Fish&Forest's new York restaurant opens in Grape Lane

The clue’s always been in the name when it comes to Stephen Andrews’ intent with food.

His restaurant, Fish&Forest has lovingly showcased the best of land and sea and in doing so his neat little place in Micklegate attracted the attention of the folks at the Michelin Guide – not to mention a devoted brigade of food followers from York and beyond

Now the Mickelgate restaurant has moved premises to Grape Lane, York.

After undergoing a complete refurbishment, Fish&Forest opened its doors – and we enjoyed a flavour of Stephen's trademark food in a new home.

Stephen Andrews with the mackerel mural at the new Fish&Forest restaurant in Grape Lane, York. (Image: Spottymedia) Stephen offers the same concept for which the restaurant has gained huge success, being recognised in the Michelin Guide for its Commitment to Sustainable Gastronomy; receiving an AA Rosette and being listed in Harden’s.

There’s a neat and tidy menu based on what’s been caught, grown and reared to reflect the season and sustainability. Don't come expecting a massive menu; eight starters, four mains, four desserts and sides - that's not to say you won’t umm and aah over the blackboard’s daily offering, we promise.

But first, the surroundings – this is a deliciously moody room painted deep blue with restrained, elegant styling – and original art on the walls, but actually on the wall there’s no missing the giant silvery mackerel by contemporary artist, Dan Cimmermann.

It was on the menu too – in the form of a much-loved favourite – Mack is Back. You could call it a mackerel Kiev/Kyiv. What looked like a crunchy crumbed ball bobbing in a sea of buttery yellow sauce exploded with garlic butter when you cut into it – quite the fireworks of food; it felt so rich, naughty, moreish; beautifully indulgent.

Another starter plate was venison, beetroot, umeboshi plum arriving tartare-style. The plums had been on a pickling journey and their perky flavour offered a great balance to the richness of the finely chopped venison and beetroot.

Tasty venison haunch. (Image: Newsquest) We also dived into a starter plate of irresistible heirloom tomatoes which looked so bright and vivacious, served with morsels of dehydrated and fermented tomato to add flavour surprises.

This attention to detail for ingredients is the hallmark of Stephen’s food and a mainstay of the new restaurant, he says.

‘It’s important that people know the philosophy and ethos of Fish&Forest remains the same. We’ll still be serving seasonal and sustainable fish, predominately from UK waters, game from local estates and forest foods. We haven’t changed our concept, just enhanced our offering,

‘Trends have changed and there’s a market of daytime diners and people also want multiple choices, which is why we have expanded the starters section.

Megrim sole served on the bone with grenobloise sauce. (Image: Newsquest) ‘We also want to ensure we are more accessible to people. At Fish&Forest’s core is high-quality food that is reasonably priced. It’s why we offer an A la Carte menu – and you don’t usually see this level of quality unless it’s a tasting menu, but they are out of reach for a lot of people. We want our guests to experience something special, but without breaking the bank.’

One of the dishes we tried was megrim sole – it’s not often on a menu though chefs such as Rick Stein rave about it – as fish go, it’s an ugly blighter and best cooked on the bone – you’re not talking prettified fillets here – but the abundant fleshy fish easily flakes from the bone and is meaty and flavoursome – let's hear it for ugly fish! It was exceptionally good with the grenobloise sauce – super buttery and punchy with capers, lemon, mustard - and Stephen’s magic.

A slab of venison haunch was velvety smooth to cut into, served pink with a crisp seasoned edge. Divine mouthfuls of superbly flavoured meat made it one of the best things I’ve eaten this year. A haystack of shreds of deep fried carrot was a tasty touch too.

Seasonal and fresh - heirloom tomato salad (Image: Newsquest) We finished with a cherry semi-fredo with cookies and sharp cherry sauce and a cheese taster of Winslade.