Previously home to an Indian restaurant, the new location is a much larger space than the space Corner Grill House previously occupied and has been subjected to a meticulous renovation that’s turned it into an invitingly lit and super-stylish dining space. The breadth of the wine list is obvious from the number of bottles adorning the shelving around the room and with stylish but understated furniture all this comes together to produce a lovely calming dining room with a real sense of occasion. The menu features plenty of traditional dishes but makes a feature of the selection of steaks as well as featuring a number of rich starters that catch the eye. We decided to go for broke and over-order to make sure we got a broad selection of what was on offer, taking home the leftovers of course. I’m never quite sure why people are embarrassed to ask for this, do you think chefs enjoy seeing their hard work scraped off a plate into the bin?

A sharing board of three starters gives plenty of opportunity to make inroads into the starters with lamb kofta, garlic prawns and baked mushrooms forming an appetising trio when served with generous amounts of bread and side salad. I’d happily recommend any of the three that we enjoyed, all generous and rich with no weak spots on the board. The kofta was tender and with a well balanced spicing that didn’t threaten to overwhelm its companions, while the baked mushrooms didn’t skimp on the cheese, which had just started to caramelise on top for an extra punch of flavour. Prawns were given extra appeal from a creamy, white wine and cream sauce with a fresh dusting of parsley lightening things to complete a satisfying start to the meal.

The theme of over-ordering continued with main dishes as I wilted under Radek’s suggestions to try three things and we agreed on ox cheek, pork tomahawk and sirloin steak. We opted for chips to accompany the steak and a salad to go with the pork, though of course they were distributed between the plates at our whim anyway. Ox cheek was accompanied by creamy mash and a generous quantity of small onions with some parsnip crisps for texture and pea shoots to temper this rich dish. Ox cheek really rewards a long, slow cook and the preposterously soft and unctuous texture this example delivered was outstanding. Butter-rich mash brought more luxury and sharp pops from the pearls of onion punctuated the richness neatly. I’m a competent home cook and know how to do justice to a decent cut of meat, something which can be mysteriously lacking in some restaurants. The evidence here puts Corner Grill House firmly on my trusted list with the sirloin cooked perfectly and obviously from a quality supplier. Pork matched up well with a rewarding depth of flavour and tender consistency that stood up for itself against the quality of the steak well. A bold Malbec from the well-appointed wine list was perfect to accompany all this

Corner Grill House has always been a reliable spot to enjoy cuts of meat that are prepared with care and cooked to realise their potential and the King Street location just serves to even further elevate the experience thanks to the relaxed ambience and characterful interior. Service is worth a mention too as the balance of showing attentiveness without pestering was perfectly hit too. It’s been a pleasure watching Radek grow this business over the years and it has a real spring in its step now that should sustain it for many years. We were very full and happy as we strolled home replete with leftovers.

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The menu lists eight flavours to with which to imbue your wings, which you can order by the dozen or half dozen. We went for a selection including “Shang – High”, “Panang – A – Lang” and “The Honey Monster” as well as the bavette steak loaded fries which turned out to be more than enough for a two person lunch. As I say, I’ve been something of a cynic regarding wings before but these absolutely converted me, to this iteration of them at least if not the less well executed versions. These wings were plump and incredibly tender, a real joy to get smeared all over your hands as you get to work on them in the only practical way to do so. The flavours boldly represented the promised notes from the menu and retained impressive balance, one can just feel the many attempts it must have taken to reach this point. Loaded fries were groaning under the weight of strips of nicely charred bavette steak that remained pink through the majority of its depth. Fresh broccoli topped the plate along with a vibrant chimichurri that rounded things out beautifully.

It must also be said that all this was a bargain, with a dozen wings and the loaded fries being more than enough to satisfy two and coming in at £16.50 a head, more than reasonable in the current climate and all the more so for something of this obvious quality. Even better “Wing Wednesday” brings that down to just 75p a wing, get that in your diary for a great value treat!

