the dining scene in birmingham continues to evolve and notable restaurants included "two cats kitchen" which opened in warstone lane in the jewellery quarter in july 2015 after a period of operating as a "pop-up" restaurant called "two cats roaming" in various locations. its midlands-born chef and owner, niki astley, who established the restaurant with his latvian partner diana fjordorova, had previously worked at "white horse" in fulham and "the church" in birmingham's jewellery quarter. two cats kitchen specialised in "new baltic cuisine" and intended to "shed light on baltic-russian cuisine by recognising traditional dishes and attempting new ones". notable dishes were "beetroot and buttermilk gazpacho" and a dessert of celeriac ice cream pears, birch biscuit and verbena. the 2017 edition of the michelin guide great britain and ireland included "two cats" in its listing of birmingham restaurants. in march 2017 astley announced that the food presented at two cats would have less emphasis on "new baltic" food and would be given a "wider culinary exploration" but the restaurant closed on 30 september 2017.