Having arrived back in Yorkshire after a week’s holiday in Northumberland, we still had a Friday off. To end our break in style I had booked for lunch at Skosh in York, a restaurant I had heard lots about and had been wanting to try for a while.
Skosh was opened in in 2016 by Chef-owner Neil Bentinck and pitches itself as
“A bespoke dining room with an open concept kitchen designed specifically to create a unique experience, in which to enjoy uncomplicated, yet refined dishes in a comfortable and informal manner”.
Bentinck specialises in using flavours from Japan and the Middle East to create a menu of dishes which having looked at the menu online before I arrived looked both interesting and appetising.
Skosh basically means “a small amount, or a little” which is what the restaurant is all about. Small plates which can be shared.
We arrived at the restaurant which was on Micklegate a short walk from Micklegate Bar one of the former medieval gateways to the city. We had booked one of the seats on the chrome counter over-looking the open kitchen.
The drinks menu was what I like – a limited choice of interesting quality drinks. I started with a bottle of Cold Bath Pale Ale brewed locally in Harrogate. My wife Liz, went for a glass of Furleigh English fizz.
Our waitress was knowledgeable and attentive, recommending we chose 6-7 dishes from the menu to share. It was a difficult choice, and as much as I fancied the lamb, we went mainly for fish and veggie dishes. As the we overheard the chef say when our choices were sent to the kitchen – “its Fish Friday!”.
Off the menu we chose 2 of the Snacks, one off the Raw section, one of the Veg section, both Fish dishes and decided to wait on ordering the Afters.
The meals came out as they were cooked not in any particular order. First was the Sweetcorn brioche with jalapeno crema. It was delicious, sweetcorn in the bread with a cream which had just the right level of heat. It was a shame I had to share it as I would have happily eaten 2 or 3!.
Next was our raw dish – the hand dived scallops, with small pieces of radish and melon but with a delicious red curry accompaniment. The scallops were finely sliced and the peppery radish slices helped compliment the flavours.
Next up was possibly my favourite dish, crispy lobster in sesame seeds with a lobster sauce. Nothing more to say, cooked to perfection.
Before our fish dishes, I had a lovely glass of crisp dry Culver Hill wine from the Cotswolds.
Our next dish was the Halibut. Gigha halibut with ginger, scallion & shiro cooked perfectly with the flakes falling apart but a crispy skin and again the vegetables with the light ginger working well with the fish.
The final two courses came together, East Coast Cod with cucumber and tamarind, this also came with a lovely riata and was very gently spiced without taking over. We ate this with our Veg dish which was Teriyaki courgette with turnip ‘tsukemono” and basil.
After a break, we decided to treat ourselves to a couple of desserts. I had the Mango lassi and saffron custard donut and my wife had the 65% Ugandan milk chocolate with cherries, finger lime and umemboshi caramel. We did end up sharing and both were distinctive, tasty, suitably sweet and finished of a lovely meal.
We finished off with a peppermint tea and double espresso with a choice of sweet nibbles.
This whole meal was a great experience and it was great being able to see the chefs at work behind a protective screen. Sitting on comfortable stools to eat at a bar was an experience which I had been uncertain about but enjoyed as a change from the usual.
The restaurant is modern, light and I loved the ambiance. The music choice was interesting and to my taste with The Cure and LCD Soundsystem playing as background without being over bearing.
The real surprise came when the bill came, at £117 for two including drinks for a meal of this standard, we felt it was great value for money for a restaurant with a Michelin Plate.
In summary, this was a special dining experience and a perfect way to end our holiday.
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