Harry’s Shack (again)

I have to admit I was a bit nervous about going back to Harry’s Shack. The last time I ate here it was so good that I didn’t want to spoil it. Thankfully, it was good, really really good, and why would I expect anything less. These guys produce wonderful food, often under a tonne of pressure, as they are not only fully booked but have people walking off the beach asking for tables and they turn them round as quickly as they can to keep as many people as possible happy. Yet last night we didn’t feel rushed at all. We sat, we enjoyed the food, the hospitality and the view. THAT VIEW! Many times I’ve tried to capture it on camera but it fails to convey the beauty of Portstewart Strand. Even when a storm is brewing, as it was last night, it looks stunning.

Anyway, back to the food and drink. Harry’s Shack now have a drinks licence and serve a great range of local beers and they also have some local gins too. So my choice was the Belfast made Jawbox Gin and tonic and Mr Frivolitea went for a Hillstown Farm wheat beer.

The menu at Harry’s Shack changes regularly with fish and seafood dishes dependent on what the day boats bring in. That is what I love about this place. They adapt to what comes in and they cook it honestly and in my opinion to perfection.

For starter I had the prawns in garlic butter. Messy to eat and simply delicious, I could have eaten a giant bowl of them.

Mr Frivolitea had the Mackerel with piccalilli and horseradish. Another simple and really tasty dish.

The star of the show for me was my main course. Whole plaice on the bone, cooked with butter, caper and cockles and served with some roasted new potatoes. This dish was perfect. The fish was so beautifully cooked, the caper and cockle butter gave the right amount of flavour without being too salty and the new potatoes were delicious. I had to fight Mr Frivolitea off.

Mr Frivolitea was also very happy with his main choice. Pan fried hake with a chickpea and chorizo stew that came with a side of couscous to mop up the tasty juices.

Pudding choices were sticky toffee pudding

And lemon and bergamot posset with raspberry sorbet and salted shortbread. Oh how I wish they sold bags of the shortbread.

I can’t fault this place. Despite it being really busy and staff being under pressure, our waitress was wonderful, making us feel so welcome and chatting to us about the food. The fish was cooked with such care and attention and they let the fish be the star of the show. It’s why we keep coming back.

Bartali

Last year we visited Bartali on its opening night and we loved it. Sister restaurant of Coppi and Il Pirata, we knew what we were getting: beautiful Chichetti and Italian inspired dishes. We decided to book Bartali for the night we arrived back home this year but a few days before we headed home we discovered there would be a new chef and a new concept at Bartali. I have to admit I was sceptical. I loved it as it had been when we first went. Local food with an Australian twist didn’t appeal to me as much but there has been quite a build up to new chef Dean Coppard arriving and he’s award winning. The menu is very different to what it once was. A more traditional set up of starters, mains and desserts with a few daily specials. Much of the menu was a more Gastropub affair but with local seafood here and there.

I was relieved that they had included local seafood and chose the crab brûlée to start. This was really tasty but temperature of the dish confused me a little, neither hot nor cold, but I can’t deny the flavour was excellent. In particular in the tomatoey tapenade on the side.

Mr Frivolitea had the Thai chilli chicken starter. A tasty dish, nothing unusual about it but a flavoursome dressing. Mr Frivolitea did say he was surprised it was battered but I did have to remind him we were back in Northern Ireland!

For main course, Mr Frivolitea had the North Coast open fish pie. This was a beautiful looking dish, rich but generous in local fish. The mackerel fillets in particular were a great addition but I’m not sure it needed the puff pastry top alongside the whipped potatoes.

I chose the special, local half lobster thermidor with chips and I’m so glad I did. It was absolutely delicious and looked stunning on the plate.

I hope Bartali, as they develop the new menus, move away from having too much of the burger and steak style dishes and do more of the local seafood and other local produce such as Broughgammon goat for example. On our visit the signs were good, they can cook and present this food really well. I hope they can be brave enough to do more of the style of dishes we chose from the menu.

The Yorke Arms

This year for our anniversary we stayed at The Yorke Arms in Ramsgill-in-Nidderdale. An opportunity to walk in beautiful Nidderdale before enjoying food and wine and an overnight stay. I would highly recommend it. Everything about The Yorke Arms was outstanding; the location, the room ( I say room, more like a small house as it had a downstairs living room), the hospitality and the food.

We started our evening with a champagne classic sitting outside in the evening sun. The setting couldn’t have been any more perfect. The cocktail was accompanied by the most beautiful ‘snacks’ of cheese straws, hummus on brioche, ham hock terrine with gazpacho jelly and tapioca with squid ink, salmon, salmon mousse and caviar.