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You can find Tharavadu Leeds just a short stumble down the hill from the train station, adjacent to the similarly esteemed Bundobust. It’s not the most flamboyant frontage but has a welcoming atmosphere as you enter, with the walls embellished by the signatures of esteemed customers such as Kier Starmer! It didn’t take long for our server to furnish us with cold beers and some satisfying crunchy bits to dip in a variety of pickles while we waited for the main event to begin.

The Signature chicken dosa was an obvious place to start and arrived in a show of conical majesty, concealing the spiced filling. These savoury pancake style dishes have deservedly gained traction in the UK over the last ten years or so since I came across one first in Nottingham around 2008 but I can’t think of one that compares to this example. With a delicate crunch to the lightly spiced pancake and a lustrous, rich filling with well judged heat this is an instantly iconic dish that should be mandatory when visiting Tharavadu Leeds.

We’d ordered everything to come as it was ready, so a beef dish came next. Pothu Peralan delivered a generous quantity of the meat which was elevated by pungent curry leaves, onion and coconut with spicing generously advancing forward as you chew. We also picked a Meen Koottan fish curry promising notes of tamarind while proclaiming itself one of the most ordered dishes on the menu, with good reason as it turned out. One rather gets the impression that there isn’t a duff note on the menu but everything we ordered felt like it could have been a highlight. Without exception each dish was best-in-show of its ilk, comforting and generous with huge depths of character making it a challenge to stop mopping up the sauces with the breads we’d ordered. It’s really hard to recommend Tharavadu Leeds enough. I appreciate Mr Rayner’s opinion probably carries more weight than mine, but I also hope you’d put a bit of trust in me too. I’m still thinking about that chicken dosa, and those morsels of beef would be something I’d happily pick over for hours on end. You’ll not regret visiting.

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I’ve long been a fan of Middletons York and felt it rather unappreciated as a place to eat and drink in York, though having got married there some years ago I’m perhaps a touch biased. I’ve eaten there a good few times though and it’s always been solid but now they’ve taken things up a notch, focussing on the restaurant and launching an entirely new menu that eschews the hotel restaurant standards in favour of something much more interesting. Yorkshire Tapas effectively means a menu of small plates that are delivered to the table as and when they’re ready for service. We were advised to pick three or four each so hedged our bets and ordered seven, bearing in mind that this style of menu lends itself easily to appending a dish or two if you feel the need.

Everything Lishman’s of Ilkley make is pretty peerless so a bowl of their Yorkshire Chorizo in red wine and honey reduction was first to be ticked off the list, arriving quickly. In all honesty, it would have been a feat to make this disappointing but the gentle chorizo spice paired with the rich sauce nicely and let the quality of the meat come through. Monkfish cheeks were crispy and with a satisfying chew and a curry sauce which was a bit more aggressive than the descriptor used on the menu, but cautious application of the sauce balanced things back up. Fountains Gold cheese donuts were next to arrive, liberally topped with more grated cheese and with a warm soft centre making a quality bar snack.

Cubes of pork belly with pistachio and a cider reduction were rich and with a sweet tang that leant into the indulgence of this cut of meat perfectly but the true star of the meat dishes was onglet steak served in a parsley and mustard marinade. This cut rewards cooking quickly to serve pretty rare and delivers a deep, meaty flavour with notes of game. It’s a fabulous value cut with a strong personality and coming in at £7.50 represents a bargain on this menu – don’t miss it if you call by. To the side of all this meat and cheese we went for broccoli served with crispy garlic and “dirty” hasselback potatoes, earning that claim of besmirchment thanks to a topping of rich cheese sauce as well as an optional scattering of bacon.

The whole Yorkshire tapas thing runs the risk of dropping into lazy cliche and northern stereotype if not executed with care and a bit of originality, potentially ending up looking like a ploughman’s that’s generating an unnecessary amount of washing up. At Middletons York though every dish hit the brief with Yorkshire produce ably showcased across a range of dishes that put the produce front and centre while elevating them subtly. That onglet steak in particular will draw me back before long!

