Skosh has earned a place at the top table of hospitality in York thanks to its ever changing selection of sharing plates that are as immaculately presented as they are memorably delicious. To label the food as “fusion” would be insultingly reductionist but there’s little denying the multitude of influences evident amongst the food on offer. Their entrant to the at home market takes the Japanese word for “box” for its title “bokkusu”. The box itself featuring a selection of small plates to make up a meal at home to share amongst two for £50 along with the option to add in any number of extras to make the occasion extra special.

Collection is by pre-arranged slot and as contactless as our expectations have come to expect over the last few months, my order being ready and waiting at the door after I caught up with a couple of fellow lovers of the York food scene who were eagerly awaiting their slots. The meal reflects the Skosh restaurant experience in being made up of a series of small plates to share, neatly including a cheese course as well as a sweet on which to finish.

With only one dish to worry about heating, it was a simple task to get everything plated up, not requiring any particular skill. There’re a couple of things that I’ve ordered on every trip to Skosh, their house sourdough with butter and “gunpowder spice” being one of them and included here. Sadly the “hens egg” doesn’t make the journey to the home environment; I’m guessing its intricate layering and unique ceramic serving vessel making it impractical for transit.

The first mouthfuls to draw our eye were puris: crispy spheres that we had to stuff with smoked haddock & potato before dressing with yoghurt. One of the crucial things with these “at home” experiences is the sense that it’s easily recognisable as coming from the associated restaurant, something in abundance from these first bites and continued by the bbq pork collar we tackled next to make sure it was dealt with before losing its heat. With each bite of this, we really started to have the sense of a “meal with Skosh”, the sesame and hoisin with which it had been dressed giving flair and depth.

A plate of poached, cured sea trout with a wild garlic dressing took care of the fish element confidently, being so delicately poached that it took a notable sleight of hand to extract it from its packet without flaking apart. It’s a tricky thing to pick a (relative) winner from a set of dishes like this but perhaps my favourite was the delicately dressed portion of chilled noodles with a decent crunch of peanut and typically well balanced citrus punching yuzu dressing.

Summer Field cheese from Botton Creamery is always a winner and it’s hardly a surprise to see top quality, well esteemed local produce on a Skosh menu. All it needed to really shout its undoubted quality was a carrot pickle and some crackers, predictably present and correct to make up a cheese course. The sweet element that finished off the meal was a portion of strawberry bhapa doi with cardomom meringues that were another characteristically well balanced dish.

Of all the “at home” meals I’ve enjoyed throughout the lockdown, bokkusu from Skosh is certainly one of the most well resolved and feels closest to the experience of eating in the restaurant it comes from. I’m not in the least surprised that the food was fantastic and that Neil and the team have clearly taken extreme care to transplant the Skosh experience to the home setting. The only thing I missed was that signature egg to start, but this experience just makes me all the more resolved to get back and try one as soon as I can.

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When I received the invite, I leapt at the chance to finally try Prashad Indian vegetarian restaurant, but when the evening came around I found my energy and enthusiasm sapped by a succession of events, not least a nine hour drive to Surrey (followed the next day by a seven hour return) and the appearance of a lost 97 year old at my front door at 2am (don’t worry, safely relocated at moderate cost to my sleep). Despite those misfortunes, I wasn’t going to let the opportunity slip through my fingers again so hauled myself across to Leeds to meet up with a bunch of other local bloggers to make the last skip over to Prashad.

The evening’s food was to be preceded by a craft activity led by embroidery teacher Elnaz Yazdani who’d equipped us all with a basic stock of threads, needles and other items unfamiliar to me. She did a great job of taking us through the basics of embroidery, teaching a variety of stitches and techniques to let us express our inner creativity. Sadly my inner creativity is something that should have been kept on the inside and the many requests I received on social media to see my efforts will remain unanswered. Thankfully, the other participants reached a higher standard than me and I managed not to inflict any new piercings in the process before Elnaz was able to join us for dinner with her head held high and with a group of appreciative followers.

We were eating in a private dining room that was decorated with press cuttings earned by Prashad over the years. I’d been looking forward to getting sight of the five course tasting menu that we were to enjoy and it certainly didn’t disappoint, making for good reading as we waited for the first course of “Sanku”, an open samosa with mixed beans. This was presented as an upright cone in a wooden serving block kicking things off in style, balancing spice, flavour and texture fantastically well. My desire to string it out to more bites than it could offer spoke volumes.

