The menu is split slightly ambiguously between smaller and larger plates, with some of the smaller plates reading like they would function as mains. There are a number of intriguing flourishes which mention the headline elements being joined by a host of intriguing sounding condiments that made it a struggle to narrow down our selection. There’s a distinct Eastern European flavour to much of the menu too, reflecting the owners’ background. The space itself is cooler than I’ll ever be, though no more intimidating for that being the case, and all the details are spot on with bespoke tableware and beautiful joinery that happens to be the work of a very talented friend of mine.

After some in-depth debate about the menu, we settled on Baron Bigod cheese, pierogi, Plaice, Pork Steak, Roasted Celeriac and BWC salad…gambling on our constitutions’ ability to cope with an influx of that magnitude. We selected a bottle of red wine from Georgia to wash it down with and things were underway before we knew it, with Baron Bigod first to arrive. This wonderful brie-style cheese from Fen Farm Dairy in Suffolk is a firm favourite and the two wedges served here were generous and given a hint of caramelisation with a couple of rounds of toasted bread and two pink domes of a gel. This turned out to be chive blossom gel with an alium note at serious odds with the sweetness I’d expected which complemented the rich cheese perfectly; a seriously confident start before the baked potato and cheese pierogi with brown sage butter, sour cream and chives made its entrance. Pushing on for a decade ago, I had pierogi from a street food concept these guys put together and these matched up to those happy memories, with a deep richness from the potato dumplings and brown butter accented by sage and brought into relief by sharp sour cream.

Plaice with turnip, lovage emulsion, pickled agretti and mustard frill oil was a bit of a journey into the unknown for me with a couple of the accompaniments unfamiliar, but no need to worry of course as everything balanced very nicely indeed, with those preserved elements bringing a real zing to the plate before BWC salad arrived. Scattered with dukkah and making a feature of kohlrabi, this was every bit as good as I’d been led to believe, before another vegetable dish dropped into proceedings to celebrate celeriac. This had more dukkah for texture and brought romesco and a squash salsa into the mix too, drawing out all the strengths of one of my favourite vegetables. Last up came what will surely remain one of the highlights of my year, “12 hour pork steak”. This impeccably tender piece of meat was doused liberally with a leek, lovage and bbq sauce amongst which more chunks of tender celeriac were lurking. With a less delicate touch, this is the kind of dish that could easily be enjoyable but end up as an indeterminate mix of flavours. Here though, everything came together to showcase each element with aplomb while also becoming more than the sum of their parts.

I appreciate I’ve used a lot of hyperbole here, but I can assure you it’s justified. I had very high hopes for Black Wheat Club based on my prior experience and the team have absolutely smashed through most expectations, producing one of the most exciting hospitality openings in York for years. This is even more the case when you consider the breadth of the offering, which stretches throughout the day, as well as allowing you to call in passing for a loaf of bread or pastries. Truly a remarkable achievement and a real asset to York.

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Set in a basic room with an open kitchen in full view and a sombrero firmly in place front of house, it’s a welcoming enough space that was quiet when we arrived for an early meal but developed a nice buzz throughout the early evening. The menu includes a bunch of Mexican staples such as quesadillas, tacos and tostadas and adds lamb and rib-eye dishes for a bit of variety. We went for a couple of tacos to start, followed by quesadilla, lamb cutlets and a side of intriguing “Street Corn Dip”. Drinks are eye-catchingly cheap too with beers at £3 a bottle and cocktails coming in at a fiver so before long we were clutching bottles of Sol and Desperado as our food arrived.

Tacos were generously filled and with plenty of fresh herb and citrus zing, I thought I’d ordered 2 but the 3 that arrived were hastily polished off anyway and the low financial barrier of entry meant I was hardly going to complain about the minor imposition of having to eat more. The quesadilla oozed appropriately and was a pleasure to dip in the accompanying sour cream while the lamb cutlets we ordered were cooked well and served with tomatoes and taco shells for self assembly. The standout of the meal though was the “Street Corn” dip that had a creamy, cheesy savoury note which was tempered by the sweetness of the corn. We used the remaining taco shells to mop up every bit of this.