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Situated on an unassuming industrial estate on the outskirts of York, the Agility York street presence is rather understandably more akin to your typical play-barn than a restaurant but once inside and in the surprisingly spacious upstairs dining area things are just as comfortable as you’d hope and well separated from the more active areas, the noise from which didn’t impinge on our meal. We quickly rattled through the Tapas menu, also ordering from the children’s menu and settled in with a cold Estrella.

First to arrive was a generous platter of Spanish meats and cheeses generously scattered with olives and cornichon that was perfect grazing while the other dishes shuffled onto the table, starting with salt cod croquettes with a saffron dip that were crisped to perfection externally and unctuous inside with plenty of cod present and a deep hit of saffron to add breadth. Albondigas came next with a rich tomato sauce and generous notes of garlic while we also grazed on bread with olive oil and balsamic, a satisfying trio that’s slunk back from its ubiquity a decade ago. Green beans sautéed with more garlic and some pumpkin seeds dropped next along with calamari rings, something that can trip up this sort of menu. No such worries from Sam though as they were blessed with a satisfying crunch, soft calamari and a powerful lemon mayo for balance. That just left patatas bravas which had been executed to the same high standard with crispy potatoes paired against a good punch of heat from the tomato sauce.

This would all have added up to a top-notch tapas meal from a specialist restaurant, let alone a single night in what’s primarily a fitness/play destination but, in truth, knowing Sam and his pedigree that’s hardly a surprise. The menu full of tapas staples was not only well put together but great value and bodes well for the future. Next up is a Greek night on 6th July; on the evidence of this, it’ll be another great evening.

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The interior has the feeling of a canteen with ordering taking place at a counter and harsh lighting combining to remind you that this doesn’t even nod toward the niceties of more formal dining. The choice of mains is overwhelmingly of meat, rice and noodles in a variety of combinations, making it a relatively simple thing to navigate. The drink range is relatively limited and it’s worth noting that there’s no alcohol licence though they have a range of non-alcoholic beers and were happily sending people to a local shop should they want alcohol with their meal. We opted for a couple of bao buns to act as starters before mains of pork belly with rice and duck with noodles, and relaxed into the friendly atmosphere. The baos were disposed of as quickly as they arrived and were well put together with generous filling and soft buns, but the real star was to be the meats with our mains.

If an ingredient is in the name of a business you kind of expect them to nail it every time and I’m happy to confirm that the duck in this shack is certainly something to quack about. Cooked through and without the blush of pink I’d expect from most places, it was beautifully tender and had the fat rendered perfectly between the meat and the crispy skin. With a generous helping of noodles, a tang of sauce and a handful of pickled cabbage this all came to a generous and satisfying dish more than worthy of headlining the establishment. The pickling on the cabbage was a well developed accent to the deep duck flavour too. The pork belly was equally well handled, having been carved into uniformly bite sized morsels with rice and broccoli on the side.

This is hearty and flavoursome food lovingly prepared with a complete absence of tweezering or microherbs, just good old fashioned delicious plates in a simple environment at a sensible price. I love that places like this can thrive in York, adding breadth and interest to the food scene. I might prefer to make this a casual lunch setting rather than for an indulgent dinner but I’ll certainly be back for more.

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I’ve related before my history with the Malmaison building, in which I endured a rather grinding role in financial services, but the transformation really is quite dramatic when you enter at street level. Opening impressions as you ascend to the roof remain strong and the vista that presents itself as you make your way onto the terrace is quite something, also surprisingly well weatherproofed. With the focus of the visit being on the trio of Spring specials, they were obviously first to hit the order sheet and quickly augmented with other favourites numbering fried cauliflower, tuna tataki and scallops. My companion was quickly provided with a Ichigo Spritz, one of the spring special cocktails, featuring vodka and sake, while I took on a glass of Asahi to pair with the view.

