New Angel, The

The New Angel restaurant located on the picturesque waterfront in the beautiful coastal town of Dartmouth, Devon, offers some of the finest views in this incredibly picturesque area.  Formerly The Carved Angel, the ebullient John Burton-Race, following his return from culinary adventures in French Leave, took over the restaurant in 2004, renovated the building extensively, and on 27th May 2004 The New Angel welcomed its first customers.

In typical JBR style the approach is outwardly relaxed, with a completely different interior design, which happily combines antique chandeliers with modern furniture and traditional colours.

Within eight months after opening, the restaurant was awarded a Michelin star which it proudly retains to this day. Following this, it received the prestigious AA restaurant of the year award 2005/2006. Now, reopened after a rather rocky financial period, New Angel warrants renewed attention.

Five minutes away from the restaurant JBR has fitted out six rooms, five doubles and one twin, at The New Angel Rooms with such exotic names as Mill Pool, Compass Cove and Paradise Point. All rooms offer a greeting of a complimentary bottle of wine, biscuits and other snacks, with a plasma screen TV to watch as you relax. A wide diversity of bed styles includes a huge wooden framed job with an impressive carved headboard, a four poster, and in Mount Boone a vast roll-top bath dominates the bathroom.

In keeping with the relaxed atmosphere that Executive Chef John Burton-Race wishes to create, a menu has been put together which offers fruits of the sea in abundance and plenty of choices beyond.

Some of the highlights of the modern European menu featuring local ingredients might start with New Angel fish soup with rouille, garlic croutons and Gruyere cheese, or carpaccio of Dexter beef with horseradish cream, rocket salad and parmesan, before moving on to saddle of Blackawton lamb, with garlic creamed potato and a tomato, smoked bacon and basil minestrone, or half a grilled Dartmouth lobster, garlic and herb butter, new potatoes and dressed salad leaves.

The French-favoured wine list bears evidence of the care that went into L'Ortolan and The Landmark, with six quality house wines and five each of white, red and rose by the glass, moving on to a well-bred selection that also takes in some of the more interesting regions and vineyards world-wide.

Classic desserts such as glazed lemon tart with an orange sorbet or iced vanilla parfait with warm spiced cherries compete with the New Angel crème brulée for favour. 
The open kitchen on the lower floor offers a view of the buzzing kitchen while the upper dining room creates a more intimate setting, making it suitable for business or informal and group dining.

Breakfast is served from 08.30, and what better place to enjoy a relaxed full English than looking out over this safe haven, home to some of England's finest naval tradition.

While the recent television connection may have brought The New Angel into the limelight, the man once famously described by Gordon Ramsay as "a bit of a hardass", whatever that may mean, is unlikely to allow an opportunity like his rejuvenated venture in Dartmouth to pass un-noticed and JBR's New Angel is one to watch.