The top line: Located at The Goodsyard in Birmingham, the restaurant is run by Mills, whose previous experience includes stints at The Cross at Kenilworth and Mallory Court, alongside his partner Hannah, and has just eight seats arranged around a kitchen counter. Sǣl promises an intimate dining experience that is ‘immersive and deeply rooted in the seasons’. The concept focuses on low-waste cooking, with the drinks list also making use of waste from the kitchen. Originally established as a pop-up, Sǣl marks Mills’ return to a permanent bricks-and-mortar site following the closure of his Leamington Spa restaurant The Tame Hare after the pandemic. Plans for the restaurant were first announced in April last year, with the intention of opening that summer.
On the menu: Sǣl runs a single sitting per service serving a tasting menu that ‘evolves in step with the landscape, driven by hyper-seasonal produce and the finest local suppliers.’ Priced at £100, the menu kicks off with beetroot, hot sauce and crème fraîche, followed by a course titled ‘our scone’, before moving on to scallops with hazelnut, rhubarb and elderflower; leek with potato and walnut; trout with magnolia and tomato; lamb with elderberry and allium; and artichoke with tonka. The menu concludes with gooseberry with yoghurt and meadowsweet, followed by tomato with peppercorn. The drinks programme, as well as the front of house, is led by Asher Beardsmore.
The vibe: Sǣl’s eight-seat counter creates an intimate setting with diners seated directly around the kitchen. The interior follows the restaurant’s focus on seasonality and its local roots, with soft furnishings, natural textures and artwork sourced from local galleries.
And another thing: The name, which comes from an Old English word meaning a gathering of townsfolk to celebrate harvest, seasonality and community, is the same as that used by Jason Atherton for his modern British brasserie that opened on the former Aquavit site in London’s St James’s area in 2024. The restaurant is understood to have closed earlier this summer.
5 Station Way, The Goodsyard, Birmingham, B18 6FH