudly said that we are one of the destinations in the world for gastronomy, and we can actually stamp it now."