Robinson’s has been building a reputation for itself over the last three years, offering well realised brunch and lunch dishes that show real refinement, consistency and balance. It might not have shown off the provenance of its chef or hit social media in the same way as a couple of its peers, but quality wins through and the demand its created has led to expansion.

The loss of a popular pizza delivery chain has created the opportunity for Robinson’s to spread its wings through a wall into a neighbouring premises, reducing our previous anxiety about squeezing in Baby Fork’s pram (pramxiety?) and presumably having the same effect on a number of other keen customers. The new space is comfortable and airy while allowing the business to fit in a good number of new tables and a kitchen that should allow the owners’ obvious talents to flourish. We popped along for brunch and found things functioning exactly as one would expect, delivering superb food to happy customers.

This new space offers the opportunity to further enhance the Robinson’s offering by stretching into the evenings, something that’ll hopefully start to happen on Fridays and Saturdays in the not too distant future. The plan is to offer a selection of sharing dishes and platters and expand the drinks offering to support it. There’s a beer tap featuring Camden Brewery on the way along with an offering from York Gin.

The patience the guys at Robinson’s have shown in matching their offering to their space is a pleasing bit of common sense in the restaurant world that’s so often so keen to get ahead of itself. That patience looks to be paying off now that they have the platform to really exploit their talent, the fruition of which I’m looking forward to watching.

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The new shop is looking to open before Christmas and has already started working alongside Planet Southbank, The Bishy Road Traders’ Association and Zero-Waste York to help bring the community a greener and independent supermarket alternative. They’ve had an amazing response already from members of the local community and beyond, with a lot of excitement as to what they’ll be able to provide.

The guys are currently running a crowdfunding campaign to get the last extra push in order to make this an eco-pantry store that York can be proud of; you can check out all the details here: https://igg.me/at/thebishyweigh​

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Melton’s Bishopthorpe Road offers both a la carte and tasting menu options, sidestepping the current debate over whether tasting menus are a frustrating chef’s indulgence or a beautifully curated opportunity to take advantage of a chef’s particular passions and specialisms. For our casual lunch, my dining partner and I stuck to the three course a la carte menu that weighed in at a very reasonable £32, or £28 if two courses is enough.

Melton’s Bishopthorpe Road may describe itself as fine dining, but that doesn’t intimate stuffy interior or service. We were left to happily chat over menu choices while the water we were sticking to came to the table. After a short while, we realised that we would be pushing the kitchen’s service times somewhat with more chat so got our orders in promptly. It goes without saying that no fine dining restaurant worth its crumb scrapers (thankfully absent here) would miss the opportunity to impress with a few snacks to precede the meal. Here we enjoyed some unctuous baba ganoush and crackers before a lamb croquette impressed with a lovely contrast between soft, slow cooked meat and crisped exterior. The last tease was a demitasse cup of wonderful celeriac soup, brought into relief by a sweet apple glaze. Quality bread and butter was also present and correct.

For my first course I took braised celery and gruyere rarebit with walnut, daikon and apple. The intriguing mixture of ingredients and technique turned into a tremendous plate of food. Presented neatly and with restraint, the daikon bracketed by the pieces of celery was a tremendous combination given just enough richness by the gruyere and sharpness by the matchsticks of apple. With walnut giving crunch, this was an exceptionally well balanced dish. The Whitby crab with avocado, peanut and ponzu drew similar praise from the other side of the table.

Any concerns that main courses wouldn’t keep up the standard were quickly dispelled by my beautifully presented guinea fowl breast which arrived perched on a wonderfully fresh mound of spring vegetables. With wild garlic gnocchi and pickled girroles playing support under a coating of hazelnut and truffle pesto, this plate had just enough elements on it to complement one another without beginning to compete for attention. This dish was an object lesson in letting beautiful produce speak for itself while accentuating the flavours of the different elements. Nothing was subjected to any further intervention than that required to let it speak for itself and the cooking of each ingredient was beyond reproach. My companion had plumped for the pork fillet and shoulder which came with artichoke, pineapple and smoked potato; his opinions were similarly high.