The bill for all this came in a bit over £40 which, in these times of financial turmoil, is a welcome bargain. In retrospect I’m not sure I’d order the more expensive lamb dish or similar here on a repeat visit; I think knocking back a table of quesadillas, nachos and tacos with a couple of beers would feel more apt for the ambience and keep things even better value. Welcome Batanga York!

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The Fossgate Social is well known for dishing out great coffee and schooners of craft beer from its understated but undeniably cool home on Fossgate and is somewhere I’ve been intimately familiar with over the last few years. The focus of my most recent visit though was to give the T’ART menu a good close inspection, which Allesandro was more than happy to accommodate with a selection of the savouries followed by one of their signature desserts. The kitchen is semi-open so the chefs always have an eye on the punters up on the first floor as they get stuck in, as I quickly did. The platter of samples I got to work on included examples of the foccacia, “Grandma Pie” and bruschetta as well as a few other twists on their dough-based excellence.

Evidence of the dedication to elevating these dishes beyond ordinary is easily found in the presentation, and then in each bite. The bruschetta packs in big wallops of flavour that are distant from the kind of supermarket example we’re more familiar with while focaccia wraps great depth of flavour around soft burrata and tomato. Potato and pork sausage with fennel top another section of the dough while it’s also pressed to service as a kind of wafer thin pizza showcasing tomato and olive oil. My favourite though is a delicate sandwich of ham and cheese whose cross section shows in geological detail the layering and structure of the bread.

With the savoury selection taken good care of, I moved onto the sweet section to try the “T’art Rocher”, a striking dish that’s surely set to become a key part of the T’art identity. This gluten free chocolate sphere wraps a chocolate & hazelnut crust around a chocolate mousse layer that further encases a salted hazelnut praline, a brace of biscuits add to the presentation. This is already available at another restaurant who loved it so much they added it to their own menu and it’s easy to see why. There’s a lightness of touch to each component that helps it live long in the memory after the temptation to crack it open is succumbed to. Speaking as someone not blessed by a sweet tooth, I can’t wait to try another of these.

It’s entirely evident that T’ART is quite deserving of its own location. I’ve no doubt at all that they’ll attract a loyal and large following while resident at The Fossgate Social but the real fun will be in seeing how they build on the work that this pop-up will do for them. I can’t wait to try more examples of their dishes at T’ART at The Fossgate Social.

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January started with a trip to London where I took the opportunity to indulge in a Kejriwal from Dishoom, one of my favourite breakfast dishes. This month also saw The Ivy on St Helen’s Square open its doors and a fun day helping Brew York put together the newest variant of their Tonkoko Imperial Stout. Mrs Fork showed admirable fortitude for a visit to Whitby to enjoy a stay at The White Horse & Griffin despite her advanced state of pregnancy, even finding space to enjoy a meal at The Star Inn the Harbour. Finally, the Star Inn the City had the chance to show off to the great and good of the food world, hosting the Estrella Damm UK Gastropub Awards which was a very special day.

Dishoom Kejriwal

The Ivy

White Horse & Griffin

Bisque from The Star Inn the Harbour

February was something of a quiet month as we waited for Baby Fork to make her arrival. While her debut was of rather more personal import than that of Humpit Hummus, it was still a pleasure to sample their hummus and falafel. I also finally got the chance to try bread & butter pudding spring roll when Street Cleaver popped up at the Fossgate Social. Millers Fish and Chips in Haxby gave us strength in the days before birth, as did a fabulous Reuben sandwich from Shambles Kitchen.

Shambles Kitchen Reuben

Street Cleaver Bread & Butter pudding spring roll

Baby Fork

March was mainly marked by a lack of sleep, but I still found time to get out and about. Radix started its cutting edge regular tasting menu at 45 Vinyl Cafe. It was a pleasure to be involved with judging the Garbutt & Elliot Food Entrepreneurs Awards so it was particularly rewarding to see the winners crowned at the Hospitium. There’s not much that can prepare you for the first few weeks of parenthood so brunches became something of a refuge. We particularly enjoyed Trinacria (the sausages are superb) and the Brisket Benedict at Source, which was en even more welcome distraction after the loss of one of our beloved cats. The first meal we braved without Baby Fork was to sample the new menu at Goodramgate Ambiente, just as reliably tasty and great value as ever.

