Soulshine

At first glance, Soulshine is a humble café – a cluster of bar stools fronting a silver espresso machine, with a selection of cakes placed on the bar. Follow a corridor, however, and you enter a semi-secret dining room – a bohemian space with a profusion of potted plants, where artworks, chairs and cushions come in bright primary colours, and locals drop by to plunder a similarly colourful small-plates menu four evenings a week.

By and large, the kitchen lets the ingredients speak for themselves: Baron Bigod brie with salted walnuts and a drizzle of Devon honey makes for a moreish opening act, swiftly succeeded by the more complex flavours of Dorset venison, pork and sloe salami, served alongside cornichons. There’s also plenty of imagination at play in tightly choreographed medleys such as peach with whipped ricotta, pickled onion and almonds or beetroot with barley, black garlic and hazelnuts – though a standout when we visited was the umami punch of tamari-glazed cod with romesco and agretti.

Puddings include simple, satisfying offerings such as a dark chocolate pot with cherries, or perhaps affogato with locally roasted Goose & Badger coffee. Also look out for set-menu supper clubs, as well as winning breakfasts featuring the likes of shakshuka and locally foraged mushrooms. As for drinks, an extremely succinct but eclectic wine list has bottles from £27.