It’s been almost a year since the beloved ‘Japanese Restaurant of the Year’ launched in Birmingham. The award-winning Maneki Ramen was maybe born in Worcester, but has hit new heights with the opening of its second site in the Jewellery Quarter. And it’s celebrating its first anniversary with a new, intimate Chef’s Table tasting menu.
Debuting on Saturday, May 30, the Chef’s Table experience will feature a 9-course tasting menu—blending the two traditional Japanese styles of Kaiseki, which focuses on seasonality and refined presentation, and Omakase dining, which translates as ‘I leave it up to you’ and centres on a menu of the chef’s choice.
Chef’s Table will reflect Pete Dovaston’s distinctive culinary perspective, shaped by his experience working in Japan and a deep respect for traditional techniques. Having refined his craft in an Omakase restaurant in Tokyo, the Head Chef brings an approach “rooted in seasonality, intuition and precision, balancing bold, expressive flavours.”
What will I taste at Maneki Ramen’s Chef’s Table?
Across a 9-course menu, with the option to pair with a wine or soft drinks flight, signature dishes will incorporate a variety of cooking methods and ingredients, including raw and cooked seafood, meats, rice, and broths. Courses could include:
- Sourdough Shokupan bread
- Lobster sashimi with smoked beef fat tart
- Cornish crab with crab head emulsion and smoked caviar
- Shiitake-stuffed Tebasaki chicken wing
- Duck and aji yaki gyoza with Manchego cheese skirt
- Scallop with green apple and elderflower dashi
- Sake-cured chicken liver parfait with rhubarb boshi
- Oyster chawanmushi with oyster karaage and seaweed hollandaise
- Cod with cauliflower and caviar
- Konbu dry-aged Devonshire duck with duck korokke and tonkatsu sauce
- Miso custard caramel tart with matcha crema
The Chef’s Table will operate with extremely limited availability, offering just two sittings every Saturday at 6pm and 8pm, with four to five guests per sitting. Priced at £125 per person excluding service, the experience is designed to be both intimate and interactive, seated close to the action as Pete personally prepares and presents each course.
“Working in Tokyo shaped the way I think about food,” says Chef Pete Dovaston. “It’s about trusting the seasons, respecting the ingredients, and creating something that feels balanced but still exciting. Chef’s Table is a chance to share that approach in a more personal way.”
To learn more and book your seat at Maneki Ramen, head here.
