Our meal and drinks were complimentary at Roots York in exchange for an honest review
I’ve heard a lot of things about the semi-new, Roots York. I’ve seen plenty on instagram stories and I have to admit, it’s somewhere that has intrigued me from the get-go. When I got an invite to go along and try out their latest sharing menu during the “Preserving Season” back at the end of last year, it was a hard and fast, YES!
First impressions of the surroundings and decor of Roots is homely and inviting. You felt warm and cosy and not as though you were in one of the most sought after spots in York – in no way was it or felt as thought it was pretentious and all the staff were super knowledgeable about the dishes when they came out and were always on hand if you needed anything.
We had been booked on to the Midweek Set Menu which comes in at £35 per person. This has been designed by Root’s very own Tommy Banks’ with choice of unique dishes that can be shared. It’s the perfect mix for those with a smaller appetite or on a limited timescale. It also gives you a fantastic look in to what amazing produce that they grow at their very own farm – the coveted title of “farm to fork” is exactly what is exactly achieved here.
We visited during the preserving season where food is fermented,pickled, poached and more to preserve the types of food on offer for much longer during the cold, winter months.
Our first plates came out with delicious sour dough bread and seeded crackers that could be topped with Lincolnshire poached cheese custard or chive butter which was something you could dig straight in to or keep to mop up the rest of the meal with. It was a real hearty start! Shortly after we were brought out the beetroot that was slow cooked in beef dripping – the texture was super interesting but it was really tasty, as my sister wasn’t a fan on this one I happily scoffed the lot whilst she kept dipping in to the crackers and bread.
After what I would say was our appetiser and starter dishes there was a bit of wait for “the mains” – this was possibly as it was starting to get busier!
The wait was worth it though, because the highlight of the meal for me was the neck of lamb and rosemary potatoes. As someone who eats a lot of lamb (hello, I did marry in to a sheep farming family) I am very picky with my lamb. But, my god, this just surpassed any I’ve ever tasted – especially to say that neck of lamb is usually used within stews due to it’s toughness. This was something else and if you get chance to try it, I IMPLORE YOU TO DO SO. I have to add that my sister could not get enough of the fermented turnip so I let her have my share.
The cod, whey creamed leaks and mussel dish did come in a very close second though. Both dishes were exceptional stars of the show!
Our final dish was desert, a slightly different take on the usual sticky toffee pudding, instead we were treated to sticky apple pudding! A perfect, warm and seasonal appropriate dish.
The brandy ice cream that came with it was pretty boozy so I wasn’t slathering it on quite as much I thought I might, but the pudding itself didn’t even need the sauce to accompany it as it was doing a perfect job on it’s own.
The experience itself, was somewhat, very different to any other restaurant experience before. The best way to describe the food on the menu is if Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Heston Blumenthal were to have a restaurant lovechild, that is exactly what Roots is. Every dish was creative and so very imaginative but still had this extremely rustic, homely feel to it – with every new plate there was excitement to try the concoction that was laid in front of us.
The midweek menu is a great way to try some amazing food without feeling like you may have spent an absolute fortune! I’d highly recommend it if you are looking for somewhere that’s a little bit special or a quirky alternative to what York usually offers.
