What the experts recommend
Root Unit 9 Cargo 1, Gaol Ferry Steps, Bristol (0117-930 0260) Situated in a renovated cargo container in Bristol’s Wapping Wharf, and serving small plates that give vegetables top billing, Root “couldn’t be more on trend if it tried”, says Tom Parker Bowles in The Mail on Sunday. Yet there’s nothing pretentious about this friendly place. It’s clearly a “labour of love”, and the cooking is simple, well thought-out and confident. Bream carpaccio is made with “suitably spanking fresh fish”, with a bitter orange dressing that both “piques the palate and flatters the fish”. Better still is asparagus with dukkah – “England meets the Middle East” – and immaculate Welsh rarebit. “The whole plate is a joy.” Other standouts include “beautifully balanced” beetroot with hazelnuts and blueberries; and aubergine with a “lactic whack” of sheep’s cheese curd, and a “lusty smack” of garlic and soft dates. Best of all is John Dory, with “good, squidgy, gently ferric black pudding, agrodolce onions and the sweetest of fresh peas”. If only every British city had a restaurant as good as this. About £30 a head.
Next Door 151 Lordship Lane, London SE22 (020-3659 1413) “The curse of practically all restaurants these days is noise – hard surfaces smashing decibels from one end of the court to the other,” says Fay Maschler in the London Evening Standard. At the charming Next Door, there is wood panelling to absorb the noise, keeping the level to a “companionable murmur” – and that is not its only plus point. The place that Next Door is next door to is Moxon’s Fishmongers – a well-regarded business with branches in Clapham, South Kensington and Islington – and if you eat here, you’ll begin to think that all good fishmongers should have restaurants attached. We especially enjoy grilled Rye king scallops with salty seaweed butter and sliced chillis, and mussels bathing in tomato, saffron and tarragon juices, with chorizo. Cod tongues in feathery batter, on top of a pile of mushy peas in a moat of curry sauce, is a “brilliant assembly”. There’s a delicious “jamboree” of sliced and spiced celeriac layered with buffalo mozzarella, watercress, pickled shallots, honey and hazelnuts. And to finish, a “fervent”, deeply citrusy lemon tart. Definitely “vaut le voyage”. Small plates £2-£10; mains £20-£48.
Ramsgill-in-nidderdale, Pateley Bridge (01423-755243)
There was deep consternation last year, when Frances Atkins (the first British female chef to win a Michelin star) decided to sell The Yorke Arms, the “handsome ivy-clad” 18th century coaching inn she’d run with her husband, Bill, since 1997, says Amanda Wragg in The Yorkshire Post. The place has reopened after a “major” four-month refurbishment, with a new owner. But here’s the good news: there’s been no shocking makeover in the Yorke’s “graceful dining room” (the refurb was mainly in the bedrooms); Atkins is back in the kitchen, with her old team; and freed from the burden of ownership, she’s “absolutely flying”. Highlights of our “faultless” dinner included a “stunning” quenelle of lovage mousse, smashed peas and bacon crumb; a “perfectly judged” hot spiced turbot that shimmered with flavour; and, for a “fabulous” finish, a soft mousse of rhubarb and strawberry sitting on a whisper-thin buckwheat biscuit. Like all the best chefs, Atkins makes it look easy, but this is serious cooking, beautifully done. Formal yet friendly, the Yorke makes you feel special. Save up and go. You’ll have a night to remember. Eight courses for £105 or five courses for £75.
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