Sienna Restaurant

Good, but not exceptional.

I had hake on white crab to start, this was soft and delicious, intensely flavoured and a wonderful mouth feel: this was for me the high point meal.

For my main I ordered the Duck breast & confit. The breast was nice and pink, though the skin wasn’t up to the same standard, the confit was served in a potato croquette, what a waste. Oh the carrots were very good.

I skipped the desert and went for the cheese with home made digestive biscuits, four local cheeses couldn’t go wrong with that – there’re some really good cheese produced in Dorset, however the biscuits where small, thick & quite under-whelming.

I’ll go again, I feel sure this must have been unfortunate menu choice or just bad luck.

Such a wonderful place. I was visiting a friend and they said they take me to their favourite restaurant.

If I am being honest, it doesn't from the outset look anything special but the food is amazing the service is warm. Local produce used and the quality is far beyond what I expected from a small rural town.

Highly recommended

This, amazingly, is the only Michelin starred restaurant in the whole of Dorset. Since getting the star, they have got busier, so we 'did lunch' - always good value in any fine dining place. Pricing is two courses £23.50 and three courses £26.50 (incl canapes and bread). We had trio of Gressingham duck (cold breast, rillettes, jelly), and fresh egg spaghetti with chilli, crab etc as starters. Both were exceptional, tho' the crab could have been crabbier. Mains were (i) a novel but successful marriage of plaice, braised lettuce and bacon, with confit new potatoes. Fish cooked to a T. And (ii) Dorset roast lamb, with the fashionable accompaniment of a minature shepherd's pie. Delicious - the pie was essence of SP. A pud of coffee panna cotta to close. The joy of a place like this is the flavours of the food - hence the Michelin gong. Run by husband and wife team Russell & Elena Brown, there is a list of suppliers in the menu - most local - which should be obligatory. Elena is very friendly and welcoming at front of house, but discreet too. And they put a lot of effort into dealing with dietary/allergy requirements. The tight ship means everything is cooked to order, so things can take a while - and they wisely stick to 14 covers to keep the wait reasonable. Highly recommended.

If ever a place deserved 5 stars, it’ll be this place. In a town so devoid of decent places to eat, Sienna continues to set the benchmark for good food.

The restaurant itself is a bit of an oddity - awarded 3 AA rosettes last year, but only seating about 18 or so covers (and that’s cosy) I still can’t work out how a place like this functions. I guess because it’s run by a very charming husband and wife team there’s good quality control. You’ll never be short of good service and if you go for a three course meal, expect the works. Petit fours, homemade bread, everything.

As you’d expect for a restaurant of this standard you choose from a set menu which, if I remember correctly is £20 for a two course lunch and around £30 for a three course dinner. Considering the “extras” you get when you eat here, I think the prices are very reasonable, so expect the works and perfection

I hate to pigeon hole a place, but this is reserved as a “special place” for me. Somewhere you’d take the girlfriend or someone you’re trying to impress - or if you’re in town on business with an expense account. Again, they’ll hate me for saying this, but don’t come here if you’re in a rush. Food this good has to be savored.