Le Petit Canard, Dorchester

This is a real gem of a restaurant, it is set in a former Coaching Inn, with soft music and subdued lighting as background, Le Petit Canard has the look of a terraced house, it looks inviting even before you enter. With a mainly English-based menu, Gerry Craig uses the local produce of the highest quality for his menu.
A good wine list, with house wines from £12.50 and a good choice in the higher brackets.
The three course menu is from £31.00 or two courses from £28.00 for dinner or Sunday lunch on the 1st and 3rd of each month for 3 courses and coffee - £22.50

I’ve been going to this restaurant for years, before the current owners took over. Back then it served Kangaroo, Alligator and Ostrich - all very trendy at the time, but a bit naff now. I do remember the food being very good and one of my first experiences of proper food.

Since the new owners took over, the standards have only gone up. They’ve kept their AA Rosette by sticking to good, locally sourced food done without too much fuss.

I took my staff here for the annual post-Christmas meal. The place is favoured by older folk and the setting always reminds me of being in someone’s lounge rather than a restaurant. The building is essentially just another old cottage in the village which has been converted into a restaurant, which brings it’s own charm with low ceilings and exposed wood. It also comes across as fairly unpretentious.

We chose from the set menu which was £25 or so for three courses. Nicely balanced menu, which is always good when you have a choice of 4 for each course - it makes decisions easy as well.

The restaurant was fairly full by the time our food came, and the service was always pretty slick but relaxed enough for a Sunday lunch. Everyone enjoyed their meal, washed down with a few bottles of the house wine - a very respectable Sauvignon Blanc.

In summary, a decent place. Probably slightly above the average in terms of cost for the area (especially for a village), but it’s definitely worth it. Especially when you consider how many times I’ve paid that much and had a very average meal.