Garbutt & Elliot Food Entrepreneur award winners

Radix Hen of the woods, poacher & root vegetable tagliatelle

Source beef brisket benedict

In April Tommy Banks launched his first book, Roots, which later shared its name with his new restaurant in York. I had a stab at his ox cheek recipe and produced a dish that even Tommy complimented me on. A trip out of York to Gio’s Italian Diner uncovered a great value spot that delivered simple food, done well with great ingredients. Our wedding anniversary celebration was less ambitious than previous years but still took in a delicious rosti at Betty’s Northallerton and some beautifully honest pies at Lordstones Cafe. I also finally had the chance to get back to Melton’s for lunch, which was a great opportunity to remember the understated quality these guys bring to Bishy Rd.

Betty’s Rosti

Melton’s celery & gruyere ‘rarebit’

My attempt at Tommy Bank’s Ox cheek from Roots

May brought about the long awaited opening of container park Spark that brought together a well curated selection of the best of local streetfood. While there’s been some turnover amongst the traders involved since then, it remains a welcoming space. With a young baby, we were still struggling to get out for special meals so the chance to visit The Park from Adam Jackson remains a fond memory that Baby Fork was able to share with us. With summer starting, it was lovely to pay a visit to Raithwaite Spa and take the time to relax in the sun, not to mention grab some crab sandwiches from The Cod & Lobster en route. This busy month also saw the launch of Yorkshire Cheddar from Wensleydale Creamery with a menu from Yorkshire legend Steph Moon, a pasta class with the indomitable Sara Danesin, the launch of The Cat’s Pyjamas in York and Malton Food Festival.

Poussin, white onion, ham, hen of the woods from Adam Jackson at The Park

Raithwaite Spa

Spark

As we got to half way through the year, June took me out to the Herbs Unlimited open day and the openings of Shakespeare’s Globe, The Press Kitchen and L’Uva. I also took the chance to check out a fully vegan menu at The Whippet before we popped to Ludlow and enjoyed some small plates with great local produce at CSON’s by the river.

Family Fork at the L’Uva opening

Mussels in the sun at Shakespeare’s Globe

Vegan dishes at The Whippet

By July we were starting to find our feet with Baby Fork a little so managed a few more days out. The hot summer days were perfect for the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Fountains Abbey. Fantastic meals came from Arras and The Star Inn the Harbour while I finally made it to Everyman Cinema for a Spielburger to celebrate my birthday after a film.

Salmon and Greek Salads at Arras

One of the Follys at Fountains Abbey

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Spielburger at Everyman

In August I travelled further afield to Leeds to enjoy the launch event for new Pudsey neighbourhood bistro Feed, featuring cheeseburger spring rolls and the “Hangover cone”. I also made it to Bradford to finally visit Prashad, which lived up to sky high expectations despite some enforced needlework, and Stamfords in Pocklington that represented great value. Cooking at home included sampling a recipe box from Riverford and it was a real pleasure to see Born to Lose open in Brew York from the guys behind Street Cleaver.

Whipped Goats Curd with Carrot at Stamfords

Hangover Cone from Feed

Kopra Pethi at Prashad

The big things in September were the York Food & Drink Festival, with whom I was very happy to work and curate the food and drinks trails, and the much anticipated launch of Tommy Banks’ new restaurant on Marygate, Roots. Sunday lunch came from the Principal and Born to Lose, whose Alternative Sunday Lunch was characteristically brilliant. I also made it to Skosh for the first time in too long and for a great value Bento lunch at Sushiwaka. A lowlight of the year came courtesy of a broken plate that necessitated a rather painful and invasive check for tendon damage in my hand and a number of stitches (NB: link to graphic pic), and I was even late for lunch! Thankfully my thumb remains fully functional, if still rather achey.

