Tasca Frango can be found looking onto King’s Square on Colliergate in a building that was previously a cafe and which has been subjected to a thorough titivation that’s rendered it visually unrecognisable and festooned with tasteful details and decor. The core item on the the Frango menu has always been Peri-Peri chicken which has always been characterised by consistency and flavour with a well judged heat and delightful smoky char every time I’ve been lucky enough to eat it. The move to bricks and mortar has allowed the kitchen to stretch its legs and introduce a whole bunch of new dishes, the selection of which I left to the kitchen when we arrived for lunch.

Alongside a portion of the unmissable chicken, we were soon navigating a table full of prawns, patatas bravas, sardines, tomato salad, bread and Goan curry that all looked vibrant and tempting. We got into the prawns first, accepting the messy fingers necessitated by this dish (a finger bowl was automatically provided), which had all the smokiness from the chargrill it needed to balance the sweetness of the prawn that lingered as we cleaned up ready to tackle the other plates. Sardines were served whole with lemon and plenty of fresh herbs scattered over them, all of which helping the flavours come through. It’s too much of a novelty to see sardines on a menu, so on rare occasions such as this it’s a relief to see them done justice. Running alongside this was a beautiful tomato salad with olive oil and just enough seasoning to let the produce sing. Combined with the seasoned, oiled and charred bread, this pairing did a great job of letting the ingredients core qualities show their best.

Goan curry was described as “pretty spicy stuff” so given my poor tolerance for spice, it wasn’t a dish I’d have naturally alighted on but the kitchen insisted I give it a whirl, which turned out to be a great decision. Tender chunks of chicken and a fiery sauce that remained aromatic and balanced turned this into the perfect thing for a dull October day in York. It goes without saying that the peri-peri chicken is has lost nothing in transit and is still as delicious as it is consistent and the patatas bravas were laced through with a roasted pepper sauce with plenty of depth.

It’s been a real pleasure following “Chicken Ted” and the gang to this point and Tasca Frango feels like an ideal home for them. I’d expected the food to clear any hurdles I mentally placed in front of it, which it did, but I hadn’t expected this to feel so quickly like such a polished, restaurant style experience. It’s still great value and casual but I’d expected more a casual experience, not to say it’s over-formal. Congratulations to the team on such a strong start!

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I went along to the first one with a fair idea of what to expect from Head Chef Jon Appleby who I’ve known for a while and who demonstrates at York Food Festival regularly. The event started at 11am with hot drinks and biscuits for the surprisingly large attendance given it was the first running. With caffeine and shortbread on board my friend and I joined the group in a private room all set up for Jon to get stuck in. Running this in a carpeted room with a portable induction hob on a tressle table was always going to inject a bit of slapstick into proceedings but Jon is clearly an adaptable fellow and tailored his set up throughout to make sure everyone got a decent view as well as the opportunity to ask as many questions as they want. First up was a twice baked cheese soufflé before moving onto a main of chicken supreme with Hollandaise, greens, poached egg and potato Lyonnaise, which prompted an excursion to the kitchen proper for the chicken as a temporary oven would have been a step too far. Over an hour and a bit Jon walked us through each step, which would be featured on recipe cards to take away, before sending us into the dining room to check the results having already seen his workings.

The dining room at The Feversham is an airy space that looks out onto the swimming pool and spa buildings and a very pleasant place to enjoy a midweek lunch. The theme of the demo and the dishes it presented was of dinner party dishes that could be prepped in advance for minimum stress, which suits a souffle down to the ground… There’s a good reason that menus proudly proclaim their soufflés to be twice baked and it’s not entirely for your benefit as much speed of service. Having seen how much cheese went into this example, I wasn’t in the least bit surprised how indulgent and delicious it was and the good scattering of chives would have made the @ratemychives grade any day of the week. The chicken supreme was similarly rich, with the neatly trimmed chicken and presented on blanched greens with a perfectly poached egg just waiting to be burst, and Hollandaise to underline the indulgence. All the elements of this rich dish fulfilled their purpose with aplomb and the red onion in the Lyonnaise potato cut through the heavier elements for a touch of relief.

With a glass of wine thrown in, two courses for £45 in such a nice dining room would be fair value but chucking in entertainment from a chef such as Jon just sweetens the deal. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I turned up for this one and it was a surprise to see it so well attended from a standing start, so I fully expect future editions to be similarly successful.

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