Purslane

Raising the tone of neighbourhood restaurants in trendy Stockbridge, Purslane offers fine dining at a pretty fine price.

The 2018/19 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £7.95 (+p&p).

Good things come in small packages and this is certainly true in Purslane, a petite restaurant set in a basement on St Stephen street, helmed by talented chef/owner Paul Gunning. Consistently high-quality dishes packed with flavour from locally sourced ingredients feature on a five or seven-course tasting menus as well as an à la carte. An amuse-bouche sets the scene with a potent micro-blast of flavour and the acts which follow, from the delicate crab and courgette cannelloni starter, to the pavé of tender beef heaped over fondant potatoes, to the creamy wild mushroom risotto, are swiftly cleared from the plates. But do save room for dessert because the show closes with a bang. A dark chocolate delice looks almost too pretty to eat with its bronze glaze protecting satisfyingly gooey caramel centre, while a tangy lemon posset is topped with fresh, impossibly juicy blueberries. Bravo!