We then returned inside for our meal, a three course meal from the A La Carte menu, included in our stay.

The amuse bouche of lemon verbena jelly with artichoke was a real highlight of the meal for me. Simple in presentation and packed with flavour.

For starter I had truffled scallop, Whitby crab, cucumber. Some of my favourite things on one plate.

Mr Frivolitea had smoked rabbit, truffled press, radish, buckwheat, wasabi.

For main I chose the fish dish unsurprisingly. Turbot, stuffed courgette flower, tagliatelle, tomato & beetroot reduction. The reduction was particularly stunning and I loved everything about this dish, the flavour, choice of ingredients and the presentation.

Mr Frivolitea chose saddle of venison, hedgerow raspberries, black sausage, artichoke. Not the best photo and not the best looking dish but Mr Frivolitea loved everything about it.

For dessert I had lime leaf ice cream, pineapple, toasted coconut, nougatine. Wonderfully refreshing at the end of the meal.

Mr Frivolitea had what I think was the most beautiful looking dish of the evening. Yorkshire peach and curd tart, nasturtium and peach mousse, English cherry.

What I particularly love about the style of food at The Yorke arms is its seasonality and allowing the produce to shine. Much of the vegetables, fruit and garnishes come from the beautiful Kitchen Garden of the restaurant.

The care and attention in everyone of our dishes was clear to see. I couldn’t fault it. The Yorke Arms wins for me in every way and I can’t wait to return.

The Forest Side

I don’t know where to start with this blog because when we visited The Forest Side last night everything, I mean everything, was perfect. Within 30 seconds of entering the building and being welcomed by someone in a rather nice tweed jacket, we were ushered into the bar and I was trying to persuade Mr Frivolitea that the wallpaper would look lovely in our house. (he suitably brought me back to reality about the size of our house in comparison to the room we were sat in!)I have been looking forward to visiting here for some time and booked it quite a while ago. The chef Kevin Tickle worked at L’Enclume and the menus, using local produce and many herbs and vegetable from the kitchen garden of the hotel, are my kind of eating. We started the evening as we meant to go on, with cocktails. I decided to pace myself with a mocktail called Berry Blast. Mr Frivolitea went straight for the Fennel in Love. Oh my, what a drink! Dark rum, over proof rum, fennel juice, lime juice, Demerara syrup, homemade ginger beer and angostura.

We looked at the menu selection. You can have A La Carte, the Lil Un (6 course tasting menu) and the Grand Un (10 course tasting menu). Mr Frivolitea and I realised rather quickly that we would feel like we had missed out if we didn’t opt for the Grand Un, especially as it had many things we particularly like that you don’t often see on menus such as hen of the woods, sweet cicely apple marigold and goats curd. The attention to detail in the dining room was also wonderful. Staff were attentive but relaxed and there were reminders of Cumbria everywhere including the beautiful central table made from tree roots with a wild flower display. This is somewhere of the highest quality that ensures you feel relaxed and welcome.

Before our first course we were brought some ‘snacks’: Onion cracker with lovage and smoked eel and a carrot cracker with black pudding. The smoked eel snack was particularly good.

Our first course was new season broad beans, poached yolk, ox tongue and hen of the woods.

Our second course was heritage tomatoes cooked in elderflower, goats curd, caviar and tomato consommé. This was an absolutely stunning dish and one of my favourites of the evening.

Alongside this course we were given the most perfect miniature loaf of bread with parsley, lovage and celery butter. Something I am keen to recreate when I get home. The flavour in the butter was truly wonderful.

The third course was venison pastrami, smoked juniper yoghurt, mooli, Corra Linn ( goats cheese) and pickled allium flowers. The pickled allium flowers were incredible. I would very happily work my way through a jar of them!

The fourth course was west coast langoustine, cucumber, mallow, ‘Our Guanciale’ ( Pork fat) and conifer honey. The langoustine was beautifully sweet.

I ordered a glass of Davenport (Bacchus, Ortega, Limney Estate, Daveport, East Sussex, 2014) which was the perfect accompaniment.

The fifth course, one of Mr Frivolitea’s favourites of the evening, was courgette scorched over embers with mint and pumpernickel. The charcoal emulsion on this was amazing and reminded me of the tartare dish at L’Enclume and The French.

The sixth course was line caught halibut, dittander, charred lettuce and razor clam. I’m always amazed at how charring or barbecuing some lettuce can bring out such flavour.

The seventh course was dry aged middle white, mugwort, artichoke ( confit and purée) and daisies.

The eighth dish and the first dessert was a beautiful palate cleanser of ewes milk, loganberry and verbena. Beautifully sharp and fresh.

