The New Angel

[MobyP]

All good reasons for taking over an established place, plus two more, an established clientele who will pay reasonable prices (vital) and terrific local produce.

'Reasonable' being Michelin Gourmand-relative in this case...

[d.hawksworth]

I've got a great idea - if it makes it to TV

They could bring back Otis for a heart warming reunion.

I can see it now

" they laughed, cried, and Otis accepted the offer as Sous Chef "

[curlywurlyfi]

I was in Dartmouth at the weekend and the locals are genuinely excited about having him take over the Carved Angel (which he will have to rename, sorry if this is an obvious point - he hasn't bought the name, it's still their brand. Plus the Carved Angel Cafe is still extant in Dartmouth, and was heaving at Saturday lunchtime.) They (locals) see it as a chance for them finally to have a really top-notch restaurant in the area - there are lots of good pubs + decent places to eat (and of course pasties, mmmmm) but nowhere high-end - until now. And if a TV programme is the price to pay for that, well, so be it. Hey, it worked for Jamie Oliver...

[Marco_Polo]

I was in Dartmouth at the weekend and the locals are genuinely excited about having him take over the Carved Angel (which he will have to rename, sorry if this is an obvious point - he hasn't bought the name, it's still their brand.

Oh dear, you mean this wonderful landmark restaurant (with its actual carved angel figurehead) will be lost forever and will become just another good (or who knows) even great restaurant? For those of us who live down this way and have loved going to the Carved Angel for years, even decades, this is very sad news indeed. What's in a name? The Carved Angel resonates with memories, linked to Tom Jaine and Joyce Molyneux of course (I can picture Joyce clearly in the open plan kitchen), and also for us with trips down the coast in our boat, tying up alongside the public quay (three boats abreast, always a very noisy place to overnight, with the hooray-henry drunken yotties clambering all over your deck) and with memories of intimate diners à deux and later lunches en famille. For that hallowed name now to be sold as a 'brand' (gawd, how I hate that word) yet without the soul from which it emanated seems very sad indeed.

Of course none of this has anything to do with what Burton-Race is planning for the future. Who knows, perhaps in time he will create something memorable and lasting, too? Given that television is a driving force behind this, though, and given what has happened to The Seafood Restaurant, I am less optimistic.

Remember, The Carved Angel was not a restaurant that had declined dramatically and was resting on former laurels, or if it was, then it shouldn't have been. The CA was owned by Peter Gorton and his co-owners of the renowned Horn of Plenty in nearby Gulworthy and they certainly could have done something magnificent with this splendid and unique place. It is very disappointing that they chose instead to sell the venue but, somewhat cynically it seems to me, hang on to the name as a 'brand'.

MP

[tony h]

They (locals) see it as a chance for them finally to have a really top-notch restaurant in the area

tell them not to hold their breath

[London Gal]

That means another great place will inevitably go down the spout. Mass market tv will undoubtedly bring the hoardes to Dartmouth...

MP

Don't worry...if we do, we won't be able to park! Unless things have changed (I'm really Devon Gal) it's a nightmare.

[MobyP]

London Gal Welcome!

We've done a deal with JBR - all newbie egulleters get free parking for the first four and a half minutes of their reservation (thereafter 10 quid an hour standard ).

[Andy Lynes]

I've got a great idea - if it makes it to TV

They could bring back Otis for a heart warming reunion.

I can see it now

" they laughed, cried, and Otis accepted the offer as Sous Chef "

In a quite amazing turn of events JBR has re-employed his old sous chef Nigel Marriage who was notoriously caught on hidden camera being very nasty indeed to undercover TV stooge Otis - see news item at the Caterer.

[Marco_Polo]

I now understand that the Carved Angel is no more: it has apparently been renamed the New Angel, completely redecorated, and the carved angel itself - the magnficent ship's figurehead that was a longstanding symbol of this magnificent and legendary restaurant - sits at this moment forlornly in an auction house, waiting to be sold to the highest bidder. First reports (from impeccable sources) of the the New Angel do not warrant rave reviews, though it is of course early days. However, I'm certainly willing to give it a chance: we'll try and nip around the coast - as soon as time and weather permits - to visit for lunch. I do hope that something good can emerge here on the formidable and solid foundations laid by Burton Race's illustrious predecessors. The Carved Angel was more than a restaurant: it was a much loved institution.

