My visit had been prompted by York Restaurant Week, which felt like an opportunity to take a punt on a couple of promising looking new places to eat, and took place on a Monday lunchtime to take full advantage of the event. The frontage of Sushi & Bowl goes toward the unassuming, not standing out too much from the other restaurants on the street, though it has some jolly graphics on the window. I hadn’t been able to find a website so didn’t have a booking but it was quiet when I made my entrance and I was seated quickly with Restaurant Week duly acknowledged. A few more diners joined the party in short order and bumped up the atmosphere a notch and I got my order in for the most expensive of the deals which came in at £30.

First up was a Kani salad of shredded crabstick dressed in Japanese mayo with ribbons of cucumber and a sesame dressing and arriving at the same time were shrimp tempura that were much more familiar to me. The tempura were well executed with crispy, light batter and an aggressively salty dipping sauce. The salad was new to me with the velvety mayo giving a soft edge to the crab. I’d certainly order this one again.

Main course was Unagi Don, an eel and rice dish with a side of kimchi and generous topping of spring onion and sesame seeds. Posting this on my social media provoked a bit of debate about the sustainability of eel so I might order an alternative in future but this was an absolute delight with all the bright and fresh flavour notes I had hoped for. The kimchi was relatively subtle but contrasted nicely with the fermentation coming through well and a nice crunch for extra texture in the dish. At this point I was absolutely stuffed and had forgotten that stuffed pancakes were coming out for dessert….I tried one for the sake of quality control then spirited the remainder into my bag for later indulgence.

Coming to this one slightly blind, I was very happy to have my expectations comfortably met here, with an extra layer of value from participation in York Restaurant Week just sweetening the deal. Sushi is something that’s generally been inconsistent in York so I’m looking forward to a return visit focussed on that, but in the meantime very glad that we have new places like this springing up to keep things interesting.

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Collection from The Crooked Tap in Acomb affords the opportunity to pick up some drinks to go with your chosen dishes, or just grab and go. After a quick catch up with the lovely people from both Pan Sushi and The Crooked Tap I was on my way home ready to tuck my bounty into the fridge while Baby Fork was tucked up in bed, her being asleep being something that contributes to the ability to relax during a meal. I’d collected a selection of four different types of fusion rolls, Surf & Turf, Fish & Chips, “Woods” and Winter Cabbage & Sprout slaw which came accompanied by a generous selection of pickled ginger, wasabi and soy sauce to pep things up according to your taste.

In truth I wasn’t totally sure what to expect from a couple of these dishes, and accordingly how well the sushi rice seasoning and traditional accompaniments would pair with the unconventional flavours here.The Winter Cabbage & Sprout Slaw was the most subtle of the quartet with shredded cabbage and carrot being joined by that most under-appreciated vegetable the sprout to give a nice challenge of bitterness. “Woods” packed in mushroom, garlic and truffle under a big hit of Sriracha and crispy onions that did their best to overwhelm the forestry flavours without succeeding. Fish and Chip Sushi could fall into depressing gimmickry but instead trod closer to amusing fun than eye rolling silliness, with a delicacy leant to the presentation by a pair of matchstick sized chips on top of each roll; a smack of tartare sauce rounded these ones off. Hogging the visual limelight was the Surf & Turf Sushi which placed a tempura shrimp at the heart of concentric circles of sushi rice and a steak strip cooked rare with wasabi mayo hustling things along further. These substantial bites sparked some friendly debate about who should get most and delivered on the visual promise, which would have been wasted if the steak hadn’t been cooked well. I could spend many an evening grazing on these!

I don’t doubt for a moment that a good bunch of people will turn their noses up at the concept of fusion sushi rolls bringing in steak, truffle and chips amongst other things, but I’ve enough of a sense of humour to relax into the concept and take it as the good fun coupling that it is. Right now we need all the enjoyment we can get and an evening exploring these strikingly different dishes is certainly good fun. Keep an eye on Pan Sushi’s social media channels for more York pop-ups.

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York Cookery School has been teaching the good people of York the finer points of cookery since 2012, using a variety of well regarded tutors to provide characterful and informative courses. I’ve attended before to learn about fish cookery from the incomparable Steph Moon so had a good expectation of how the day would pan out. The tutor for the sushi course would be Dan Graham whose CV includes making the final of Masterchef: The Professionals and a stint at Malton’s well regarded Talbot Hotel as head chef. He gained his sushi skills at a high end restaurant in London from a Sushi Master and recently placed well in the Kikkoman Masters competition, plenty to suggest he knows his subject!

The four hour York Cookery School sushi course packed in a lot of detail, starting with a chat about the care and effort that goes into sushi rice. Dan had thoughtfully pre-rinsed our rice and weighed it out to speed things along and make sure we’d have ample time later on to assemble our own sushi. With our rice cooked and happily cooling ready for later manipulation, we settled in for a chat about the origins of sushi and it’s preparation. We were shown how to create our own seasoning for the sushi rice but I’m afraid I opted to take the lazy route and use the preprepared stuff while coming to terms with my naivety in not realising that sushi rice was typically seasoned with a mix of rice vinegar, sugar and salt.

