How does one go about launching a new restaurant right now given that circumstances preclude you welcoming any customers into it? Imagine having done the work, refurb’ed the building, neatly segregated it from the related hotel, come up with a menu then finding that you can’t actually use any of it. Things may be starting…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Some months ago, a good friend was involved in a car accident when an inattentive cyclist pulled out in front of them and left no opportunity for avoidance. This was an awful experience for my friend (one presumes also not too enjoyable for the cyclist either) who felt terrible at their part in injuring someone,…
York has some extremely striking places to eat. Memorable buildings such as The Grand, The Star inn the City, Grays Court and Goldsborough Hall all represent memorable locations for a meal, while there are plenty of amazing restaurants homed in more conventional buildings of course. One landmark building on the outskirts of the city that’s…
Bread pays a significant role (roll?) in this household. Trips to Bluebird Bakery and Haxby Bakehouse are both frequent and regarded as a necessity, generally resulting in a wrestling match with the freezer to ensure that nothing goes to waste thanks to our over enthusiasm. Home baking is something I’ve never taken the time to…
There are many, many challenges associated with opening a new food business. The process can be a perfect storm of colossal public expectation, monstrous workload, huge capital expenditure and a massively competitive market. I’ve been to more restaurant launches that smell of wet paint than I can count and it’s not uncommon to be sat…