To finish the meal, dessert took over the table in the form of a raspberry soufflé and my chocolate parfait. The soufflé certainly looked the part and each part of my parfait continued to speak volumes of the kitchen’s quality. Cumin caramel, caramelised white chocolate and yoghurt all found their voice without ever drowning out one another. We finished with coffee and more snacks while reflecting on what the rest of the day would bring and how dinner would match up.

Thirty two pounds is a paltry sum for food this good, even more so when one considers that coffee is thrown in too. The dining scene in York has become hugely more diverse over the last five years and the increased competition presents an similarly increased danger of being left behind, but I’m very pleased to find that Melton’s is still deserving of its place at York’s top table.

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After moving the majority of its business to Hospital Fields Road, Cycle Heaven has downsized its operation on Bishy Rd and given over the rest of the premises to eating and drinking in conjunction with the same partner as runs the food side of the offering on Hospital Fields Road. The space feels light and comfortable with several spaces to eat and a small bar, all available while the majority of service is at your table rather than the bar. Having visited at lunch time and for an evening meal, I can attest on both occasions to there being plenty of buggy parking for the ladies who lunch that seem to target this area, for whom the Angel on the Green is perfectly pitched.

The food offering is largely split between tapas style dishes and pizza with a few specials broadening the menu’s appeal to offer chilli stew etc. Having been overwhelmed by three tapas dishes when visiting for lunch, we opted to let our evening meal extend to a pizza and three tapas dishes between three people. Patatas bravas and breaded chicken bites alongside a caper and anchovy pizza from the specials menu were selected to sacrifice themselves while we selected a bottle of white to share while we waited. We noted that the prices were very reasonable and arguably pitched below the standard of service and decor evident.

While we waited, we were offered some pea and feta croquettes to act as a tasty conversational aid along with delicious bread from Zuzu’s Bakery, about which you’ll be hearing much more soon. Presented on totally trendy avocado puree and with a balsamic reduction artfully drizzled onto the plate, we took down the dish with minimal discussion before the rest of our order turned up. Ever since the Fulford Arms was left without a food offering when the chef made tracks for Germany, I’ve been waiting to find another pizza in a casual dining establishment at a reasonable price, so it’s something of a relief to find that here. I won’t go as far as saying this betters Holly’s efforts (he might read this!) but it entirely justifies itself and will form the basis of many repeat visits. Caper and anchovy worked as well as one would expect of such a classic combination and it’s clear that the quality of the bases will support many, varied toppings for me to explore.

The tapas dishes were all of a high standard: patatas with a decent spice shove to the palate and moist chicken hitting the spot nicely, so the spread felt rounded and filling even though we perhaps ordered something of a mish mash of dishes. The wine was good value and for three of us, the bill came to £45 including a decent tip. At that price and in this location all the right marks for value and quality are ticked off neatly. The Angel is a welcome addition to Bishopthorpe Road offering good food, good drinks, good value and good service. It will be a massive surprise if The Angel on the Green doesn’t go from strength to strength.

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Shoe-horning myself onto a table to share with the illustrious Jill Turton, I grabbed a look at the menu and decided to start with the Fourme d’Ambert with lavender honey paired with a Pinot Gris. The plate was garnished with a few pine nuts and was absolutely delicious. The combination of blue cheese, sweet honey, soft lavender and light Pinot Gris was wonderfully judged so I didn’t hesitate in selecting another pairing: venison with eucalyptus and sage paired with a Beaujolais gave a lovely combination with an interesting mystery ingredient, the identity of which will remain secret of course!

Before long Jill made her way into the evening between the heavy showers and I was joined by the Puboholic, who provided enough appetite to get through the majority of the combinations on offer. Each of the pairings we tried demonstrated a deft ability to combine flavours and textures with the accompanying drink. It must be said that the event didn’t run entirely smoothly, yes it was a crush and a few minor things were overlooked, but equally so, the offering was extremely enjoyable and prices fair. I don’t doubt that the A Pair of Dirty Pigs guys have learnt a huge amount from this experience and that they’re already plotting the next event, which I’m equally confident will be a great success.

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