Next up we enjoyed “Kopra Pethis”, a golfball sized dumpling of potato and coconut. This one was simply presented with rocket leaves and an edible flower bookending the bottom and top of the dish. This one disappeared in another couple of mouthfuls before a perfectly executed masala dosa came to the table. This was a little more conventional but none the worse for it. The dosa was crisped perfectly and presented elongate across the dish’s extended rim, keeping it separate from the potato and onion curry that accompanied it. Our final savoury course was a savoury dough ball with seasonal vegetables, richly spiced curry with rice and perfect circles of naan bread. This was the closest thing to a traditional curry dish of the evening and I found the spicing a little on the generous side, though it’s fair to say that’s likely more a reflection of my intolerant palate than any mistake in the kitchen.

The sweet dish that finished our experience was a Gujlawa that filled baked filo layers with crushed pistachios, almonds and walnuts served with raisin and nutmeg ice cream. This one could have been teeth-itchingly sweet but had the restraint needed to bring subtlety to the (literal and figurative) table. Another edible flower made an appearance on this plate but the really fun affectation was a star anise perfectly replicated in chocolate.

It may have taken me more than a decade to get there, but Prashad Indian vegetarian didn’t disappoint. Those high expectations that I formed more than a decade ago were comfortably met and, while the craft element to the evening didn’t play to my passions, it added a unexpected opportunity to interact with other guests. I’ll be planning another trip before long; if I leave it a similar interval to last time it’d very much be my loss.

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

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Since Micklegate started to get its house in order and cast off the shadow of stag dos, cheap suits and mid-afternoon alcopop excess, it’s really starting to find its feet. The Rattle Owl led the charge and then the baton was picked up by the Falcon Tap and Sociale before Skosh asserted its yellow-tiled interior into the midst of the change, with Partisan most recently making their home. I’ve got to confess to being uncharacteristically late to the party at Skosh after having heard positives pile up from several sources I trust. With a week of chest infected purgatory adding to my whinges, this review is very late, but that’s the best excuse I have for delivering it so long after it became patently obvious that Skosh was going to be a wonderful addition to both Micklegate and York. Sorry ’bout that.

We already have the rather lovely Mr P’s Curious Tavern serving small plates in York and the ethos is similar here, with the menu comprising a variety of dishes that can be ordered to complement one another for a full meal, or ordered as one’s appetite demands while grazing throughout an evening. Chef Proprietor Neil Bentinck has clearly got a handle on this style of service and has put together a menu with an inviting and manageable number of dishes displaying both examples of classic flavour combinations and more thought provoking combinations that show inventiveness without resorting to gratuitous gimmicks.

We started the meal with a modicum of indecision that we tackled by taking our server’s suggestion to start with a ‘hens egg’ each and some bread. This was possibly the best value thing I’ve ever been served in a restaurant: at £2.80, the contrasting textures of potato and leek with accents of truffle all came together in wondrous harmony while we chose more dishes to be nicely surprised by. First to arrive was sourdough with acorn butter and ‘gunpowder’ spice, perhaps not a headline dish, but there’s always something comforting about slathering butter onto nice bread and, in this case, the peppery seasoning gave extra depth of flavour.

The next dish to arrive was venison tartare. I’m a complete sucker for raw meat and can’t resist it whenever it’s on a menu in front of me. In this instance it was complemented by oyster and yuzu cream and pakora scraps and completely blew us away. The combination of good old Yorkshire ‘scraps’, indian flavour and perfectly prepared meat was flawless with an enthralling mix of textures and perfectly balanced flavours. The next dish swung back toward vegetables, comprising beetroot, leek and apple with basil and ricotta. No single flavour dominated and the presentation tantalised without going over the top, and another dish arrived in short order. This time we headed toward seafood with bbq octopus presented under olives of pear under which black bean sauce was unusually subtle, not dominating the dish as one might fear from a less accomplished chef. While still gently chuckling to ourselves at the standard we were enjoying and the wonderfully tight working practices in the kitchen, chefs barely needing to exchange a word when preparing and plating to understand each other’s actions.

We were then presented with another superstar. Molasses cured sea trout with lemon marshmallow was utterly beyond reproach and, while I wouldn’t normally be so crass as to draw comparisons, it was easily comparable to a similar dish I’d enjoyed earlier in the week from a chef of great repute. Served on small skewers each small portion gave up a perfect mouthful of complementing flavour and melting texture. The last savoury dish we enjoyed was tandoor style half roast partridge, perhaps not screaming its own wonder in the same way as a couple of other dishes, but that’s not to understate the quality of dishes preparation. All this took its toll on me, so I passed on sweet duties and received predictably glowing reports on victoria plums with star anise cream from my dining comparison.