Born to Lose Alternative Sunday Lunch (2 hours after having my thumb stitched together!)

Lemon & Blueberry Cheesecake at The Principal

Garden pea falafel, pork fat and carrots at Roots launch event

Things quietened down in October a little; fine dining came from Hudson’s in The Grand and a more casual offering from Los Moros, whose opening and success was great to see. A set price lunch from The Rattle Owl was an accessible treat that makes for a great value midweek lunch.

Stone bass, langoustine and Fennel from the Hudsons Tasting Menu

Small plates for lunch at The Rattle Owl

Los Moros Tagine

November took us back to Roots for a final treat before Mrs Fork went back to work. I visited Leeds again to check out Dough, the new city centre offering from the guys behind Feed, and the Assembly Food Hall that packed a cracking burger from Slap & Pickle. The lunchtime pie menu from The Whippet hit the spot and I had great fun running a blogger event with the lovely Avocado Events and the Star Inn the City, to whom I wish a quick recovery to after their recent fire.

Slap & Pickle burger at Assembly Underground

Introducing the Children’s menu at the Star Inn the City

As we moved toward the end of the year, December took me to The Cutlery Works in Sheffield, a great addition to Kelham Island, which featured some great sashimi and poutine. The Christmas decorations at Castle Howard were good enough to encourage us to make it a habitual visit with Baby Fork in coming years and I finally got to see the stage show of Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds that even exceeded my expectations.

Castle Howard

Martian fighting machine with War of the Worlds!

Sashimi and small plates at Cutlery Works

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The front tables in the Fossgate make a great place to people watch from, so we settled into one of the window tables to take a look at the Fossgate Social brunch menu. The main offering consists of open sourdoughs, pancakes and hot sandwiches while there are a range of specials to look at on a black board. We went for a selection, taking in avocado and crispy bacon, a halloumi burger and a black pudding stack. Plenty of good coffee was forthcoming while we waited for the food and chatted about what exciting developments might be in store for the Fossgate’s future.

Avocado may now be forever associated with millenials’ alleged profligacy, but that doesn’t make it any less tasty, especially when paired with bacon and poached egg. I might not be quite as fixated on avocado as much of my peer group but it’s hard to deny its appeal when layered and stacked amongst bacon, slices of home-made muffin and a poached egg. A stack of black pudding, muffin and poached egg with Hollandaise felt similarly indulgent, perhaps too much so as it would have benefited from a touch less of the black pudding. Matchsticks of apple completed the dish to add some sharpness. The last plate we tried was a “Social Halloumi Burger” which also featured roast tomato and peppers with spinach to temper the salty, toasted cheese; a relatively simple dish that did justice to good ingredients.

All the new brunch dishes I tried were excellent, though not a conspicuous bargain. I occasionally hear people comparing the drinks prices unfavourably here to more conventional pubs and the food pricing matches the ‘quality over quantity’ thinking, but the Fossgate Social remains a superb place from which to watch the world go by.

Disclaimer: No charge was made for this meal, opinions remain impartial

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The term Txoko comes from the Basque region and is used to define a formal or informal group who meet regularly to enjoy good food. This event was based around that theme, with communal seating putting strangers at ease, while a series of dishes to share came from the kitchen. With some wine thrown in too, this was looking like a pretty notable bargain at £35 for a ticket.

We were pretty much last arrive, despite being five minutes before the advertised time. Clearly the audience were enthusiastic about the evening, so we took the last seats at the end of the communal table and started off with a glass of Txomin Etxaniz, a light fruity white with a hint of fizz that formed a good basis for conversation along with bread, olives, balsamic and oil.

The wide range of dishes came in quantities appropriate to satisfy the group. There was certainly no need to compete for scraps of the most popular dishes. First to arrive were an artful swirl of cured sausage presented on a bed of smooth butter beans and bowls of roast new potatoes with spinach and Picos blue cheese. It was a pleasant surprise to find the cured sausage (Chisttora) more lightly flavoured than I expected and interacting well with the butter beans that were slow cooked to almost dropping apart while remaining moist.

