We check out West Park Inns’ latest addition to its North Yorkshire venues
Located 7 miles to the north-east of Harrogate, it’s close enough to the A1 to make it easy to get to but far enough away to suggest that you could be miles from anywhere. It’s a typical small Yorkshire village with an array of narrow bendy lanes which lead to its newest attraction.
The Blue Bell at Arkendale (now part of the West Park Inns collection of North Yorkshire venues) has had a major transformation to create what can only be described as an extremely contemporary look and feel.
The look and feel to The Blue Bell is outstanding. I admit that last time I was impressed by this level of comfort and décor in a ‘pub’ was when I reviewed The Blacksmiths at Clayworth, an eatery that will always stick in my mind. The real test for me is always, would I take my grandma there? I’m sure she’d feel very comfortable indeed at The Blue Bell.
Food-wise it fares very well too. Both my dining partner and myself opted to start with king prawns baked in garlic butter and then finished off on the grill. These beauties were huge. OK, so they are really messy but who cares? it’s nothing a finger bowl won’t sort and the taste is worth every minute of the de-shelling.
Chicken, Applewood and leek pie. A clever dish because while the Applewood cheese gave an indulgent feel to the pie, it also delivered a hint of smokiness which propels the dish to a new height. First impressions were that the plate looked rather dry but my fears were dispelled once the lid of the pie was cracked open to present a mass of moist chicken drenched in a coating that added moisture to the accompanying mash and vegetables. Well crafted.
For him it was the pan fried seabass that would tickle his tastebuds, served with Jersey royals, razor clams, grelot onions, butter sauce and veg. It was a dish he was instantly impressed with, the kind of dish that arrives to the gasps of ‘wow look at this’ – a stunning presented plate of food which I’m told tasted spectacular too.
Papa opts for the strawberry and Prosecco trifle, a little feminine I agree, but equally as impressive in its looks as my dessert and again it receives the thumbs up from a very satisfied father indeed, who then declares: “I must bring your mother here”.
Do I need to tell you that The Blue Bell at Arkendale is worth a visit? I’m pretty sure you can guess for yourselves. It’s certainly on my list of places to re-visit!
www.TheBlueBellAtArkendale.co.uk