York has many institutions to which many people, residents and visitors, are hugely loyal. People come from all over the world to see York Minster, wonder at the enormous coprolite in the Jorvik Centre, revel in nostalgia while looking at the exhibits in the National Railway Museum and many other things. One of these pastimes which has always felt a little eccentric to me is the desire to queue up for Afternoon Tea at Betty’s, not that I have any objection to either the concept or the establishment rather than an innate dislike of following the crowd. However it’s now possible to book a table for an evening meal at Bettys York, skipping the need to stand outside, which seems like a much more civilised experience to me.
Making your way into Betty’s feels undeniably special with a pianist gently plinking away in the background and smart servers moving with purpose and grace, though no unseemly urgency. The menu hits across a number of Bettys staples with rosti, rarebit and schnitzel both featuring prominently amongst dishes I’ve enjoyed at Bettys on prior visits. Dishes draw together the Swiss origins of the company, which took seed in Yorkshire. Of these we went for rarebit and mushroom pate to start followed by bacon and raclette rosti, and haddock, salmon and prawn gratin.
Mushroom pate had the gentle, earthy notes that one would hope for and a pleasing crunch from the slices of toast accompanying it. The rarebit was presented as a puddle of molten cheese accented by tomato halves and a few basil leaves. The cheese had a nice tang of mustard and was broadened in appeal by the Yorkshire Ale it’s cooked with, while the toasted bread gave texture. A rosti is a comforting thing as long as its cooking is judged well, producing a caramelised exterior while not robbing the centre of too much moisture. Thankfully everything was on track here with bacon and raclette joined by cream and gruyere for a rich and indulgent dish. The seafood gratin was just as luxurious feeling and packed in plenty of the promised haddock, salmon and prawns along with more of that rosti. We couldn’t resist a slice of chocolate cake to finish things off; it would seem somehow churlish to visit Bettys without eating some sweet, so we forced ourselves to share a slice of the chocolate cake, topping things off nicely.
With so much history to draw on, York has a multitude of attractions and experiences to enjoy. While there’s always space for more to join the fun, it’s nice to see such iconic institutions as Bettys continue to thrive as the world changes around it. In rather discomfiting times it’s a relief to escape into somewhere as reassuringly unchanged as this and see it retain its place in the York hospitality scene with so much confidence.