Despite having inflicted a pretty stomach-churning blister on my hand while cooking them, I still adore pig cheeks (if you ever want to see the blister pics, just ask). The examples served here lived up to my high expectations, cooked in sherry and with a delightful sheen, and shredding with minimal effort when the diners jumped in to grab a share. They were served with an apple puree that contrasted on the plate but, perhaps unfairly, got lost in my enthusiasm for the meat.

The final plate of meat was a piece of Iberico pork served with sweet and sour braised peppers that suffered only from being served between those wonderful pig cheeks and the striking salt baked sea bream that was delivered immediately afterward. The meat was tender and not subject to any unnecessary fiddling to compete against the sharp peppers.

Alongside the pig cheeks, that salt baked sea bream deserved to headline the menu. This came complete to the table ready for our server to break the crust and help us flake the meat onto our plates; another example of good produce, well prepared and not subject to any further hyperbole. An approach I shall reciprocate here!

To accompany all this, we were served several wines that maintained a convivial atmosphere, amongst which was a wonderfully smooth Rioja that achieved consensus amongst the group as another highlight of the evening. As I recount this now, it’s even harder to believe that all this came for £35 a head, including a more generous quantity of wine than expected. Ambiente is always a nice place to visit, but this event represented even better value than usual and the chance to enjoy a well curated selection of food and wine. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend booking Txoko with Ambiente.

Disclaimer: No charge was made for my attendance. Opinions are as impartial as always.

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Sutlers is a bar and kitchen that emphasises its spirit offering alongside its independence and dedication to fresh ingredients. In all honesty, the evenings have always seemed a bit too focussed on the drinks trade to appeal to me, hence not prioritising for a visit thus far, but the restoration of the former Army & Navy store is a pleasant and comfortable place to be over breakfast. Adding immeasurably to the ambience when we visited was the presence of Audrey, sporting the softest fur I’ve yet to find on a pug (admittedly from a rather small field. Pug fur rating isn’t activity I pursue often).

Having checked out the menu in advance, there was no great discussion as we ordered the skillet breakfast and eggs royale. Our server brought across some coffees to keep us company while the kitchen got to work and the usual Monday morning deliveries took place around us. On their website, Sutlers make a point of highlighting that the food is fresh and cooked to order so there can be a little bit of a wait for dishes to make it out of the kitchen. We weren’t in any hurry to get stuck into the rest of the Monday so were happy to go with the flow as we enjoyed our coffees and Audrey’s company.

When food arrived, we’d not been waiting long enough to cause irritation. The eggs royale that Grace had plumped for hid its toast under lustrous looking hollandaise and generous quantities of warm smoked salmon. The sauce packed in flavour and the textures mixed well to make up a generously flavoured and portioned dish.

My skillet breakfast perched a superheated skillet on a chopping board alongside some toasted bread. As usual, my enthusiasm for food overtook my concern for the heat resistance of my mouth, but when I’d gotten over the shock of the minor burn (I had been warned, my fault) I enjoyed the dish very much. Deceptively rich with kidney beans packed into the tomato sauce alongside the chorizo. It’s also always nice to see details such as good quality butter being taken care of too. As far as the presentation goes, when presented with something at the table this hot, I’d rather have it on something that more effectively limits the chance of burning oneself and offers somewhere to more easily balance a knife and fork. Still, I emerged unscathed and enjoyed the food.

Sutlers is definitely deserving of a place on my list. I won’t even hold against them the need to revisit that piece so soon. To be honest, even if the food didn’t warrant a return visit, I’d be making one anyway to say hi to Audrey, but thankfully it does anyway.

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Having never patronised the furniture shop that used to inhabit this space, I’m not sure how it was laid out before, but the large space benefits from a balcony and prominent chandelier to prevent it feeling too cavernous, the guys are justifiably proud of that striking chandelier and the Cosy Club York space feels welcoming and interesting without being too cluttered.

There’s a wide variety of food on offer including traditional main courses, burgers, sandwiches and tapas alongside a tempting sounding brunch offering. The tapas we were served on the opening night included hummus with pomegranate, patatas bravas, mushrooms with tarragon and some chicken wings, which were the highlight. The wine list starts with glasses from under a fiver while there’re offers available on a wide variety of cocktails if you’re of that persuasion.