MP

[MobyP]

So the New Angel is now officially open? Funny I haven't seen any press.

Here's the website.

[MobyP]

It seems to be quite a casual style of dining.

The Dinner Menu: (Dishes range from £7.50 to £18. )

Roasted local hand-dived scallops with lentils.

Warm salad of skate, new potatoes, fresh peas and mint.

Grilled boned quail with roasted spiced peach.

A bowl of langoustines with a garlic mayonnaise.

Slow roasted duck leg with a hazelnut salad.

Rib of South Devon beef, spiced herb butter with chunky chips.

A whole Slapton seabass baked in a salt crust.

Brixham turbot grilled with fennel.

Pickled local mackerel served with cucumber and sour cream.

Puddings

Harberton raspberries with a white chocolate mousse.

A lemon tart.

And even more casual for Lunch (Dishes range from £6 to £14.)

 

A bowl of fresh local mussels with chunks of crispy bread and a glass of white wine.

A fresh Dartmouth crab salad and a glass of beer.

A warm local goat’s cheese salad with a walnut dressing … try a glass of Sancerre.

Chicken and duck liver parfait, spiced pear chutney with a slice of toasted brioche.

Fresh, Budvar battered fish and chips with a long, cool lager.

Dittisham asparagus with hollandaise sauce … delicious with a glass (or bottle) of good Chablis!

A slice of hot chocolate tart with white chocolate ice cream and a cup of coffee.

A bowl of strawberry ice cream with a buttered shortcake biscuit.

[Marco_Polo]

It seems to be quite a casual style of dining.

Thanks for this link, Moby. It seems quite an enticing and appetising approach and with the freshest shellfish and fish literally on the Dartmouth doorstep it's hard to see how they can go too far wrong. We'll try and get around for lunch over the weekend. My son is in the midst of GCSE exams and, as he keeps reminding us, he needs treats...So do we, come to think of it.

Marc

[Gary Marshall]

did you see the endorsements page?

so that's where all the audi's came from in french leave!

i see he's 'stolen' jennifer ellison's 'chunky chips'

gary

[Matthew Grant]

So the New Angel is now officially open? Funny I haven't seen any press.

Here's the website.

2-star Michelin Chef John Burton Race and his family have moved to Devon to take over the famous Carved Angel restaurant in Dartmouth. Renamed The New Angel, the restaurant has been designed to create a warm, relaxed atmosphere without the formality of old fashioned dining rooms. Here, all members of the family (except dogs!) can enjoy a meal in an unpretentious environment.

Surely that should be "Former 2-start Michelin Chef...."?

[Basildog]

....and the carved angel itself - the magnficent ship's figurehead that was a longstanding symbol of this magnificent and legendary restaurant - sits at this moment forlornly in an auction house, waiting to be sold to the highest bidder.

It would be a nice gesture to give it to Joyce M if she wants it.

[MobyP]

On the looooong drive that is the possibly Damascian road which is oft mistaken as the A30 to Cornwall, we tootled south at just the right moment in order to end up in Dartmouth for luncheon - and weren't we just the happiest fish in the barrel? Had an excellent meal at:

The New Angel

photographic evidence...

Not having known it in its previous incarnation, this is a restaurant full of the over-qualified. Super French staff and desperately serious looking chefs racing under a rather severe looking John B-R. But a warning: this isn't trying to get stars, I think, except inadvertently. The food - a mixture of high and low cooking - was cleanly presented, without being absurd. The odd quenelle, some inadvertent stacking, but nothing out of control. The starters were between £8-12.50. The mains from £10.50 to 22. Generally speaking a very good bargain for what we had.

The main room downstairs is simply done, with a very open kitchen where, enjoyably, you could see them plating the food, component by component; and perhaps less enjoyably, hear J B-R shouting two feet behind him "2 RISOTTOS - HURRY UP!" when a whisper would've done it. Upstairs is the more formal dining room. It looked well done, but I didn't get the chance to really inspect it (what would I have done? Checked the carpets?).