It’s not overstating things to say that Skosh is immediately one of the most desirable places to eat in York. It should be clear from this review that the food is of a uniformly wonderful standard, but while seated at the kitchen table it was mesmerising watching the guys cook. There was barely a word needed for the chefs to communicate their actions to one another and the sense of calm was stunning; any fears of soap opera style breakdowns in the kitchen were so unfounded as to be comical. Service lived up to the same high standard with knowledge of the menu uniformly impressive and depth of knowledge surprisingly broad. We even found out where the crockery was sourced without a moment’s hesitation!

After a bottle of wine and a moderately generous tip, the penalty for all this came to a hundred pounds for two people. For this standard of food and service, that’s an enormously fair price, our commitment further highlighted by Skosh being our first choice for lunch just three days later that represented even better value at eighty pounds for three, including drinks, as we controlled our gluttony with a firmer hand. I’d be happy to pay just to watch these guys cook, let alone eat the results.

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Skosh will be opening it’s doors next week on Wednesday 22^nd June 2016

Skosh (noun) – from the Japanese word Sukoshi, meaning a small amount or a little

Be one of the first to step into the contemporary dining room in their recently renovated, Grade II listed building at 98 Micklegate, York.

Two years in the making, Skosh will offer a grazing style menu of contemporary and internationally influenced dishes served from an open kitchen, providing York with a dining experience that is casual, personable, intriguing and exciting.

All about Skosh…

Skosh will open its doors for the first time this spring, offering a grazing style of dining with a contemporary British menu with an international influence.

Neil Bentinck embarked on a journey to open his first restaurant a little over two years ago with one fundamental idea – to create a space that he himself would enjoy dining in. Great tasting, interesting and creative food served in a modest and modern environment with an unfussy drinks list and friendly, informed service.

This independent restaurant is not about reinventing the wheel, but rather bringing together all the best aspects of the emerging casual fine dining culture.

The urban, modern dining room with an open kitchen is a reflection of Neil’s cooking which is contemporary, fun and honest; food best enjoyed in a comfortable and engaging environment. Snacks, small plates and sharing platters offer informality and variety. Signature dishes, such as SFC (Skosh Fried Chicken), baked hake with dukkah, and goats curd marshmallow, show a refined but playful style of contemporary cooking.

The sourcing of ingredients and service ware has been meticulous and consciously so. To create a great restaurant, Neil is aware it takes more than one chef, but rather a network of incredible suppliers, producers and craftspeople.

Neil Bentinck – The Chef and Owner

Just under three years ago, Neil made the decision to leave his head chef position at the award-winning fine dining restaurant Van Zeller in Harrogate, with the view to pursuing his dream of opening his own place. While trying to come to terms with the startling complexities of setting up his first restaurant, Neil undertook some fantastic opportunities to work in some of the best kitchens in the country. In London, Neil worked with Sophie Mitchell in Knightsbridge as well as starring as guest chef in a string of sell-out popups at East London-based urban holding Stepney City Farm. Back up North, Neil took on several rewarding contracts with Michelin-starred restaurants, including Northcote and The Star Inn. And, if his plate wasn’t full enough, in November 2014, Neil and partner Chelsey welcomed the birth of their first son, Henry.

Neil’s boyish enthusiasm for food, as well as his eclectic cooking style, can be largely credited to his late father’s Indian heritage. Born and raised in India, Neil’s dad Mike moved to England in the early 70s. An avid gastronome, Mike was always cooking traditional Indian dishes alongside Jackie, Neil’s mum, and her more classic British recipes. The memories of these familiar smells, spices and flavours of home have heavily impacted on Neil’s career and style of cooking.

Neil’s CV reflects his ambitious and inquisitive nature. He has honed his skills in some of Yorkshires’ finest culinary institutions – The Sun Inn (Colton), Blue Bicycle (Fossgate), Churchill Hotel (Bootham) and the Michelin-starred Pipe and Glass (South Dalton) – while interspersing these lessons with trips and work abroad in Australia, Thailand, America, New Zealand and Japan.

Skosh is the natural culmination of family influences, worldwide travels and professional growth.

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