I was surprised to see a review of a new restaurant “The Old Spot”, in my home town of Wells featuring in The Observer today. Wells in Somerset is not renowned as a food hotspot, so that Jay Rayner - not always the happiest of travellers - visited and gave it a pretty good review was also rather notable.
A spot of googling threw up another good review from The Metro. Sounds like decent food, at a sensible price is the prudent line they’re going for, plus a chef who seems well regarded from his time in London.
All that makes it sound very much like we’ll go visit, the next time I’m down visiting my parents.
Details 12 Sadler Street, Wells, Tue 6.30pm to 10.30pm, Wed to Sat noon to 2.30pm and 6.30pm to 10.30pm, Sun noon to 2.30pm. Tel: 01749 689099
August 8th, 2006 at 5:56 pm
Dear Leyton,
Yes. Mr. Rayner had it spot on with the piggy place. I had a very belated birthday lunch there with a chum a couple of weeks ago (birthday was in November) and it was both absolutely delicious and extremely good value. Good service too but we were the only lunchers apart from one other couple and a chap eating on his own. Ian deserves to succeed as it is delightful. Just across the road is Goodfellows owned and run by Adam Fellowes formerly of Charlton House in Shepton Mallet. Food very good but decor is a little strange and downstairs dining room rather cramped. Great to have them both though. Alice
August 9th, 2006 at 9:57 pm
Mr Leyton,
This is an eating place which is getting busier and busier. Ian works very hard, produces food which is delicious , and is served by staff who are keen , clean , and have a sense of humour. The people of Wells are fortunate , they can enjoy wonderful food without travelling too far… and Ian (and Clare) surely will try and move out of Bristol soon and live close to this oasis which they call ‘The Old Spot’. They deserve to succeed. My friends and I love the place. Martin
August 13th, 2006 at 8:18 am
Five of us enjoyed a delicious meal at the Old Spot for my daughter’s birthday at the end of July. It was a very busy night and though the service was a bit slow it was with a smile! What a treat to have another good place to eat in Wells.
Tried to book for last night (12 Aug) aand it was fully booked, as was Goodfellows over the road and indeed Anton’s Place in the Market Place. In the end the meal we had at the George Inn in Croscombe was excellent so we were not disappointed.
My advice is book early! ……you’ll be glad you did…..Wells is well on the way to being that Hot Spot!
September 26th, 2006 at 7:06 pm
I whole heartedly agree with the previous comments on The Old Spot and Adam Goodfellows.
My wife and I have been restauranters for many years and when we go out we like interesting food cooked imaginatively by experienced well trained Chefs who take the time and make the effort with their vegetables and Jus.
May I also recommend The Moody Goose in Midsomer Norton, the Wookey Hole inn and of course the Kings Arms @ Litton
October 28th, 2006 at 12:41 pm
We had lunch at the Old Spot on our way back from Cornwall after reading the review in the Observor. It was utterly brilliant a little gem, food amazing and such good value, and service superb. We would visit Wells again just to have lunch there. Why oh Why can’t the midlans (or at least our part of the Midlands) have anywhere half as good as this.
November 1st, 2006 at 10:19 am
its ok, but not that good, weve been a few times, the food has a country hotel feel, and so so bright why dont they turn the lights down, goodfellows over the road is much better and so is the fantastic wookey hole inn that no one writes about because they want to keep it a secret, the guy at the observer must have owed him a big favour!!
November 28th, 2006 at 6:53 pm
I visited The Old Spot a month or so ago with my family (there were five of us) and we had a fantastic lunch. I thought the menu and wine lists were examples of how to get it just right and I thoroughly enjoyed the excellent food. This place is a gem and I can’t wait to return.
December 28th, 2006 at 5:10 pm
My wife and I visited Wells for a few days in mid December, staying at The Swan Hotel over the road from The Old Spot. The evening meal we had was so good that I think it’s probably one of the very best I’ve ever had (I include the Roux brothers’ Waterside Inn in this - The old Spot was better!) and certainly the absolute tops when it comes to value for money. We were too full to manage a desert but we paid a little over sixty quid for two brilliant starters and mains plus a memorable bottle of red. Absolutely fantastic - I just wish we lived locally!
January 3rd, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Those who would criticise the Old Spot have clearly been sharpening their knives, falling in with an oh-so ‘clever’ desire to say something different, to be inflamatory for no real need other than a presumably ego-driven race to be distinguished from a crowd.
If you went to the Old Spot and enjoyed the food there, were NOT sitting in a melancholic pool of your own short-comings, allowing your eyes to meander around the clean and calm dining room searching for faults- then congratualtions! You have successfully dined at the Old Spot, and have probably earned bonus points for sufficiently tipping the immaculate service. If however you were naíve enough to come to the Old Spot looking to place it into a competition it never applied for, then unforunately you have not succeeded this time. But please do try again, and perhaps next time, you might be wise enough to hang up your misconceptions at the door, and just let the Old Spot work it’s magic, without pre-concocted scepticism marring what can be a glorious experience.
January 3rd, 2007 at 3:24 pm
P.S- I’ve had the pleasure of going to ‘The Wook’ gastro-pub in Wookey Hole, and would heartily recommend it to anyone looking for an easy-going, food and drink experience. However, the two can not and should not be compared; one being a food-focused pub and the other a restaurant. Also, the type of food served is very different. Whilst I was very happy with the food, drink and service at ‘The Wook’, a meal at ‘The Old Spot’ was a more refined event, but carried the weight of a catered meal, and is not backed by the informal banter that provides the soundtrack in a place such as ‘The Wook’.
