Bruton - At The Chapel
Winter 2010
Frank's view 
...but only against the local competition
Rural England dining is a choice of dank smelly pubs or dank smelly pubs reinvented as 'gastro pubs' with flying geese style and stuffed pheasant imagination. Each provincial town has its own home made jam coffee shop where four wheel drive mums meet post school-run. Bistro style cafes try ever so hard to be trendy and the High Street has a mandatory Chinese, Indian and fish n' chip takeaway.
Dipping just inside Somerset, Mathew Hooberman who helped set up Soho House and nearby Babbington House, has taken the local Congregational Church and turned it into a chic dining venue. The vestibule now contains a shop where you can purchase freshly made bread and local produce. Inside the heart of the chapel is a clean white washed cavernous space with the original vaulted ceiling and huge windows. Intricate metal pillars support the art lined galleried walkway above which is accessed by a spiral stair case. A lighting installation hangs thirty feet from the chapel ceiling. It was designed by local artist, Bruce Munro, whose work includes a spectacular piece in the entrance hall of The institute of Chartered Surveyors in London. He is about to exhibit at the Guggenheim in New York.
Making this Bruton's very own 'One Stop', At The Chapel has a cafe, bar, restaurant, bakery and prayer mats (oops - that was under the previous ownership). There is soft seating for those who just want a coffee and a bun, and refectory style tables for those wishing a more comprehensive dining experience. The menu is very like that of a Soho House venue; Ceasar salad, hamburger, risotto, devilled kidneys etc.
Whilst the pomp and splendour offered much promise the sermon failed to deliver.
My hamburger (£9) was tough, over cooked and looked as if a previous diner had shown it to their molars then put it back in the pan. The accompaniments were strictly portion controlled; half a large gherkin, two slices of red onion, a piece of lamb's lettuce and a bun smeared with mayonaise. My fellow diners seemed happy with their fare but were their expectation levels measured against the pub grub in the next village?
Reasonably priced and a breath of fresh country air, if you are ever in that direction, (it's on the road to Glastonbury), give At The Chapel a go, but don't expect your taste buds to have a spiritual awakening.
At The Chapel
High Street
Bruton
Somerset
BA10 0AE
http://www.atthechapel.co.uk/
Dipping just inside Somerset, Mathew Hooberman who helped set up Soho House and nearby Babbington House, has taken the local Congregational Church and turned it into a chic dining venue. The vestibule now contains a shop where you can purchase freshly made bread and local produce. Inside the heart of the chapel is a clean white washed cavernous space with the original vaulted ceiling and huge windows. Intricate metal pillars support the art lined galleried walkway above which is accessed by a spiral stair case. A lighting installation hangs thirty feet from the chapel ceiling. It was designed by local artist, Bruce Munro, whose work includes a spectacular piece in the entrance hall of The institute of Chartered Surveyors in London. He is about to exhibit at the Guggenheim in New York.
Making this Bruton's very own 'One Stop', At The Chapel has a cafe, bar, restaurant, bakery and prayer mats (oops - that was under the previous ownership). There is soft seating for those who just want a coffee and a bun, and refectory style tables for those wishing a more comprehensive dining experience. The menu is very like that of a Soho House venue; Ceasar salad, hamburger, risotto, devilled kidneys etc.
Whilst the pomp and splendour offered much promise the sermon failed to deliver.
My hamburger (£9) was tough, over cooked and looked as if a previous diner had shown it to their molars then put it back in the pan. The accompaniments were strictly portion controlled; half a large gherkin, two slices of red onion, a piece of lamb's lettuce and a bun smeared with mayonaise. My fellow diners seemed happy with their fare but were their expectation levels measured against the pub grub in the next village?
Reasonably priced and a breath of fresh country air, if you are ever in that direction, (it's on the road to Glastonbury), give At The Chapel a go, but don't expect your taste buds to have a spiritual awakening.
At The Chapel
High Street
Bruton
Somerset
BA10 0AE
http://www.atthechapel.co.uk/
Be Frank: agree or disagree? What do you think?
