Briar has big shoes to fill. This diminutive site once belonged to Merlin Labron-Johnson’s Osip, but since the latter has moved to swish new digs a few miles away, there’s space for something new in the middle of town. Bruton is spoilt for great choice already, with the likes of DA COSTA and At The Chapel also plying a good trade nearby, so it’s fair to say, Briar needs to deliver something special.
The restaurant has kept much of Osip’s interior design, which is fair enough as the former was beautifully appointed. The walls have been upgraded from ecru to a sunnier yellow, but those Insta-friendly pastel-shaded banquettes remain, as do the renovated old beams and period features - echoes of the building's past life as a blacksmith. Head chef Sam Lomas and team are busy at the pass right as you enter, greeting guests warmly as they find a seat.
We loved Sam’s cooking at Glebe House, and his menus at Briar stick to similar principles, championing ultra-seasonal produce and showing it off via compact, tightly-focused dishes that emphasis different textures and preservation methods. If you’re expecting the complex, intricate precision of Osip, you won’t find it here, but Lomas’ cooking is beautifully judged and well executed. A set of Westcombe cheddar gougeres among the starters are case in point - sure, it’s just choux with a filling, but the choux is crisp, filled to the brim with rich cheddar cream, and juxtaposed with a trio wild garlic capers. Simple but delicious. A bowl of chestnut mushroom cream is covered with a blanket of crispy kale, and hides pickled girolles underneath. Again, just a handful of ingredients but everything has purpose.
There’s plenty more to love here: a nicely cooked tranche of pollock, golden skin up in a pool of anchovy sauce; crown prince squash, chestnuts and ricotta folded into a neat savoy cabbage pancake; and tender buttermilk fried pheasant with a tarragon-flecked mayonnaise. Desserts are superb too, particularly a Somerset apple cake that displays just the right level of stodge as we spoon it up with butterscotch and creme fraiche.
The only miss for us was a dish of grilled leeks, fresh curd and hazelnuts which lacked the balance of other dishes, but even accounting for that, Briar still sets a very high bar indeed. Service cuts the perfect balance of attentive but relaxed and friendly, and nearby Number One Bruton makes an excellent overnight stop if no-one fancies being a designated driver. Understated but excellent, Briar has a bright future as part of Bruton’s ever-growing dining scene.