Our punter says…

As we walked up to Roots, the door opened and we were greeted with a welcoming smile. We had arrived on a Saturday night a little earlier than we’d booked and were taken upstairs to the bar where we enjoyed a crisp glass of crémant with notes of green apple. The building is contemporary but has retained its charm through original features such as a fireplace and original flooring, while high ceilings provide an airy feel.

The restaurant serves small plates that are perfect for sharing and a Feast Menu selection of 10, which we chose. There’s no wine pairing option due to the tapas style of service so we went with wine by the glass – a Greek viognier and a French malbec, both of which worked well with the food.

To start, homemade sourdough, seed crackers and cheese custard came – who would have thought cheese and crackers could be so delicious? – along with lamb and fermented turnip bao, and cured trout with piccalilli. Kale dressed in sheep’s yogurt, pickled walnuts and cured egg yolk was the standout, though, packing a punch thanks to the zesty yogurt dressing.

Tommy’s signature dish of crapaudine beetroot cooked in beef fat was the showstopper main course. The first thing we noticed is that the beetroot had the meat-like quality of tender steak. This was complemented by the texture of the crackers it was served with, the punch of some horseradish goat’s curd, all softened by the sweetness of golden beetroot discs. Each mouthful had us grinning like Cheshire cats.

Desserts included Mary Banks’s apple cake.

A tip of the hat to Tommy Banks’s grandma, who inspired this dish. The sweetness of the Oldstead honey and apple cake married perfectly with the sharpness of seasonal berries, all mellowed with crème fraîche.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Roots brings the taste of the countryside to the city of York. The menu was fairly priced and the food was worth every penny. See you again soon, Roots. Total bill for two, excluding service: £152