The ninth course was strawberry, acidic yoghurt ( as a meringue that was like sherbet dancing in the mouth) and sweet marigold. This was an absolutely incredible dish, a dish that I will be talking about for a long time.

Our final course was gooseberry, buttermilk ( as a custard) and sweet cicely soda. The flavour of sweet cicily is one of my favourite things so this was an absolute hit for me and a great way to end the meal.

Well I say end the meal but of course we chose to relax in the lounge with coffee and petit fours. Even here the attention to detail was wonderful. We had meadowsweet icecream that was made to look like a pebble. A bit of a visual test at the end of the evening! And douglas fir infused Turkish delight.

This was a truly outstanding menu. Everything was balanced beautifully and every dish full of culinary surprises. The last time I had a tasting menu that filled me with this much joy was Fera in 2014. I think it’s going to take a lot to beat last night at the Forest Side.

Homeground (again)

Yesterday we arrived in The Lakes, parked up the van and headed straight to Homeground for lunch. We discovered it last year and fell in love with the place. Particularly because it does really decent coffee which we’ve never found before here. The other reason is the hash browns. They are quite simply amazing. It’s just as well this place is 3 hours away from home otherwise I could end up with an addiction.

We made it just in time to have a late lunch. We’ve eaten breakfast and many cakes at Homeground but never sampled their lunch specials.

Mr Frivolitea went straight for the chickpea and bean burger with avocado, caramelised onions, chilli jam and halloumi with a side of beetroot slaw. There was so much flavour in the burger and the dressings and sides accompanied it really well. Mr Frivolitea was a happy man.

I went for the sticky plum pork belly. They’d run out of noodle salad and so knocked up a rainbow salad to go with it that had the beetroot slaw running through it. This dish didn’t skimp on meat either and the meat fell apart, the plum glaze was sticky but not too sweet. I was in a bit of a food coma at the end. A really lovely food coma contributed to by the portion of hash browns we had to order to go with our lunch. There was no option but to have hash browns!

Despite having eaten a huge amount of food we decided to have a flat white and then another. Mr Frivolitea ordered the second coffees and came back with a peanut butter cookie. This place does cakes really well so I shouldn’t have been surprised but I couldn’t believe he could even think about eating more food. However having tasted the best cookie I’ve ever had, I was pleased he had ordered it. This was the best cookie I have ever tasted. Chewy, gooey, peanutty and with an added sprinkle of salt just making it perfect. I was so busy enjoying it I only took a photo of my last bite!

So can you see why we love this place. We will no doubt be back before the weekend is out.

Kiosk, York

I’ve been walking past Kiosk for a couple of months, every time when they are closed, intrigued. I love food and I love ceramics so the window display and interior of Kiosk kept calling me in. Kiosk is another recent addition to Fossgate which has a growing collection of exciting and independent places to eat and drink. Finally I found a day when I was free and they were open and set about getting some brunch.

What a fabulous place! The menu is simple but incredibly exciting. I couldn’t decide what to have but as fortune would have it I discovered I was sharing a table with Becky, one of the three owners. A quick chat about food and the decision was made. I was going to have the asparagus wrapped in bacon with a lemon and herb dressing but at Becky’s suggestion adding a fried egg and a slice of sourdough. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any better the chef popped his head out of the kitchen and said he’d just made some fresh pesto with sunflower seeds and did I want some of that drizzled on top. Why wouldn’t I?

The food was perfect. Fresh, simple and really tasty. The coffee was also really great. The knowledge and love of making excellent coffee shines through. I ended having two flat whites because the first was so good.

I love everything about this place and I’ll definitely be back. Chatting with them about their food and what they love to cook was a joy. During the conversation I discovered they do ‘cantinas’ one evening a month. I couldn’t book on the August one as it is full before it has even been advertised (doesn’t that speak volumes!) but my name is down for September even though they don’t know the date yet. I wasn’t taking the risk of missing out!

Oliver Rowe Pop Up at Norse

I’ve been a fan of Oliver Rowe for years. Mr Frivolitea and I first discovered him through the TV series Urban Chef and then ventured to London to try his food. Konstam at the Prince Albert was a real favourite. It’s where I really discovered the joy of eating out and trying new things. I can still vividly remember the first time I tried lambs heart, skirt steak and spätzle all at Konstam. I also loved the idea of being up close and personal with the food prep, Oliver cooked in front of diners. I loved it. So imagine my distress when it closed and I no longer had an opportunity to eat his food. Oliver has been busy doing residencies and pop ups around London but it’s never easy to go when it’s 200 miles away. So imagine my delight when a cheeky tweet and the bravery to follow it up led to Oliver coming up to Yorkshire and doing some pop ups in Leeds and Harrogate and the double joy of Oliver releasing a book. The most beautifully written book showing such a love for seasonal produce. You see that’s what I love about Oliver’s food. It’s honest. It allows the ingredients to speak for themselves and it tastes great every time.