I’ll have to get back for a proper go at the food, but the early signs are that Cosy Club York is a nice addition to Fossgate that’ll cater well for a wide variety of occasions.

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Slowly, though, the floodwater receded and left the scale of the clean up all too clear to see, both on an economic level, for the city’s continued well-being, and on a personal level for so many individuals, businesses and families. As is so often the case, the coming months showed up the best of people’s resilience and tenacity with many offering their neighbours help and many businesses open again in a startlingly short time.

One of the most notable examples of this spirit finds its home in the Fossgate Social. Faced with rising floodwater that had already inundated the cellar, the staff decided to shift the fridges up onto the first floor, and, having taken that step, and being faced with a not insignificant amount of work to do to get the main bar open again (achieved in only a few days), the prospect of getting that first floor ready for customers seemed less of a challenge. Being that it was all looking so “easy”, why not throw a new kitchen into the mix too?

Now that the Fossgate Social upstairs is fully open to the public and the kitchen is up and running under the stewardship of Becky Harrison, we called round for breakfast for a chat and to check out the offering. On entering, there’s little evidence of change. Perhaps the staff look like they’ve a little more space to work behind the bar now that food prep doesn’t need to be accommodated, but the flood water hasn’t washed out any character. Still hitting the sweet spot between coffee and beer, this is still one of those places where the staff won’t sneer if you order coffee after five in the afternoon or tut if you order beer before three.

Chef Becky is keen to promote healthy food and use as much locally produce, freshly prepared of course, as possible. That said, toasties and platters haven’t had the axe! Grace tucked into a ‘Valley Brunch’ consisting of scrambled egg and white bean mash that play host to portobello mushroom, cherry tomato and baby spinach. I forced myself into an ‘Eggy Stack’: French toast layered with bacon and roast cherry tomatoes.

My stack was as comforting and filling as you’d expect from this style of dish. Well-executed French toast cut through by tangy and sharp tomato while the bacon was maybe a touch crisper than my taste. Perfect to linger over with black coffee. Grace’s vegetarian breakfast received great praise, which I’ll leave for her to share below. Rather foolishly I didn’t appropriate any of the original-sounding white bean mash, any excuse to go back eh?

Fossgate is going from strength to strength at the moment: the monthly car-free Sundays now playing host to the Fossgate Festival with street food stalls, bars, dancing, music and plenty of family entertainment buzzing around. There’s a real sense of community on show here, perhaps the involvement of residents rather than just business in the planning of these monthly events lend it a more cohesive air. With businesses lending each other space to recover post flood, it’s perhaps no surprise to see different spaces being used for different things, be it closing the road once a month or screening short films, hosting music or art in the Fossgate Social new upstairs space or organising weekly fun runs (frankly ownership of a bar to return to is the only good thing I can see in that plan, but each to their own). Fossgate is on the up, and so is the Fossgate social (in the most literal sense).

Grace says: I was recommended the Fossgate Social Valley Brunch. When served, I can honesty say that I didn’t experience menu envy at the sight of my companion’s bacon.

The Valley Brunch is a portobello mushroom floating on a cloud of scrambled egg and butter bean mash. Baby spinach leaves and roasted cherry tomatoes provide colour and variety to the dish.

The handful of fresh ingredients may seem like a simple meal, but there’s enough going on to make it interesting. The sweet tomatoes and peppery spinach provided the strongest flavours, with the mushroom and mash made it a meal. The butter bean and scrambled egg mash is far lighter than the expected mashed potato, and tastes wonderful.

The most satisfying thing about the Valley Brunch is that it doesn’t leave you thinking that it could have benefited from adding bacon or chicken. Overall, it’s a meal which is delightfully confusing. The fried mushroom hails from a cooked breakfast, while the tomato and spinach is salad. It’s all very nutritious and hits the spot. In short, the Valley Brunch is a hot salad which fills you up. Try one for yourself.

Disclosure: The breakfast mentioned here was complimentary.

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