My love for the Korean fried cauliflower with Gochujang here is well established and this iteration of it did nothing to discourage that, with the earthy cauliflower picking away beautifully at the gochujang heat, and scallops with a light touch of citrus ponzu and a nose-tickle of wasabi are a thing of great pleasure. Similarly tuna tataki with a good touch of soy and a spot of puffed rice for texture was another well put together dish that bears repeat ordering comfortably.

As for the Sora York Spring specials, lamb cutlets stood out as an easy win and the courgette tempura they were served with would have stood scrutiny in isolation. The promised tahini wasn’t as prominent as I’d hoped but that didn’t detract in the least from these beautifully prepared lamb cutlets. Next up was duck maki that used the duck to top rolled sushi which encased pickled watermelon to intriguing effect and popped some hoi sin into the mix too. Last up was a dish of sushi rice topped with pickled cucumber and dots of smoked mackerel that was fresh and delicious without managing to top those lamb cutlets that were still firmly lodged in my tastebuds.

Cocktails aren’t really my thing so my dining companion put herself out to also sample a Shun Smash from the Spring specials which was as well received as her earlier choice and a great way to round out the evening. Sora is a unique addition to the York hospitality scene and the confluence of view, quality food and attentive service is more than enough to demand repeat visits. A few seasonal dishes thrown into the mix just adds another reason to come back!

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A few Fridays later and we found ourselves parked up in a multi-storey car park in the centre of Beverley (much more reasonable than parking in York) and started to explore. I’d been told that it felt like a “mini-York” and this certainly was the case, with a few quaint streets and a Minster to enhance the impersonation. An hour or two wandering was a very pleasant experience and we noted a few places to return to, in particular I’ve never, as I suppose should be obvious, been to the Pig & Whistle. Firepit Beverley is part of the new Flemingate development, also home to that car park, which is easily accessed at the edge of the city centre and features a largely predictable mix of retail and leisure businesses. Firepit itself is a smokehouse and sports bar that augments the food offering with games such as darts, pool and shuffleboard as well as featuring a wall-dominating screen to really push every last pixel of sport into your eyeball.

The food offering was rather meat heavy as one might expect and we took the cowards’ way out of ordering a sharing platter with a couple of sides to reduce the mental burden of any decision making. The environment has some cool bits of Americana dotted about and feels lively enough without becoming a distraction from the food, if that’s the focus of your visit. Our platter arrived smartly enough and was every bit the meaty indulgence I had expected. Laden with ribs, chicken legs, beef brisket, smoked sausage, pulled pork, chicken wings and chorizo this was a serious feed and called into question the necessity of the mac cheese we had ordered, though chips to punctuate the meatiness were a must have.

There was little chance of us polishing off the lot (don’t worry, the leftovers came home) so we made sure to sample everything and get a good sense of the standard, with the pulled pork and brisket being stand-out and everything hitting the target admirably. The smoked sausage had the promised good whack of smoke and the wings were messily indulgent. Looking back at the menu now I realise we were missing some ‘slaw and pickles that would have been a welcome relief from the meat-fest but this was an incredibly generous serving for £35. We added some creamy mac cheese for even more indulgence and left very full and very happy.

In truth a sports bar such as Firepit Beverley is not my natural habitat, but for this dining experience, it felt rather appropriate. The dimly lit setting scattered with screens and dominated by that massive display and a few striking features including the front of a car and a seating area reminiscent of an airstream caravan hits the spot. There was a good buzz of people enjoying the shuffleboard and pool that would translate well to an evening and really motor on when a big event was on. I should go farther afield more often!

(Disclaimer – PR visit)

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I’m more than familiar with this location as it’s also home to my daughter’s doctor surgery as well as a convenient Gregg’s from which I sometimes grab her a post-swimming lesson snack. I’ve never eaten here though. Red Chilli East Campus has a few tables in the small-ish informal dining area and clearly functions as well as a takeaway as it does eat in. Being on the university campus it was unsurprising to find it busy with young students who I presume were taking advantage of a conspicuously good value lunch deal for a shade under £10. We instead ordered from the broader main menu, choosing a selection of the dishes more appealing to my Western palate, memories of a pigs ear salad still fresh in mind from another Chinese which was otherwise superb.