Now it was time to get stuck into some fish prep, which Dan thankfully led from the front. We had tuna, salmon and halibut to go about after a detailed demo. We were told how to cut across to the grain of the fish and maximise the return on the piece by using trimmings to create the filling for California Roll and diced flesh for Gunkan Maki (“Battleship Sushi”). I was initially suspicious that the amount of fish allocated to me wouldn’t go far enough, but I would soon be proved thoroughly wrong. We also put together a sweet rolled omelette with which to assemble nigiri. The technique for layering and rolling the egg is something I’ll definitely replicate at home and it looked lovely when wrapped with a strand of seaweed to secure it to the rice.

With our fish now trimmed to the appropriate sizes and shapes, it was time to start building some finished bites. With damped hands to combat the best efforts of the sticky rice, we set about building nigiri, California rolls and battleship sushi, the more adventurous of us even knocking out inside-out California rolls under the expert tutelage. We also put together some a beautiful yuzu based marinade for our halibut and a sesame dip to go with some beef fillet. Dan had quickly roasted some beef to deliciously rare for us to reinforce the point that sushi is most certainly not just raw fish, as is commonly misconceived.

The amount of sushi I went home with rather took me by surprise and comfortably made a couple of meals for us. With a bit of effort to augment it, I could have hosted a few friends for dinner and taken an opportunity to show off too. The course comes in at £110 which feels like a very fair price for the four hours of tuition and the mound of food I returned home with. I also took great pleasure in being reminded how much I enjoy sushi and look forward to developing a sushi habit again in the near future.

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

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Food halls seem to be popping up all over Yorkshire these days. In York, we have Spark to host a range of street food vendors at the moment and the promise of another food hall in the recently refurbished Stonebow House to come in 2019. In Leeds, Assembly Underground has just opened with 50 beer lines to support the existing Belgrave Music Hall and Trinity Kitchen and a little further south, Sheffield is now host to The Cutlery Works in Kelham Island in a building that, perhaps unsurprisingly, was previously a Cutlery factory.

Our visit didn’t get off to a particularly smooth start thanks to an inconsistent bus service in York that left us running a mile or so pushing Baby Fork after which we were able to relax for three minutes before sharing the vestibule on a packed train with seven other people, a pushchair and luggage. On arrival at Sheffield, we recovered with coffee before trekking through the rain hoping that The Cutlery Works would live up to expectations. Thankfully we found it a superb retreat from the rain, welcoming and buzzing while still family friendly with the first floor easily accessible via a lift and featuring decent baby changing facilities.

The range of traders is truly impressive and broad while not cramming too much into the space. There’s a nice mix of food and drink businesses that cover a great range of bases without letting any genre dominate or unduly tip toward feeling like a drinks led space. Downstairs feels more like the kind of place to swing by for a drink and a snack while upstairs dots a few more sofas around, suggesting a longer stay. In terms of traders, the downstairs features craft chocolate from Bullion, Indian from Ma-Ba, poutine from The Gravy Train, arancini from Fritti, pies from Pie-Eyed and burgers and baos from Fin&Bone. Upstairs finds freshly roasted coffee from Foundry, plant-based treats from Shed, and Edo serving up sushi along with a few bars to enjoy.

We settled upstairs, bagging a sofa and a high chair to base ourselves in before exploring the menus. Predictably there’s too much to work through in one day here but I enjoyed living vicariously through the sights and smells as I made my way around. A couple of street food chefs in York had suggested the poutine so I started with Gravy Train’s “Montreal” dish. Peculiar to Cutlery Works compared to other food halls I’ve visited, there’s table service, so I pointed out our table on a plan and returned to the group, where the food appeared quickly enough. The suggestion turned out to be spot on: really well prepared fries paired with curd and drenched in a deeply flavoured gravy. This was a deeply satisfying way to spend £6 while my companions’ similar dish chucked bbq chicken into the mix for another couple of pounds.

We decided to go for something lighter next and ordered a selection of sashimi from Edo that was as beautifully fresh as it needs to be; the scallop in particular being delightful (£15). The other side of the table opted for a selection of small plates from the same outlet that included duck gyoza, Japanese fried chicken and octopus dumplings which my stolen bites served to confirm their positivity (3 dishes for £12) . Finally we hit Fin&Bone for a Bouillabaisse which had a decent punch of flavour but could have been a bit more generous with the seafood to hit the same heights of the dishes we’d enjoyed so far.

The Cutlery Works is a fantastic use of space to give a home to some seriously good food and drink businesses. I absolutely loved the atmosphere; it had plenty of buzz but still felt family friendly without ever looking like a soft play area. Each of the businesses seemed to have space to present its own identity and one can only assume that this will quickly become a stable of the food and drink scene in Sheffield.

