The Roots Restaurant in York serve ingredients that cannot be procured or tasted anywhere else.
Sunday lunch is boring, a traditional British dish that whilst it may of stood the test of time we need to start thinking about the next generation consuming the Sunday Lunch, whilst the roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding maybe the highlight of most peoples plate do we actually seriously look forward to sliced carrot, cauliflower cabbage and bisto, come on, do you? really?
I can only compare it to Woolworths, I used to love the pic n mix but none of the rest of the tat they sold there, if just didn’t interest me. Things have got to change, if we are going to save the British Sunday Lunch then we need a new root, a new perspective, somebody who can breath fresh air into an old dog.
Thankfully I think I’ve found the root forward, Tommy is his name, food is his game, a Yorkshire Man, with a pedigree that speaks for it’s self, a Michelin Star, a restaurant that was once voted best in the world and a second restaurant where sharing plates is the social theme of the popular eatery, more importantly all this can be found in Yorkshire.
Award winning chef Tommy Banks and his team use produce that’s grown or foraged on the family farm in Oldstead, allowing them to grow food that’s unique and allows The Roots Restaurant in York to serve ingredients that cannot be procured or tasted anywhere else.
The Sunday Feast menu is a weekly set assortment of dishes that takes the humble Sunday Roast to a whole new level, our sampling of the menu (priced at £45 per person) consisted of 5 courses that took us on a culinary trip to absolute food pleasure.
Starting with Roots Sour Bread with Seeded Crackers, Lincolnshire Poacher Custard and Squash Butter, I’ve never smiled so much about a bread course, as you would expect from a star carrying a star the bread and crackers were of the highest standard but it’s the Poacher Custard I have to pay close attention to, I have absolutely no idea how he did this, in fact before I eat it I had no idea what it could be, the best way to describe it is as pimped up Philadelphia Cheese, albeit that still doesn’t seem to do it justice, the smoothest creamiest cream cheese you have ever consumed maybe that’s a better description.
Chicken and Celeriac Broth with wild mushrooms is next to be presented to us, the broth is made from chicken wings a taste delight on it’s own but when you then pour this over the finest array of earthy wild mushrooms it tingles the taste buds, makes you go warm inside, it’s a dish that looks simple of the eye but once that’s taken time and precision to create.
Before we get to the main event we’ve just got the small matter of a fish course to devour, Smoked Salmon, Fennel and Buttermilk with accompanying Kale, Yoghurt Pickled Walnuts and Cured Egg Yolk. I’ve never been known to get excited about kale, but once you add pickles walnuts and grate a cured egg yolk over the top suddenly it takes a whole new lease of life, couple that with smoked salmon and the power of fennel and you have yet another dish of extreme quality.
And so we reach the point in which I declare I’ve eaten the best Sunday Lunch ever!!! Brioche ‘Treacle’ Glazed Chicken, Buttermilk Thighs, Duck Fat Roasties, Yorkshire Pudding, Creamed Leeks. My goodness just reading that back makes me drool with excitement, not only is the chicken breast some of the juiciest I’ve ever had but the buttermilk fried thighs that sit on top are just a dream, the sort of thing you’d be happy to eat every meal for the rest of your life, roast potatoes that are literally at the top of their game and a Yorkshire Pudding that whilst not quite to my World Champion standard is still bloody awesome! Bit of white pepper chef, that will take it up a notch!!
We end this culinary adventure with Bakewell, but not just any Bakewell, a damson jam bakewell accompanied with raw milk ice cream, need I say anymore?
So there you have it, the best Sunday Lunch I have ever had! Truly truly amazing! If only every Sunday lunch was like this, pick up the phone make a booking, awesome!!!