It slumbers on the sea front which was positively anchovied with tourists the day we were there. Not knowing there was a great wedge of ocean front that split Dartmouth off from the rest of Europe, rather like that 'Prisoner' village, we had to take a ferry to get there. And although every other tourist spot was brimming over, the Angel was never more than half full. I was told they were booked out for dinners, however.

Anyway - there were two menus: specials and alc. They're framed with odd sentiments ["You are not obliged to eat three courses, but of course you may if you wish!" and "choose as much or as little as you like" and "copies of French Leave are available to buy at the restaurant"]. The point is, I had a look at the web site before going, and it all looked a little - well - la-di da. Budvar battered fish etc etc, and, really, who cares? Actually, there are some interesting things on the menu.

Encouraged by the sentiment that I wouldn't be thrown in the harbour for ordering - well, quite a lot, actually - to start I had a ham hock and foie gras terrine. This was very nice (just above "not bad," and below 'Super!" on the Effuse-O-Scale). Lovely and porky, with two good wedges of creamy foie passing down the centre.

The wiffery had the terrine of chicken and duck livers - a parfait loaf sort of thing. Also very creamy, and had her Nero-esque thumb (by which many have fallen) pointing skywards.

The mother-in-law had Grilled Fowey mussels with a herb brioche crust, served with green salad. This also was simply done, but with a lovely flavour.

I then went into 'extra-course' land (like an extra dimension, but with more calories), and had the Tortellini of Lobster with sauce vierge. This was fantastic in all regards - and I imagine it was carried over from his halcion days. The lobster was just cooked, and not bulked out with the usual salmon or scallop mousse. The sauce vierge was very subtle - it tasted as if had a vegetable nage base, rather than the oil/lemon/basil usual vierge-lousness. And the large tortelloni (they weren't tortellini at all) were resting on a bed of crushed fresh peas and broad beans. This isn't my sort of dish, generally, but this was one to be proud of.

For mains, my wife had the crab salad starter. A large quenelle of crab resting on something, surrounded by leaves. This had a massive flavour - rather than those droll and pedestrian crab and mayo gloops one finds.

I had the Fillet of Blackawton lamb, crab mousse scented with curry, basmati rice and summer vegetables. This was a little out of place. Good, but a bit fiddly. (Isn't there something like this in the Manoir cookbook - a crab flan or some such next to saddle of lamb? I could be wrong) I imagine this also came from the days on high. The crab mousse - folded around the fillet and attached by invisible means - although a lovely texture, lost much of its flavour behind the lamb. I'm also not much of a fan of French chefs using curry. It's like the French and South East Asia - someone should have warned them before it was too late. I also don't really understand rice used in this context. It seems a little 70's to me.

The M-I-L had a half lobster grilled with garlic butter - and no complaints.

My memory goes hazy on the deserts. I had a vanilla panna cotta - but I forget the punch line - the served with bit. It was very nice. The wiff and MIL shared a chocolate fondant - which was all they required it to be.

It looks like JB-R has brought a sizeable staff with him. The front of house was mostly french. The maitre, a youngish man, said he hadn't seen anything of Dartmouth yet (it's a small town) in the three or four months he'd been there because of working so hard to get the place started. The women, oddly, were wearing unironed rugby shirts - a bit scruffy. The men were all in pressed blue dress shirts. A strange contrast. Behind the pass looked to be a large contingent.

Anyway - the important part of this is that I'd return there in a longish second. It wasn't perfect, but it really, really wasn't trying to be. JBR is obviously fed up with plating langoustinees at 42 degrees. I might not be fed up with eating them, but in the meanwhile a fella has to eat well, no?

Edited September 2, 2004 by MobyP (log)

[curlywurlyfi]

I can't believe you got there before me! I'm going on the 18th (combining it with a trip to see my goddaughter, rather alarmingly referred to by her mother as 'The Screamer').

