Formerly The Old Coach House, this ultra-modern makeover from husband and wife team Adam and Lovaine Humphrey is a world away from the traditional and cosy establishments that dominate York’s restaurant scene. Bold murals, wavy walls and blue lighting make you feel like you’re in an underwater gallery, which set the scene nicely for the artistic creations dreamed up by Adam and his team.
Inventive canapés, perfectly-baked rosemary and onion bread, and a beautiful amuse bouche of chilled garlicky potato soup adorned with tiny flowers were an excellent precursor to a menu borne from seasonality and top-quality ingredients. Our rabbit, grilled endive and buckwheat starter was packed with flavour, as were mains of pork belly and a vegetable lasagne, though the Burgundy artichokes were rather mushroom-heavy.
Dessert was a triumph, thanks to the mysteriously named ‘Veiled Peasant Girls’ - a beautifully sweet caramelised apple terrine served with milk mousse and a sharp apple ice-cream. The ‘Homage to Michele Ferrero’ looked incredible but was less impressive than the former. For the savoury-toothed, there’s an exclusively British cheese selection served from a trolley.
The Daily (lunch) and Carte (dinner) menus are each very reasonably priced for two or three courses, while there’s a daily-changing five-course tasting option too. The extensive wine list (comprising some 200 plus bins) is impressive, though it’s a shame most are only available by the bottle. That said, we’d be more than happy to return and continue working our way through the list.