A Homage to French Fromage in the home

How much cheese is too much cheese? Homage 2 Fromage have been challenging people to find their personal answer to that for some time with their “all you can eat” cheese nights. I was lucky enough to attend one of these last year and found that there was indeed plenty of cheese provided, certainly more…

Hello, fresh?

Recipe boxes are far from a new thing or a response to current events but could easily find themselves enjoying a crest of popularity as people look to vary their food experiences in a world that, presently, sees limited options for eating out and takeaway dining.I’ve tried a few over the years and enjoyed them…

Le Cochon Aveugle chez moi

As we find ourselves in yet another week of this interminable lockdown, the consumer appetite for meals out and the professional desire to meet that need continue to coincide in new services. We’ve been trying to focus on one treat a week and this time alighted on Le Cochon Aveugle, who have entered the fray…

Fine dining, delivered by Tommy Banks

One of the joys of the restaurant scene in York is the variety of styles of dining available. From casual to formal and presented via all sorts of formats such as small plates, sharing plates and tasting menus, there’s a huge breadth of experiences available to sample that are now starting to be translated for…

Love cheese, from a distance

If you read this site even semi-regularly then you’ll realise I tend to be quite the sociable type. Between review meals, helping organise food festivals, keeping Baby Fork socialised and being an active participant in the York Bar Billiards League, I tend to have quite a few demands on my time and I thoroughly enjoy…

The Whippet, Out

Periodically the cyclical world of Sunday supplement tag lines will blurt out the maxim that “Staying in is the new going out” with varying, generally minimal, degrees of justification. Right now though, we really can say categorically that staying in is most certainly the new going out in the extreme circumstances we find ourselves. Socialising…

Rudy’s Pizza in a changed world

This is one of the hardest pieces I’ve had to write. It seems ludicrous as I sit in my living room today with life changed drastically and many operators in the hospitality industry in tatters. It hardly seems like any time at all since I was out and about enjoying great food. The last few…

The Old House York (closed)

York may be defined by its history but it’s never constrained by it. There’s always something new to enjoy but it’s always got a fantastic historic backdrop. This is a narrative that The Old House York ties into neatly from its home on Petergate. Prior to its current occupation, this building was home to the…

EightyEight at Grantley Hall

I’ve occasionally pontificated on the assumptions made about restaurants situated within hotels. They seem to be inevitably seen purely as an adjunct to the hotel rather than a destination in their own right, an unearned slight that I’ve seen unfairly impact on the trade of some superb restaurants. Grantley Hall is a luxury destination that…

Ippuku Tea House

Last week I was due to go out for dinner with a good friend who was returning to York for a week and I found myself with several considerations to reconcile into a dinner venue. The friend in question has impeccable credentials when it comes to cooking and eating so obviously I needed to take…