It’d been far too long since I had duck pancakes so that was an obvious opener which we followed up with crispy shredded beef, chicken chow mein and steamed rice with red cooked pork… all of which would run you under £40. This certainly isn’t a formal dining experience, which at this price doesn’t merit any criticism at all, so the food came as and when it was ready rather than with the pancakes as a starter so we were first into the red cooked pork. Presented with a boiled egg and steamed broccoli to broaden the pork’s horizons, this is a dish I’ll be ordering again, the finely diced pork belly morsels having taken on just the right amount of sweetness to tempter its natural fattiness while cooked to perfect tenderness. Chow mein was equally well judged and generously packed with chicken and vegetables while the moreish crispy beef was run through with onion and peppers and kept me picking much longer than strictly necessary. The duck was another success story and equally generous with plenty of cucumber, spring onion and hoisin to pack into the wraps.

It should be fairly apparent that this meal really made an impression with a winning combination of value, flavour and accessibility that will lodge it firmly at the top of our takeaway list. I’ve a good few friends who work at the university whom I’m lining up to suggest popping over for lunch with so if you’re in that group, get ready for an invite!

(Disclaimer – PR meal at no cost)

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Galtres Lodge has been transformed over the last few years after a change in ownership and is firmly embedded as one of the best places to stay in the city, while its restaurant Forest certainly isn’t an afterthought and has its own sense identity. I’ve eaten there a few times and always enjoyed the balance struck between fun and formality so the idea of their new Galtres Lodge Sunday Feast tickled my fancy, looking like a quite significant amount of food for £35 per person. This multi-stage meal packs in a soup course and a grazing platter as precursor to the main dish before throwing dessert at you too, with cheese an optional extra if you have the appetite. Bread and soup are the first things to be presented to the table with the celeriac soup coming in a jug from which to pour over blue cheese and onion chutney in individual cups that dictated a sensible portion size to start us off. Pushing tableware into service for which it’s not originally intended can be a minefield but I enjoyed the quirky presentation on the basis that it actually supported the utility of the dish, which was delicious and enhanced by the texture and spikiness of the blue cheese. Bread from Bluebird Bakery is always a benefit to a meal and was perfect to mop up the soup.

With the soup course cleared away, we were really gaining momentum as we rolled into the grazing board presented next. Prosciutto, salami and salmon were faced off against pickled baby onions, olives, beetroot and peppers to pick at; all I was missing was a Sunday paper to enhance my repose! I should also give mention to a really well executed chicken liver parfait that was very at home on the remainder of that Bluebird Bread.

All of this would be in vain if the main element didn’t live up to expectations but the arrival of generously dressed plates of meat and Yorkshire Puddings augured well, with the arrival of platters containing side dishes next to challenge the table’s dimensions. We enjoyed chicken and beef which had been taken to their full potential by skilled cooking then draped in gravy and topped with a hearty Yorkshire pud, sides of roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese, heritage carrots and buttered greens all present and correct too. A generous jug of extra gravy provided even more comfort as we tucked in to the course that amply justified the “Feast” title. Before we left, we also enjoyed a selection of desserts: a posset, sticky toffee pudding and a dark chocolate fondant all vying for our affections from which the sticky toffee took most praise from me, though I particularly enjoyed the bitter dark chocolate too.

A Sunday roast really does need to be a laid back experience that amounts to more than a few plates of food before one feels obligated to move on and free up a table. Taking this feasting approach means that you’re duty bound to spend a decent amount of time over the meal, properly engaging with it and perhaps lingering over a drink as you ponder how best to digest the meal. This meal absolutely justifies the title “Feast” and is a very significant amount of food, presented well and making up a cohesive meal from which you can take the opportunity to return home with leftovers. It’s unique in the York food scene and a perfectly indulgent way to spend a Sunday.

(Disclaimer – review meal at no cost)

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