Crab Bourek 

This new home on Grape Lane is a good sized space spread over two floors with an outside area thrown in for good measure. There’s been plenty of work gone into the site to reflect its transition to new ownership, and it’s now a smart, comfortable and pleasingly informal place to eat.  A few soft surfaces would have helped soften background noise on the busy opening night when we attended. The menu includes those Merguez sausages that helped earn the reputation on Shambles Food Court amongst a range of main courses and small plates that would serve well for starters or sharing across a group. We opted for one main and a selection of small plates including falafel, sausages and whipped feta to work as a main course after starters featuring crab and halloumi.

The combination of small plates and mains meant that we could mix and match across the table with those who fancied a more traditional ordering of starters and mains.​ The halloumi starter came with chermoula that packed plenty of coriander, garlic and lemon to go with the generous helping of cheese. The crab bourek was absolutely superb, featuring a generous amount of crab meat with a delicate spicing that never threatened to overwhelm the crab. The meat was packed into a pastry parcel whose crunch complete the dish wonderfully. I could happily gain a lot of weight eating these.

We chose the chicken and saffron tagine from the selection of mains and found it another well judged dish, though I’d have preferred to see it served in a traditional tagine. The chicken and potatoes were generous and leant depth by the confit lemon also on the plate while the saffron had infused the potatoes, giving them a characteristic yellow tinge. Presentation aside, this was another winning combination and sat happily with the smaller plates we’d chosen. Star amongst these was the quartet of Merguez sausages that have lost no depth of flavour or tenderness on their way from Shambles Food Court. Whipped feta and falafel rounded out our selection with plenty of character and flavour, adding up to a satisfying meal. We ended the meal with a pot of fresh mint tea and an Orange Blossom & Cinnamon Basbousa cake that came with toasted almonds and orange mascarpone. As my years advance, it seems unlikely that I’ll suddenly develop a sweet tooth but I was very happy to share this one!

There may be plenty of love for Los Moros and Tarik in York, but ultimately this new restaurant will need to earn its own success, and thankfully it’s off to a good start. The location feels right and the food is distinctive, delicious and reasonably priced (our selection attracted a bill of £52.50). One can only see the affection for Los Moros growing as it continues to grow into this new space. I’m looking forward to repeat visits.

​Disclaimer: No charge was made for this meal. Opinions are impartial.

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Getting a table at Lucia Wine Bar was no problem thanks to that outdoor area and we settled in with menus and a beer while we waited for our companion. Amongst the bottled beer selection, it was nice to see Quilmes and Cusquena amongst the usual suspects, though I think it’s generally good practice to ensure the staff can pronounce everything on the menu.

Opting for a selection of the smaller plates rather than something from the grill gave an opportunity to try a wider selection of what was on offer. My companions shared a jug of Mojitos while I had an acceptable glass of Malbec. I’m reliably informed that the Mojitos were refreshing and nice if a little watery. Knowing my partner’s intolerance for alcohol, I think it’s safe to say they must have been on the weak side.

Food service was prompt and everything appeared hot and fresh. The arancini-style fried mozzarella risotto balls with tomato sauce were cheesy and crispy in all the right proportions and the cherry tomatoes glazed with mozzarella were decent enough and generous if a little unexciting. The garlic mushrooms were nicely rich and creamy without being overwhelmingly garlicky, accompanying crostini perfectly well.

Slightly less successful were the lamb skewer with basmati rice, smoked salmon with pickled asparagus and chorizo with red onion and chickpeas. I guess I should have paid more attention to the menu’s singular listing of ‘Lamb Kebab’ but that single kebab with four little cubes of meat felt a touch stingy while the meat itself was slightly tough and the rice very bland. The smoked salmon was acceptable and generously given but the pickled asparagus so sharply flavoured as to provoke comical expressions as it was eaten. The chorizo itself was a little underwhelming, certainly acceptable but reminiscent of presliced supermarket meat. A scattering of chickpeas was very welcome to cut through the sharpness of the meat and gave a nice texture contrast.

So with the dishes split 50/50 between pretty good and pretty acceptable, it’s tough to suggest a visit. The staff were attentive, friendly and not overbearing (pronunciation issues aside) and it’s a lovely place to sit in a secluded part of the centre. It actually started raining heavily part way through our meal and we barely noticed. On balance my expectations proved to be largely correct, decent enough food in a bar environment that’s perhaps more suitable for less demanding parties.

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