The one without any owls, or indeed any rattles…
I’ve been watching York for a little while. Not just because I love the city, and they produce some rather delicious spirits (see my visit to the Cooper King Distillery). But also because their food scene is rather good.
York is punching above it’s weight when it comes to good food, and my birthday trip which involved four different venues over two and a bit days, only proved me right. Which means I’m going to briefly allow myself to be a little smug.
OK, done with the smug thing.
After checking in to our bloody gorgeous AirBnB, stocking up on essentials (forgot the shower gel), dinner beckoned. So we walked the few feet to start our York food adventure.
Whereas the other two restaurants we’d booked had been on my radar for quite some time, Rattle Owl was a last minute choice. Convenience helped immensely (it was literally two doors down from our apartment), but so did the menu.
We began with fresh bread, butter and amuse bouche treats. A dainty sesame cracker with whipped smoked cods roe offered creamy richness backed up by a nutty bite. Then our tastebuds were teased with a buttery pork torchon in a crunchy crumb.
Onto our starters. I’d gone for a rabbit terrine, studded with fat green olives, served with a rabbit liver parfait, apricot biscotti and rowan berry jam. The parfait was light as air, but creamy and rich (no stinting on the butter here). The terrine was clean and meaty with the crunch of those olives adding a little bitterness. The jam was a little surprise for me. I’ve had rowan berry in a couple of ways, but not as a jam, and the tartness was unexpected. But it worked, especially with the rich nature of the parfait. It’s obviously I’m now going to need to recreate that at home!
My husband had selected the salt beef tartare with hazelnuts and Cashel blue. It was exactly what you want a tartare to be – deep flavour from the beef, tart from the onions and gherkins, crunch from the hazelnuts, grassiness from the herbs and then that slight sour note from the cheese.
Onto the mains, and I’d opted for the black bream. Bream is one of my absolute favourites – bass is lovely, but the meatiness you get from a bream is so much more for me. And this had the most deliciously crispy skin – a fact I can attest to having also tried the trout in Roots, which also has intensely crispy skin. But, sorry, I think Rattle Owl has this one down.
The meaty nature of the fish was matched with black olive tapenade, roasted aubergine, fennel jam, and the crunch of Brazil nuts. I do love how Rattle Owl play with texture.
My husband had gone meaty again, and I admit when I sampled it, I was somewhat jealous. Grace Farm mutton – belly, loin and neck, served with crisp slices of turnip, pickled courgettes and goat curds. The locally raised mutton, was soft and tender, with lots of depth of flavour, the freshness of the vegetables lifting it. The gentle acidity of the pickled courgettes, and the goats curd cutting through the fattiness. Delicious.
Alongside our mains, I picked (and ate most of) the kale with sunflower seeds and goats curd – and despite needing a pause before dessert, I was awfully glad I did. The kale still had a little bite, and the combination of the nuttiness of the seeds with the milkiness of the curds was just lovely. I’m going to have to find a way to recreate this at home too. To be honest, it was one of those sides I’d have happily just sat and eaten on it’s own.
In a theme that would follow us around York, we sadly eschewed the cheeseboard and went straight to puddings.
I still manage to surprise my husband – and it proved so over dessert. He thought I’d go for his selection, the peanut butter parfait, topped with peanut brittle, then served with banana ice cream, roasted banana and lime jelly. It was delicious, the lime jelly’s freshness lifting the fruitiness of the banana and the creamy parfait.
But I’d spotted the Eton mess and was intrigued.
Strawberry jelly, surrounded by a strawberry parfait, and that surrounded by meringue shards dotted with freeze dried strawberry, all delicious. Then came the elderflower vinegar ice cream and strawberries. Alone, the vinegar is tart and floral, and relatively intense. Add the fresh fruitiness of the berries, and down comes the acidity and up comes the flavour. It’s elderflower without the intense sweetness so often accompanying it. And I rather loved it.
I love York as a place to visit anyway, but with Skosh, and now with Rattle Owl, both a few minutes walk from the train station, I have so much more reason to visit. I’d happily hop a train for a few hours at either of these places.
Anyone fancy a York date?
