Fish and Forest - a wonderful lunch at one of York’s hidden gems

Some friends had stayed in York recently and raved on about a restaurant called Fish and Forest. I’d passed it a few times whilst doing tours of York, so with a free Saturday my wife and I headed over to York on the train to check it out.

I had done a bit of research on the restaurant before arriving and as the restaurant name indicates, they take their inspiration from the sea, the forest and the Yorkshire countryside.

The restaurant is owned by Stephen Andrews who is also the Head Chef . His mission is to create a small, regularly evolving menu of simple seasonal plates. There are no menus to be seen online as the menu changes regularly so dishes are shown on a chalkboard and frequently are changed/updated.

The restaurant has received the prestigious Michelin plate award for the last 4 years and has also been acknowledged in the Michelin guide for their sustainable gastronomy.

Fish and Forest is situated on Grape Lane, hidden away in a small courtyard along with a picture framer, a specialist jigsaw shop – Pieces of York and an artisan cheese shop. The yard feels quite quirky with three storey Georgian buildings all around, but palms and plants strategically placed around the restaurant.

We arrived 10 minutes early and sat in the sun in the courtyard with a glass of wine until our table was ready. We ordered a bottle of Spanish Albarino Sobre Lias. The wine was exceptional, full of flavour and went perfectly with the fish dishes I later ordered.

We were shown into the restaurant via the inside bar area. The restaurant décor was dark blue, but with some really interesting artworks on the wall including a bright orange painting of York Minster along with an amazing huge mural of a mackeral!

The staff were friendly and after providing a jug of water, set about explaining the menu to us. I hate having too much choice in a restaurant and so when a blackboard was brought to the table with a choice of 6 starters and 6 main courses I was happy.

Without any rush, we received detailed explanations of the dishes and didn’t need too much time to make our decisions.

Liz went for Korean Monkfish with spring onions for her starter. She loved it, the tender monkfish, coated in a crispy batter mix served in a spicy, Korean barbeque style sauce with finely chopped spring onion and ginger. I was allowed a small taste and the rich sauce complimented the meaty fish in its crisp coating.

I went for the Cod Collar Chimichurri. The cod was perfectly cooked and served attached to the mid-off cartilage, the cod meat coming from between the cheek and the main body of the fish. It was a very healthy portion and served with chimichurri, a traditional South American, particularly Argentinian sauce made from herbs, flat leaf parsley, fresh garlic, vinegar and olive oil.

This fresh, uncooked sauce was the perfect accompaniment to the cod and this was a great start to the meal.

For mains, Liz went for the Beetroot x 3. We both love beetroot and the dish consisted of a slow baked beetroot as well as a beetroot type chutney and a beetroot puree. This was served with crispy fried Kale and wilted spinach.

We shared two sides – a dish of roasted thyme potatoes and a portion of purple coleslaw. The beetroot got a big thumbs up.

Whilst the beetroot looked great, I think I made the better choice!!! I went for the Sea Bream Veronique with tarragon.

The small bream had been pan fried so its skin was crispy, but the fish beneath was so tender. I was warned that the chefs had tried to take most of the bones but to be careful. I only found one – so well done to the team.

What made this dish was the amazing sauce it was served with. This really was something special – a creamy unsweet sauce made with black butter, tarragon, raisins and capers. The dish was served with samphire.

I enjoyed soaking my roasties in the sauce almost as much as the fish!

I ate slowly to make the dish last as long as I could – this really was a memorable plate of food.

Even though we were both full, greed took over (we don’t get out much!) and we both went for the Chocolate Mousse for dessert. This again was exceptional, but I dare not think how many calories it was.

The rich chocolate mousse was served with a ginger crumble, a thick butterscotch sauce and a thin oaty crisp biscuit tasting of syrup. Delicious.

We finished with a coffee and a tea, before waddling back down Stonegate to catch the train.

This was a great treat for us and the restaurant did not disappoint. I will definitely recommend the experience to friends and look forward to returning to see what other seasonal delights are on the menu.

The Michelin Guide entry for the restaurant can be read below:

 “ The name is a clue as to this intimate restaurant’s focus, as well as to its sustainable ethos. Tucked down a narrow cobbled-street in York's pretty city centre, not far from the famous Shambles, its menu focuses on fish from small boats, meats reared putting husbandry first and game from local shoots. All parts of the ingredients are used too, so that the constantly evolving blackboard menu produces little waste. The self-taught chef's cooking has an ambitious edge, with dishes proving to be fresh and vibrant. The friendly team add to the appeal.”