Malmaison

(ad – pr) Since it opened I’ve made a number of trips to the Malmaison in the centre of York which is housed in a former insurance office that for so many years was a beacon of mundanity and grey. I can attest to that being the case on the basis of having worked there…

LNER Centenary

I’m quite open that running this site affords me plenty of opportunities to eat out, which I regard as a huge privilege, but that doesn’t mean I’m not always on the look out for opportunities to enjoy meals out that don’t just fortuitously drop into my lap. I’m certainly not averse to spending my own…

Batanga

I can’t remember the last time we had a good Mexican restaurant in York. I recall Fiesta Mexicana being decent, though tailing off in its latter Fiesta Latina incarnation in latter years. Mexicano can be found on Blake St but there’s not been any restaurant to speak of recently, until now. Batanga York appeared seemingly…

Tasca Frango

Isn’t it wonderful when you get to see nice people come up with a good concept and product that’s rewarded with success? Spark has been the platform for a number of businesses in York, food and otherwise, to move from its safe confines out to brick and mortar premises and the latest among this number…

A new start for Forage

(ad – pr visit) It’s fair to say that Forage York has had a bit of a bumpy ride recently. After working hard to establish a reputation for good food and show-stopping cocktails in their bar, restaurant and hidden speakeasy, the team were hit with a sudden closure that, quite understandably, gained traction in the…

Rio Brazilian Steakhouse

(ad – pr visit) A few years back you’d have to journey to Leeds for a Brazilian Rodizio style steakhouse but they’ve been slowly proliferating in York over the last few years with Casa at the bottom of Micklegate being joined by Estabulo over at Vangarde as well as Caramba, a short lived offering at…

The Whippet Inn Dry-Aged Steaks

As we become more keenly aware of the need to reduce our meat consumption and are hit more and more by rising costs, inflation and so on, the treat of a good steak has become more and more of an indulgence. This places even more pressure on a restuarant serving steaks to get it exactly…

Myse

This is a big one. Over the years it was open in York, Le Cochon Aveugle was pushed onwards by Josh Overington to be deserving of the highest reputation, with each passing year its lack of a Michelin star looking rather more inexplicable. Regardless of the standard and reputation though a natural limit to the…

Pignut Helmsley

The hospitality world is not one that stays still and it feels like we’re entering (another) period of upheaval with the closure in York of several well regarded restaurants over the last few weeks. One of those, whose absence will be keenly felt, is The Rattle Owl which Clarrie O’ Callaghan had established on Micklegate…

Feversham Arms Chef demonstration

(ad – invite) Lunches early in the week can be a bit of a tricky one for a restaurant to fill. This in particular presents a conundrum for kitchens in hotel restaurants that are beholden to be staffed anyway for the benefit of their residents. How then to maximise return on that staffing? It’s a…