MAXINE GORDON discovers a taste of Spain in the heart of York

ON holiday in Bilbao in the north of Spain last summer I lived off pintxos – the Basque region’s answer to tapas.

Almost every bar and café sold trays of these inviting snacks (pronounced pinchos) – ovals of crusty bread topped with an artistic array of meat, fish and vegetables, all held together with a cocktail stick (the word pintxo comes from the Spanish verb pinchar, to pierce).

So imagine my delight when I returned to rainy York to see a new eating spot a stone’s throw from the office selling pintxos.

Ambiente, on Fossgate, opened last October and is breaking new ground with its pintxos counter. It’s just one part of the offering from the restaurant, which is already well established on Goodramgate, York, with another outlet in The Calls, Leeds.

Ambiente is the brain child of Tim Sinclair and his partner Zoe Plummer. Its story began in 2007, when the couple first opened in Malton, on the Market Square. Seeking a larger, more urban clientele, they shifted their focus to York in 2010 and haven’t looked back.

Tapas (small plates of food) lends itself to leisurely eating – and drinking. Ambiente has a tempting wine menu, but is also a haven for sherry connoisseurs with a selection of more than 40 to choose from.

The best way to savour the tapas experience is to order a few dishes each and share.

Tim has taken the notion of sharing to a whole new level at the new Fossgate restaurant. Pride of place on the ground floor is a 16ft-table made of solid English oak that can happily seat 20.

“It’s great for parties or groups.” says Tim who says he has always enjoyed grazing as an eating style. “It’s a nice way to eat. Tapas offers lots of variety. Like Mediterranean meze or Italian antipasti, it is moving away from the starter, main course and dessert structure of a typical meal.”

Despite its Spanish inspiration, the Ambiente menu displays wider culinary flavours.

Tim says: “There are other influences too including Asian and North African.”

Each restaurant has different dishes on its menu, all overseen by executive chef Johnny Cliff Cooking in the Fossgate and Leeds restaurants takes place in open “theatre kitchens” where customers can watch the chefs in action.

Johnny said: “It’s great, we can all feed off the vibe that’s in the restaurant.”

Menus change frequently and some of the newest dishes include sauteed baby squid, with caramelised onion and potato; stuffed lamb on apricot and chilli jam and warm winter salad. Pintxos change regularly too, but expect to see the likes of pan-seared tuna with confit peppers; cured beef on wilted spinach and broad bean and white asparagus cream on a bed of rocket.

Bon appétit, or as they would say in Bilbao: “On egin!”