Brawn

My daughter and I chanced by Brawn one day whilst waiting for the dog to be groomed nearby.....We both chose the Dorset crab tortellini with shrimp beurre blanc..To say it was delicious was an understatement..It was just the best thing ever. It was the sort of dish that once you'd finished it, you wanted to say noooo.. We rounded off the meal with dessert (chocolate ganache - fab) and two glasses of Sicillian Lemonade (not wanting to be drunk in control of recently groomed dog) ...The bill came to £46.65 and my daughter said she would have happily paid that for just the tortellini...

I dont have the bad time with service others seem to have when I go here. Always nice to me and the food is normally pretty good. Dont think it is quite as good as when it first opened but I still enjoy the food and the wine here

I have never in my life felt inclined to write a review for a restaurant, but the experience I had at Brawn was so shocking I had to do something. My friend was very eager to have her birthday dinner there, and the only time available was 10 PM. Admittedly, we arrived a little late (ten minutes), but had to wait another half an hour before they finally got us a table. When the food came my meal was forgotten. An understandable mistake, so I happily occupied myself with the pathetic niblets of cheese until it finally arrived after everybody else had finished. It wasn't worth the wait. A very stringy, dry duck, next to some salad that more closely resembled a sad garnish sat before me, but at least it was edible. When the bill came, I was surprised to see we had been charged for my duck. I've worked as a waitress, and just figured this was down to a misunderstanding. When the waitress came over, we politely pointed out that we had been charged for the late meal, but received a reaction as if we had asked for a doggy poo in a doggy bag. She went to get the manager. "Ah, just a misunderstanding. All will be well". The aggression we received from the manager (and piercing daggers flying from eyes from the entire waiting staff) took me totally by surprise. "Did you eat it?" I was interrogated. "Well, yes", I replied. "Well then you HAVE to pay for it". I almost told her that by the time I received it I would have eaten one of the pretentious Tour De France posters on the wall, or my arm with some salt on it, but stopped myself. Were we in a hipster MacDonalds? I did tell her the truth: that I was embarrassed for her, and for the establishment, and that none of us would eat there again or recommend it to a soul. If you like style over substance, watery wine, rude service, and a poor cheese selection then this is the spot for you! Otherwise, go anywhere else.

We dined here for a friend's birthday and it was a complete shambles. We were a group of 10 or so, which perhaps is larger than they usually deal with, but they did accept the booking. We were ignored for nearly 40 minutes (no wine list, no bread, nothing!) before being told most of the dishes were now gone. They served dishes missing their listed ingredients - mozzarella with broad beans arrived with no broad beans - returned with 3 measly beans chopped and scattered on top with a "is this ok?". We were quite bemused as it really bordered on comedy - they seemed to be purposefully avoiding us. The food we eventually got was nice, but there's no way I'd ever recommend this place for a group. I'd like to try it again with just one or two people and see if we experience the same level of service. Completely strange.

I can see why Brawn would recieve such mixed reviews having eaten there last night. Yes it's on the pricey side, yes some of the dishes are hit and miss and a bit small but overall myself and dining partners had a great time. High points were the service which was excellent while being informal and well timed; the setting decor; and the wine list. On the menu side of things the black pudding with ducks egg was sublime with the fois gras, onglet and snails, chopped beef and pork belly all excellent. I would have to agree with some posters that the mushroom and pea risotto was too rich and also I found the heirloom tomatos to be over seasoned. We were however being treated by a business associate so the £280 for four (ouch) was picked up by him. For that though we did have about 12-14 dishes and three bottles of wine.

I honestly can't comprehend the good reviews this place is getting, I've had an absoute terrible experience at Brawn. First, I called to make a booking and the host said that they were full, however, after attempting the place regardless, once there, they took us right in. That's all fine, as maybe they did have a lot of no-shows. Anyways, we ordered 2 platters, the cheese and charcuterie, assuming that two platters would be well enough to share amongst 2 people (as the waitress suggested). I get new cuisine, but this was insulting, £13 for 3 tiny tiny pieces of cheese, no variety whatsoever, then the charcuterie was even more embarrassing with barely anything on it. Considering the lack of generosity of their portions, we asked for more bread, to at least compensate, and after asking 3 times, we finally get some extra bread, 40 minutes later. Anyways, for 2 platters, a bottle of wine, and an extra slice of cheese, our bill came to almost £60, and we were still starving. I never review places I go to, but my experience there was that disappointing. 0/5

Brawn is now perhaps becoming too successful for its own good. The menu is still interesting but hasn't changed much since the restaurant opened almost two years ago. The service is average although you can see that some waiters (unfortunately not all) are trying hard to please. It's a shame because it's a good formula and a good location. Overall, could do much better.

Always amazing - Great service and better food.

Went for Sunday brunch and the ambience was great. Interiors are lovely. Had the poached quail which was ok. My favourite dish was the asparagus with anchovies - divine. Overall great food but extremely overpriced. Service was good but be prepared to wait. We were lined up without being acknowledged by a staffer, but I guess this goes to show how busy and popular this joint was.

Best meal i've ever had in the UK!