The Pryordurkins

Posts Tagged ‘bistro’

It was spring-like and after a short stroll through the grounds of RHS Harlow Carr we headed off into Harrogate to explore and find a little bistro for lunch. We eventually came across Van Zeller Restaurant on Montpellier Street, a little restaurant that we liked the look of, even though we could not clearly read the menu since the window was steamed up. As it turned out, this place had only officially been open since Fri 13th Feb 09. The owner and chef is Tom van Zeller and according to the advertising is the only chef in Harrogate to have been awarded 2AA rosettes, whilst head chef at the Hotel du Vin, Harrogate. With backing from David Moore (one of the inspectors from BBC2’s The Restaurant) Van Zeller’s is aiming to be the premier dining destination in and around Harrogate.

It had just gone 2.15pm  but the chef was still prepared to accept two more covers. The restaurant is on the small side, which makes listening to fellow diners extremely easy, but was smart and stylish. One table was screened off from the till, and when the couple seated at this table were being served one person was served and then the waiter would run around the screen and the till and then serve the other half of the table. They did make the comment that they felt hemmed in. This place is certainly bijou. We were readily seated, our coats taken, and were glad to note the linen napkins. Two menu options were available, the ‘Du Jour’ which consisted of two courses and a free glass of wine, for the bargain price of £14.95, and the A La Carte menu. We both opted for the A La Carte menu. Michael opted for the game terrine and then the lamb confit with leeks and potatoes, I opted for the salmon balotine to be followed by the lamb too.A little sliver of butter (that was sitting in a little puddle of water) was put on the table but we were half way through the starters before we eventually managed to ask whether we could have some bread to go with the butter. Additionally,  whilst we were told about the free wine, the front of house weren’t so keen in promoting the drinks that we had to pay for and we had to ask for a drinks menu. The drinks menus were given to Michael to browse and one menu promptly dropped one of the fastenings into his terrine. Instead of replacing the starter (or at least removing the fastening in the kitchen) Michael was asked to pick the fastening out of the terrine and hand it over! Michael chose a glass of Shiraz that he said was very nice but looking at the bill when we got home we were charged for 2 Erdinger beers instead (another loss in profit). Michael thought the terrine was ok but had tasted better recently, and the centre of my salmon balotine had ice crystals in it. Not the best of starts. The mains were acceptable but not overly outstanding. Being a cheesecake aficionado, Michael ordered the rhubarb and lime cheesecake but said the two flavours clashed, I opted for the apple tarte tatin but the caramel had been burnt and left a bitter aftertaste. Two double espressos were ordered but they did not come with any cantucci or the like and I could still taste the burnt caramel even after the coffee but I could not find any mint imperials.

Whilst Van Zeller’s is hoping to become the premier dining destination in and around Harrogate,  the front of house need to pull their socks up, they weren’t even half full, and more attention needs to be paid to the food being served ie not to send out frozen or burnt food. Whilst we wish a new business to succeed we don’t feel that Van Zeller’s has yet achieved the standards that they are clearly hoping to attain. The chef Tom Van Zeller did apologise for the frozen salmon though.

Pryordurkin rating: 3 stars.  (We will go back though to see if our experience was just early opening snags)

Telephone 01423 508762

Not wanting to travel to far last night given we were both tired, we booked ourselves into Bistro 51 at the Crowne Plaza on Buckingham Gate, London.  The place was quiet as we arrived around 7.30pm.  The maitre’d showed us to our table with a walk I hadn’t seen for some time! Browsing the menus, I noticed there seemed to be more staff than customers, but it was early so I wasn’t too worried.  I went for the Spinach and Potato Soup while Paul went for Chicken Satay starter.  For mains, I opted for a salad (I haven’t eaten very healthily this week) with a Rib Eye Steak, while Paul went for Carbonara.  We chose a French Red to accompany our meal.  My soup was very nice and very green, which meant is must have been good for me.  It could have done with been a little hotter, but with the basket of fresh bread went down a treat.  Paul’s being a Thai connoisseur, was not impressed with the chicken satay.  The chicken hadn’t been satay’d and the peanut sauce reminded him of Sun Pat Smooth.

