Upstairs by Tom Shepherd

My husband and I recently joined a Thursday evening sitting with a lovely table in direct line of sight with the kitchen. The ambiance was calm and inviting and staff were incredibly friendly, helpful and impeccably trained. We were delighted to see so many staff members (many in their early 20s) in their various roles being so professional and eager to please, which is indicative of a happy work environment. There was nothing pretentious about the experience but the meal was pure decadence which allowed diners to leave with feelings similar to those felt leaving a spa. Also, don’t be deceived as portions may appear petite but we were comfortably full at the end.Now to the pièce de rèsistance - the food: We hadn’t had the chance since having little ones to make it out for a nice meal in a while so expectations were high. Those high hopes were exceeded by pure perfection. I have honestly never eaten a meal that pleased all of my senses at once.The different flavours and textures achieved were nothing short of a work of art. We started with “snacks” with my absolute favourite being the polenta and truffle fritter, as it just melted in your mouth.The beautiful red cabbage gazpacho with horseradish cream was a palate cleanser that I’ll never forget. The sweet Parker House Roll transported me back to the states balancing the crunchy yet soft and fluffy exterior. The two different butters, one having a marmite flavour, just melted us into our seats. The textures, colours and various flavours from the peanut satay scallop alongside the chicken with sweet corn girolles were to die for. I kept thinking each dish was my favourite until the next arrived. Then… the Herdwick pre-lamb taster and lamb dish main arrived. Now, I don’t particularly like lamb and I never order it. I can honestly say the lamb dishes were my favourite of the whole meal, which says a lot, considering how much I loved the other courses. I was stunned that a smokey flavour could be infused into a piece of baby gem lettuce, adding so much to that particular part of the dish. They even followed the lamb taster with a gorgeous smelling mint hand sanitiser to maximise your senses.The Thai green curry transition palate cleaner was like nothing I had ever tried before. They turned a classic Thai dish into a refreshing and soothing, albeit semi-sweet, pre-dessert.Last, but certainly not least was the show stopping No Ordinary Schoolboy! Now if you don’t like bananas, you would be tempted to give it a miss but one should reconsider. Fortunately, I do and I got to experience why this dish received 10s by the judges in the Great British Menu. It was the most beautifully presented and sensational desert I’ve ever tasted with its nutty, sweet and creamy indulgent flavours and textures. I even indulged and ordered the Banana Manhattan, which also had a similar nuttiness to it.The only thing that could be a suggested change would be to add a local beer to the menu, given its proximity to a brewing capital. However, we appreciate that you can’t have it all and we were not there to taste the beer. I have heard from other friends that the wine tasting/pairing is very good too.This restaurant is an actual gem of Lichfield (fitting as it’s above a jewellery store). It’s something worth experiencing at least once (if not hopefully many more) times in your life. Talent pours from Tom and his team so thank you for giving us a night to remember. We hope to see you again next summer, if not sooner.

Absolutely perfect evening out every time. Second time here, first was for an anniversary but this time it was just because we loved it so much. Tom Sheppard is absolutely brilliant and his team are incredible. Worth Every penny. A definite annual visit for my partner and I

It’s just one of those experiences you have to try. From the minute we got there we felt very special. It was my first time in a Michelin Star restaurant and it just blew me away.The photos on their own don’t do it justice, you have to be there and soak up the whole experience.The service, food and atmosphere are all first class. The front of house team are great and were so friendly and knowledgable. They had time to answer questions (I had lots) and I’m sitting here writing this and wondering when I can get another table.It goes without saying that the kitchen team work really hard to prepare delicious food and to get to try the Great British Menu dish that Tom got to the banquet was quite something.Thanks to everyone for such an amazing time.

An absolutely fabulous dining experience, great food, amazing service and a really nice atmosphere. 'no ordinary school boy' was as good as I hoped it would be as was the rest of the menu. All beautifully cooked and all of it tasted amazing. We'll be returning for sure.

What an amazing experience, food was absolutely delicious, interesting, and conversation-provoking as everyone experienced each dish and explored the different elements. Staff were knowledgeable, attentive and friendly. Faultless all round.

Worth every penny! Highly recommended. long waiting list. booked in april for oct lunch slot. service is good. we went for the full menu. loving it.

We had such a lovely experience at Upstairs. With the warmest welcome with smiling faces waiting for us at the top of the stairs making us feel so special - they kindly took our coats and seated us at our table. All the staff were so kind and genuine talking us through every step of the evening and every course was explained with a backstory and how best to eat it. I had the vegetarian options and they kindly informed both of us on our different courses each time. You could tell they all love their job! The food was incredible, stand outs for me was the butternut squash (wish I could eat this again right now!) the transition thai green curry which just has to be experienced to understand how delicious it is! And of course the ‘no ordinary schoolboy’ which didn’t disappoint even with the very high expectations after the Great British Menu. A really special treat for us and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks so much for the experience, it is one to remember!

Dined here at the kitchen table. I was a little bit unsure about this seating position! However it really was a fabulous experience and still feeling like your in a lovely comfortable restaurant, having Tom in the kitchen and chatting to him was nice to get to know the person behind Upstairs. Food wise it was the full tasting menu, couldn't fault anything it was all beautiful and for a tasting menu they were actually decent portion size eg 3 scallops, in other restaurants we've previously only had 1.

I have been very fortunate to eat here on a number of occasions. Tom and his team never fail to impress. The food is stunning. I don't know how they manage to get such amazing well balanced flavours on the plate. This has become one of my favourite Michelin restaurants and on my door step to boot. If you have not visited yet you must make the effort, you won't be disappointed.A massive thanks and well done to the team.