The pop up at Norse had some of my favourite things: Mackerel, Skirt steak, almonds.

When we arrived Norse provided some beautiful verbena and coriander seed bread with artichoke purée and puffed wheat.

Then Oliver’s first course arrived. A selection of ‘snacks’: Radishes with anchovy butter, potato with smoked curd and leek ash and quails egg with kohlrabi. All delicious but especially the anchovy butter, which I could have happily eaten on its own.

Next course was courgette flower stuffed with Harrogate blue, goats curd and honey. Simply delicious.

Then came the mackerel with a beautifully jammy gooseberry compote, creme fraiche and buckwheat.

This dish was paired with an unusual and quite superb biodynamic wine that was 100% Sauvignon Blanc grape 2013 Puilly Fume, Alexandre Bain. I don’t even know how to describe it, it almost had a cider like quality to it.

Then came the skirt steak, bringing back memories of eating it at Konstam years ago. The steak was cooked on Norse’s Big Green Egg and accompanied by beetroot and onion. The steak just melted in the mouth.

The final course was heaven on a plate: blueberry and almond tart with artichoke creme fraiche ice cream (a particular triumph I thought) and fennel crumble. The flavours of almond and fennel with the artichoke ice cream were simply perfect.

What a wonderful evening. Particularly special for me to eat Oliver’s food again and chat to him about his plans and opportunities. Now to persuade him to come back up north again….

Manjit’s Kitchen

Tucked away in a newly developed part of Leeds Markets is Manjit’s Kitchen. The new bit of the market is still a bit sparse with lots of empty kiosks still waiting to be filled but Manjit’s Kitchen, recently opened, is definitely a highlight and worth the visit alone. This area of the market has real potential with the communal tables and music spaces too.

We chose to have the Thali plate. £5.95 for three curries, rice, chapati and salad. It was an absolute delight. The curries included daal, a chickpea and spinach masala and a curry with paneer ( I was enjoying my lunch so much I forgot to take a photo of the menu!)

This was an exciting and great value lunch and the option of trying three curries really appealed to me as it gives you the opportunity to try different flavours. It’s definitely worth a return visit!

Laynes Espresso

Laynes espresso is somewhere we visit anytime we go to Leeds. Situated just round the corner from the train station, it’s a great place to have coffee. Their regular espresso blend is Square Mile Red Brick and the coffee is always spot on. Usually we treat ourselves to one of their cakes too. We have been known to pop in our way back to the station and get cakes to take home!

Today, for the first time, we arrived at breakfast time and after one look at the menu decided it would be rude not to try some of the dishes.We decided to share two dishes. The first dish was Shakshuka (Arabiata, baked egg, dukkah and harissa buttered toast). This is the best Shakshuka I have had. The balance of spices was spot on, the homemade dukkah and the harissa butter were a real highlight.

We also ordered the buckwheat pancakes with fruit compote, vanilla mascarpone and crumble. This was another great dish. The balance was just right with not too much sweetness and the pancakes were lovely and light.

We will certainly plan timings of future visits to Leeds to include breakfast at Laynes.

The Barn Bistro at Burniston (again!)

I’ve written about the Barn before and how much I like it. This time we decided to go for breakfast before a long walk along the Cleveland Way. We were not disappointed! I had Hartlepool smoked haddock with poached eggs, hollaindaise sauce and fried sliced potatoes. The haddock was really superb and the hollandaise sauce really well made.

Mr Frivolitea had omelette Arnold Bennett with Hartlepool smoked haddock. Really light and really tasty.

I can’t stay away from great food so we also headed back the next day for Sunday lunch before heading home. The Barn provides such high quality and exciting food for such great value. Just £20.95 for three courses.

This time we both had the Thai crab and prawn cake, prank hen’s egg and tempura green beans for starter (absolutely delicious)

For main course Mr Frivolitea had the roast beef and I had pan fried wild sea trout with king prawns and garlic and herb butter

As on previous visits a highlight is the side dishes that come with the main course. This time we had roast potatoes, celeriac gratin, sweetcorn with Swiss rainbow chard, leeks and streaky bacon and a roasted squash, tomatoes and peppers with feta. I have not visited anywhere else that puts as much love and attention into the side dishes as to the main event. It’s one reason why we keep going back.