Fi

On the looooong drive that is the possibly Damascian road which is oft mistaken as the A30 to Cornwall, we tootled south at just the right moment in order to end up in Dartmouth for luncheon - and weren't we just the happiest fish in the barrel? Had an excellent meal at The New Angel

[Marco_Polo]

On the looooong drive that is the possibly Damascian road which is oft mistaken as the A30 to Cornwall, we tootled south at just the right moment in order to end up in Dartmouth for luncheon - and weren't we just the happiest fish in the barrel? Had an excellent meal at:

The New Angel

Thanks for the excellent report, Moby. We've rather been dreading returning to this new and very different manifestation of an old favourite, but it seems significantly different enough as to be virtually unrecognisable. Weather permitting, we're going around to Dartmouth in a convoy by boat in a few weekends, and it might be just the place to get a big table of friends together. The old Carved Angel was always incredibly child-friendly (I remember my son enjoying foie gras there when he was only 4); your report suggests that the New Angel might be equally relaxed with its more informal approach and casual food. A good place for an easy and relaxed family lunch?

Marc

PS Why didn't you stop off here on your journey - we're no more than 5 minutes off the M5/A30? Next time...

[Suzi Edwards]

Tracy MacLeod from the Independant visited The Carved Angel recently

[curlywurlyfi]

The old Carved Angel was always incredibly child-friendly (I remember my son enjoying foie gras there when he was only 4); your report suggests that the New Angel might be equally relaxed with its more informal approach and casual food. A good place for an easy and relaxed family lunch?

Hi Marc

My friends who live in Dartmouth report that it's still child-friendly. great for brunch, apparently.

Fi

(edited to remove extraneous bracket)

Edited September 14, 2004 by curlywurlyfi (log)

[Marco_Polo]

Hi Marc

My friends who live in Dartmouth report that it's still child-friendly.  great for brunch, apparently.

Fi

Hi Fi,

Thanks for this, it's good to know. Our kids are now 16 and 11 and we've always pretty well taken them everywhere and anywhere since they were born (had to since we were on frequent lengthy research trips). As a result they absolutely love eating out and have always just been comfortable being in restaurants and enjoying good food at whatever level. Taking them out at this age is now great fun: they're almost like adults and enjoy all the courses and in-between courses (my son the wine too). If Burton-Race is creating a place that has an easy atmosphere where people of all ages feel comfortable (while at the same time serving good food correctly and with some style) then he's at the very least doing something right and I applaud him. There are still too many places that are just too damn stuffy and formal for today's more easy relaxed style of dining and living. The review in the Indie pretty well confirms Moby's experience, and it does sound promising (except for the arc lights - god, imagine going for a quiet dinner and finding a telly crew filming your every bite...). There's no excuse why we haven't made it there yet: we'll have to pop across soon.

Moby, here's as good a place as any to send our sincere congratulations to you and Kate. Twins, how doubly exciting! Well done and all the best to you both.

Marc

[MobyP]

Thanks Marc (and I think you were in Portugal when I was down there, or would've called...)

The NA is moderately casual downstairs, both in clientel and service, so I'd imagine kids would do fine - although possibly not the under 4's. The lights are permanently locked into the walls, so it doesn't seem so temporary an affair. Funny how Tracy fell for the lamb/crab dish. it felt like poorly executed nostalgia to me (i.e. if you're going to attempt it, it has to be a three star event, otherwise it has an 'also-ran' quality to it). The veg did indeed taste exceptionally fresh, although you could see the same garnishes in different disguises on a number of dishes.

Well, as I said, certainly a recommendation.

[Airwaves]

The new TV series about John Burton-Race at The New Angel starts on Channel 4 on Thursday 13 January 2005, 8.00 - 9.00 pm.

Airwaves

[debler]

I think that's how his name is spelled! lol

Well, far , far , away...I've been following this British Chef on TV.

Do you or have you had this show as well?

His first show was called "French Leave".

He's a chef from London, went to France for a year, came back, bought a rest( in Dorchester? Dartmouth?)

Anyway...I enjoy this show, and was looking though my cookbooks, and mags for a recipe, and low and behold, in one of my fave mags (from when I lived over there in the Uk ,many years ago) was an articule of the old rest....The Angel!

So my question is, is he still the owner of this rest? I would love to also know if he wrote any cookbooks?

[postcode]

We know who he is - he's John Burton Race and he's here. He used to be a bit of a 'cycle-path' in the kitchen, but he's calmed down now. His Sous Chef, Nigel Marriage, was the same, but has taken a bottle full of chill pills in recent years.

There's no other real reason to go to Devon to eat, other then The New Angel.

Edited May 23, 2005 by postcode (log)