If you like an informal meal, with friends and country-pub food with a professinal polish, I seriously recommend ‘The Wook’. If you are looking to have a night-out of extravagant food, for perhaps an arranged celebration, dress up and hit ‘The Old Spot’, but don’t make the mistake of comparing them.
March 27th, 2007 at 10:53 am
My Wife and I were in Wells, for a wedding, last weekend and were fortunate to be staying opposite “The Old Spot”.
We were lucky to book a table for later that evening and remarked that the format of the menu was reminiscent of our favourite restaurant’s. It was then we learned of the Chef Patron’s previous association with “Chez Bruce”.
We enjoyed a wonderful meal, accompanied by a great bottle of red, in very welcoming surroundings. Nothing disappointed.
We’d certainly go again if within 50 miles of the place and we would recommend the restaurant to anyone.
June 19th, 2007 at 11:30 am
For someone who lives in Wells, this place is a treat, I may not have a great knowledge of fine food, but this is just very good. It is excellent value for money, the quality on offer is excetionally high, in food, wine & service. To get this standard in a rural city, is unique.
So for those of us who aren’t too sophisticated, it presses all the buttons.
June 26th, 2007 at 1:00 pm
We have visited the Old Spot twice on the way to Devon from the Midlands - the first time as a result of the Observer revue. I wholeheartedly agree with the other positive comments: simple but imaginatively prepared food, beautifully cooked and reasonably priced. The service is attentive but unobtrusive. Looking forward to my third visit this Friday!
To the person who commented it is ok but ‘not that good’, you are lucky indeed to have choices which make this seem average! Try living in Worcester…..
August 12th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
I was delighted to visit “The Old Spot” in wells just recently after having read such great reviews. The food was obviously brilliant and I particullly enjoyed the delicious rhurbarb trifle. But what struck me most was the tuneful song bursting from the kitchen. I can see why the chefs are singing! Good luck to the place and see you soon!
October 24th, 2007 at 10:52 pm
[...] it’s great to hear that the owner of the Old Spot in Wells is sounding keen to put them on his menu. We had the pleasure of eating at the restaurant ourselves [...]
January 15th, 2008 at 11:04 am
Having moved to Somerset from Berkshire in July last year and being privileged to live 10 minutes away from Wells, my wife and I have made of the Old Spot our favourite local canteen.
The menu and execution are consistently excellent. The best local ingredients (and Somerset is a treasure trove) are evidently used, unmistakable sign of a chef who is passionate about his deceptively simple creations. The marriage of flavours inspired by traditional recipes and simple but elegant style always guarantees a fantastic experience, helped by a very welcoming, pleasant service staff (very effective even if not professionally trained) and Karen, the always smiling service maestro.
Having had the pleasure of experiencing the delights of many fine and extremely reputable restaurants in Europe and the US I can say that The Old Spot is truly a magical little place. For reference, my passion for food is part hereditary (being French with some family roots in Gascony, memories of meals and tastes while at my grandmother’s there are still vivid…) and part experience.
The Old Spot is a credit to the British, and particularly English culinary arts!
Do not miss it… Simplicity is very hard to pull off as well as this. Superb.
P.S. I pity the person who compared it to a gastro pub. I wish them good luck however on the development and refinement of their senses to, in the near future, be able to fully appreciate what is on offer at The Old Spot: Passion On A Plate!!!
April 17th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
reply to yvan.. oh please dont pity me..ive eaten all over the world owned a michelin starred hotel and restaurant. and ive also eaten in the old spot well over 10 times and its been consistently good, but not that good..and the truth is ive had better food, more imaginative, more thoughtfully put together at the wookey hole inn (i must admit this was a few years back when they were on top of there game!) but your slightly pompous patronizing views are a good indication of what to expect and who they cater for on the customer front. its all a bit slightly dated and lacking in imagination, conservatism on a plate!!!
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:57 am
I think you might be being a bit unfair there Trevor (not least that English isn’t Yvan’s first language), and I’m having difficulty understanding how you say you’ve eaten there so many times yourself, but don’t seem to think that highly of it. You seem to be after something other than what they’re offering, or have very different expectations.
I’m definitely with the sentiment of Yvan (and many other commentators points), having now eaten there since I posted the original item. It’s a real credit to Somerset.
My family had a truly special meal there in May last year to mark my mothers retirement, and I can only speak highly of the efforts being made to put Wells on the culinary map.
May 20th, 2008 at 12:15 pm
i dont think so richard, yvan has a good enough grip of the english language to be eloquently patronizing. as ive said all along every time ive eaten there its been consistently good. always well balanced and slightly more trouble taken than i can usually be bothered with if i was cooking at home (and theres not that many places we go to that we dont think we could do better!thats not that were that good, just the sorry state of eating out,im sure most people that can really cook feel that..) ..but its not mind blowing as alluded to by a lot of these reviews. the service has a quiet nervousness to it and the food is cooked with a knowledgeable confidence..but no 4th july..perhaps the last posting was a tad harsh..but a comment like “i pity the person who compared it to a gastropub”is bound to wind anyone up! a GASTRO PUB how dare i…. trevor the peasant