With its palace chef, Brambles is very much up to scratch (From Dorset Society)

With its palace chef, Brambles is very much up to scratch

6:00am Monday 1st March 2010

By Nicky Findley »

IF it’s good enough for the Prince of Wales, then the fine cuisine served at the new Brambles bar and restaurant in Broadstone must surely be good enough for anyone.

For when he’s not catering for royalty at the palace, chef Darren Blunden is working in the kitchen at one of the newest and smartest places to drink and dine in Moor Road.

And although it only opened its doors last November, it would seem that many people have already taken Brambles to their hearts.

When we visited on a recent weeknight, many of the cream leather stools and light wood tables near the bar were occupied and there were already a few diners in the restaurant.

The place had a chic London wine bar feel to it, decorated in chocolate browns and creams and it still smells and feels brand new.

After a warm welcome by general manager Charlie Burbidge-King we perched on one of the stools and enjoyed some pre-dinner drinks before heading across to the dining area.

It’s all open-plan so you can see into the kitchen – always a bonus in my book – and adorned with vases of fresh lilies.

As you might expect from a royal chef, the menu is fantastic, offering a wide range of exotic sounding dishes using – wherever possible – fresh local ingredients.

I chose a smoked haddock Arnold Bennett (£6.95) to start that was on offer in place of the marinated calamari with brushetta toasts and black ink skura (£6.75).

Beautifully presented in a mini pan on a fine china plate, the tender chunks of fresh, white fish were perfectly complemented by an exquisite hollandaise sauce which was so creamy and tasty that I savoured every mouthful.

My husband plumped for the Brambles confit duck pie with crispy crackling and petite salad (£6.95). The duck was perfectly cooked and topped with a swede and carrot puree and smooth mashed potato. Although it was a good size portion it wasn’t too filling and the side portion of crackling was inspired – not at all greasy – just light and crispy and melted in the mouth.

To follow he had the oven-roasted Horton rib-eye steak topped with braised garlic Dorset snails, pomme puree and fine beans (£18).

Although I’m not a huge fan of snails – I had to try one and was pleasantly surprised – it was meaty and tender. Darren who co-owns Brambles with Andrew Coleman said that the Wimborne-based snail farm has even managed to break into the French market – no mean feat by any standards!

I went for the pan-seared fillet of wild bream with brown shrimp bourguignon, a pomme fondant and feves (£15.75).

It was full of different flavours and textures – the bream was light and delicate and practically fell off the bones so I didn’t have to fiddle around picking them out.

As I don’t have a particularly sweet tooth I tend to forgo puddings but I couldn’t resist the Dorset honey and vanilla panna cotta with honeycomb and bee pollen tea (£6.50) washed down with a glass of chilled dessert wine. Perfect.

My husband opted for the locally sourced cheeses and a glass of port to finish.

Even though the place was empty by the time we had finished, Darren was happy to sit and chat with us even though he had to be up early the next morning for a catering event at St James’s Palace.

With his enthusiasm and expertise, this is a place that is bound to do well – we’ve already made plans to head back soon.

• Brambles, 13, Moor Road, Broadstone, BH18 8AZ, 01202 693600 or see website in related links