At this point I should say the service was excellent.  The staff being attentive and very friendly.  When I needed to visit the loo, the maitre’d took me there!

Back to the meal, my rib eye steak was a bit of a disappointment.  Little by way of taste and nothing like the steak we get back in Yorkshire.  The peppercorn sauce was a cold, lifeless tasteless affair which I reckon was made up of brown gravy granules and bit of pepper.  Paul’s carbonara was nothing special either, but overall we were content because we hadn’t walked too far.  Deserts were a bit of a disappointment to Paul as well.  (He is used to being disappointed).  The creme brulee had split!  My Apple Pie and Custard though was very good.

The bill came to a little over £115 which for the ingredients used was expensive, but the surroundings were very nice and as I said earlier, the staff gave excellent service!

Pryordurkin rating. 3 stars.

After a long and at times tedious week, it was time to relax into the weekend activities and we decided to have an early dinner ahead of the Theatre show we had booked for later this evening. Arriving at around 5.30pm on Saturday 15th March, we were shown to our table on the first floor. Being seated in the corner did not get me off to a good start, but I warmed to the red brick wall I faced throughout the meal.

We both went for the Coq-Au-Vin from the specials board, which was priced at £10.80 and accompanied by two side vegetable dishes priced at around £3 each.  To drink we ordered a french Sauvignon Blanc house wine, which was very nice and reasonably priced at around £12.  The Bistro has quite a following according to Dusty who has been here a few times before and eventually I could see why.  The food was very good indeed.  Nicely cooked, well presented and flavoursome.  By the time we were finishing our deserts, a baked vanilla cheesecake for me and a Pannacotta and Poached Pear for Dusty, the place was filling up with groups of respectable people.

A nice place which we would recommend and visit again.

Score 3 Stars. Visited March 08.

Tel 01904 629222

Very nice food, service and atmosphere. Friendly attentive staff and reasonable pricing. They have some interesting takes on traditional food. Do try the ‘fish & chips’ or the ‘beef and carrot’ pie. You will not be disappointed. Be careful to check the opening times though as there were turning people away at 2.30 on a Saturday afternoon!

Leave us a comment if you try it though

Score: 3 Stars. Visited May 2007.

UPDATE.   We’ve been advised that this restaurant has now changed hands.  We will undertake an updated review soon.

Original Post.

Well worth a visit but do book up in advance. There is normally a two week waiting list for a Friday/Saturday Evening. We arrived by chance to squeeze in on the back of a cancellation and sat down in anticipation of what was about to be served. The menu looked impressive, not to long, but clear and easily understood. The wine list was extensive and well thought out. We could not fault the food when it came to the starter and main course but were sadly disappointed with the deserts. The starter was well cooked and presented and clearly prepared by an experienced chef. As was the main course, which continued to impress with its flavour and quality of cooking. Thinking we had now found a new regular haunt we therefore looked forward to trying the desert. This is where it all fell apart. After presenting two great dishes beforehand we could not understand why the place would be happy selling ‘bought in’ deserts. I reckon they came from ‘Brake Brothers’, a well known supplier of ready made food to pubs and hotels. We would still recommend the place, but only if you skip desert so as not to be disappointed.

Try it and leave Mavis a comment

Rating: 3 Stars. Visited Apil 2007.

Opening Times

Mondays 6-10pm
Tuesday to Saturday 11am-10pm
Sunday 12-4pm and 6-9pm

Contact

This is a small restaurant and the decor is a bit tired, but don’t be put off. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly and it soon becomes apparent that all the effort goes into the quality of the food. We are always impressed with a menu that is not plastic and doesn’t contain more than one page of choices. Cafe No 8 didn’t disappoint. Paper napkins are another thing that would make us head for the door and we were pleased to see proper linen napkins in use. The starters and main course were well prepared and of a very good standard. The wine list was well thought out and it was easy to find a good suitable wine for our meal. We would recommend this if you fancy a relaxed informal evening dining out on good quality that is well presented food.

Rating: 3 Stars. Visited March 2007

Telephone 01904 653074