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Espresso roast beef short rib from Andy Annat at the Green Room was stunningly moist, boldly flavoured and just the thing on a cold January evening

White asparagus stuffed with crab meat and topped with caviar was served between courses at the Star at Harome but a definite highlight of the meal.

While in New York, we checked out the famous Katz’s Deli and tried a “Reuben” and a Pastrami on Rye. Simply some of the tenderest meat ever encountered.

A short hop to the other side of America found us eating sushi at Ryokos in San Francisco. Rejecting a menu and asking for the chef’s suggestions worked very well.

Andrew Pern’s character runs through Mr P’s Curious Tavern and contributes to delightfully unique dishes such as steak tartare with brown sauce ice cream. Silly, in the best possible way.

This delicately spiced sea trout at the Park made brilliant use of peanut and lime to bring it to life.

Liquid Nitrogen Mojito? Says it all really, courtesy of The Grand.

The Man Behind the Curtain was ludicrous, inspirational and sensational from start to finish. Definitely one of my highlights of 2016.

This Bramley Apple Cheesecake from Northcote’s collaboration with the Star Inn the City was exquisitely presented.

Giles’ highlight of the year
My best meal of the year must have been at The Star Inn Harome, not just because all the food is seasonal and locally produced. There is a menu to cater for every wallet from bar food to an a la carte menu and an amazing selection of local beer, as well as a large local cheese board. I have never been disappointed in any of the menu options from the venison burger, to the posh prawn cocktail and the rockpool, not forgetting the large selection of game and seafood.

Claire’s highlights of 2016
There were so many memorable food moments in 2016 that it’s almost impossible to choose. As a home cook I love discovering new ingredients. This year two fell onto my radar: sharp goat curd from Ribblesdale Cheese and British grown pulses from Suffolk based Hodmedods.
I have the great British weather to thank for my second favourite food moment. The unusually mild temperature throughout 2016 made this an excellent year for foraging. From elderflower to crab apples there was a plentiful crop for crumbles, jams and fruit gin. A busy year all round.

Grace’s highlights of the year
2016 for me was time-rich, so became a year of proper home cooking and baking. The York foodie Twitter community were there at 11pm when I needed to know where I could buy almond paste, (Tulliver’s on Colliergate). I jazzed up a cake with some edible glitter from Barnitts and Henshelwoods were reliable for vanilla pods. I’m thankful that York hasn’t been cleansed of independent shops, otherwise my baking would lack all the best ingredients!

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Asia Gourmet sits about halfway along Gillygate and, it must be said, has one of the least tempting frontages of any places to eat in York. Indeed I have friends who have never eaten there, and will never eat there, simply because they can’t bring themselves to circumnavigate the entrance. (“One does not simply WALK into Asia Gourmet…”)

Serving a great choice of Sushi and describing itself as a Japanese Brasserie, Asia Gourmet has impressed itself upon a dedicated following who are happy to ignore the somewhat mixed presentation and enjoy the bargain priced food. I’m the first to confess that my sushi ordering skills are extremely limited so my usual ploy is to smile nicely and request ‘plenty of sushi and sashimi please’. To date this has invariably resulted in moist, sticky rice, beautifully seasoned fish, egg and seaweed.

Straying away from the Sushi you can find the usual roster of noodle, rice and meat dishes. From the side dishes I could personally eat as many spare ribs as they’re able to provide. As far as the larger dishes go, anything with pork has always exceeded expectations. The one frustration I have that seems worth committing to public record is the Miso soup. Perhaps a consequence of my scattershot ordering approach, everything tends to be preceded by Miso soup presented at a temperature somewhere between ‘The Sun’ and ‘Pyroclastic flow’. It may not be offensive but I find it flavourless, containing oddly textured morsels and capable of retaining temperature for physics defying periods.

While sushi seems pretty well embedded in most people’s consciousness now, one thankfully hears “raw fish?!!?!?! *wretching noise*” much less frequently these days, there isn’t massive competition in York. Yo Sushi provides its blend of novelty and freshly prepared food from a more central base but location excepted I find it hard to recommend that over Asia Gourmet’s unique charms.

Yes it has no idea what ‘Kerb Appeal’ means, no it doesn’t take cards, the drinks list is strictly functional, no it doesn’t deliver, no it doesn’t have a website, yes I’ve found it irritatingly shut for a couple of weeks at a time, there’s just a single toilet that’s in slightly too personal a proximity to the diners but it really is worth it – I promise. Ignore all those fripperies, have some great food, be pleased with how cheap it is then head back round the corner to have another look at the Minster.

PS: I know I said there’s no website, that’s largely true….there’s no official site but my friend Matthew kept losing his menu so he set up http://www.asia-gourmet.co.uk

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