Newell
Sherborne, Dorset
Rented from the local boys’ school and decorated like a boarding house (with five letting rooms upstairs), this singular enterprise is the latest offering from chef Paul Merrony, who may be familiar to Guide readers from his time at the Giaconda Dining Room (RIP) in Soho. With help from Trace Petersen, he has developed Newell on a shoestring and there’s a refreshing, dated honesty about its plain light-wood tables, pink napkins, dark-green walls and grandma’s sideboards. The menu is scribbled on a blackboard, a modest line-up of classic French bistro staples with a few Italian add-ons. Come here for smoked salmon mousse, hake cassoulet or lamb rump and braised shoulder with dauphinoise potatoes – although top calls at inspection included ‘one of the best warm goat’s cheese salads you’re ever likely to try’. To follow, a flawless rendition of osso buco with risotto milanese arrived in two dishes: one for the juicy meat and shin bone in a sweet, beefy stock; another for the ‘deliciously sloppy, slightly cheesy, very buttery’ rice. Among the desserts, a combo of five outrageously plump Agen prunes soaked in Armagnac and served with a dollop of cold rice pudding, plus some toasted almonds, was another ‘simple showstopper’. Trace Petersen is a congenial host with bags of local knowledge, and plenty of care has been lavished on the 60-bin wine list, which kicks off at £21 for an easy-drinking Le Lesc, Côtes de Gascogne.
Dining Information:
Accommodation, Private dining room, No background music
Greenhill, Sherborne, Dorset DT9 4EP
01935 710386
