Fish & Forest review - Stephen Andrews’ York restaurant, by MAXINE GORDON
YORK and North Yorkshire have some home-grown culinary champions currently creating amazing food alchemy in kitchens in and around the city.
Leading the pack is a well-known trio – Tommy Banks (whose empire is expanding every year), Andrew Pern (with footholds in the city as well as the Ryedale countryside) and Neil Bentinck, making about the best food you can eat from his vibrant base at Skosh in York's Micklegate.
Well, here is another name to add to that list: Stephen Andrews.
Stephen's story begins in rather more humble settings than his smart and atmospheric current restaurant, Fish & Forest, in York's Grape Lane.
From a first outpost in Spark, Stephen then moved to The Gillygate pub before heading across town to Micklegate (earning an entry in the Michelin Guide along the way, which it currently retains).
Now firmly established on the ground floor of what was 1331, Fish & Forest mark IV is still waving the flag for the best of British seafood, game, and local produce.
The chef is riding high on a wave of considerable success including being named as one of the UK’s top 40 chefs in the prestigious National Chef of the Year 2025 competition.
Also, TV viewers might have spotted him on popular BBC cookery show MasterChef: The Professionals.
Diners to the Grape Lane restaurant can get a closer look at the chef at work because the kitchen faces on to the bar area at the entrance of Fish & Forest and Stephen can often be seen at the open service counter, checking each dish before it is sent out.
Our table was booked for 7.30pm last Saturday night.
You have to turn off Grape Lane into an inviting courtyard to find the entrance to the restaurant.
Just by the doorway, a chalked blackboard gave the menu for the evening: it was brief in description and length with just a few fish and a couple of venison dishes listed as well as an intriguing veggie option of "leeks, leeks, leeks".
My husband's first reaction was of underwhelm: he scrunched his nose and commented that he didn't feel too inspired by the choices.
I quickly reassured him all would be well – we'd eaten at Fish & Forest at all its incarnations and never been disappointed. In fact, we'd always left thinking it was rather special.
And so we proceeded.
Smiley and welcoming waitresses led us to a rather intimate table for two at the back of the all-black restaurant, up against a large window.
We enjoyed a glass of Prosecco as our waitress described the menu in detail.
Beginning with starters – there were five to choose from – we considered the asparagus with Pecorino and the cured red gurnard with rhubarb as well as the venison plate, before settling for the ling with brassica and miso for my husband and the crab with apple and radish for me.
Before we go on, a guide on prices.
Starters ranged from £13 to £16, with mains from £25 to £33; sides were £7 each, and desserts around £11. So be prepared to pay between £50 to £65 per head for a three-course meal here, before drinks.
The drinks menu included a trio of summer cocktails priced at £13 each as well a decent wine list with options to buy by the glass, a 500ml carafe, or by the bottle.
We chose a carafe of Spanish Verdejo – reasonably priced at £22 – and enjoyed its light, citrusy and easy-drinking profile.
Our starters arrived and I absolutely loved mine. The mix of brown and white crab meat came in a very short and fine pastry case; its rich creaminess was offset perfectly by fine straws of crunchy and crisp apple and radish piled on top.
My husband's dish was not such a hit: the white fish with miso he found to be lacking in flavour and in need of a bit of oomph.
Any disappointment was quickly remedied however by our mains.
His plate of perfectly-cooked venison haunch was tender and bursting with flavour, including delicious smokey-barbecue notes. Served with a carrot puree and a rich salty gravy, he ate every last speck.
Lip-smackingly good!
I was equally enamoured with my fish choice: a tower of pollock which fell into thick, glossy sheaves of white flesh just waiting to be adorned by a sweet onion puree and petals of charred onion.
We had ordered both side dishes on the menu (and you should do because the mains are quite small, if artfully presented in that MasterChef-fy way!). And boy, we were glad we did! One dish – potatoes – was basically a large plate of baked potato, lightly bashed to form a perfect round and topped with melting garlic butter. Next to it came a pile of soft and silky leeks smothered in a rich and creamy cheese sauce.
Eaten together with our mains, they took each dish to a level worthy of a last supper.
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Just before we ordered a dessert a diner from a neighbouring table approached us to recommend the chocolate pudding, saying it was the best dessert he'd ever eaten.
Well, that was one dish decided! And our verdict? Yes, it was something to behold: a thick and rich slab of creamy and glossy ganache-like chocolate mousse, co-starring alongside a seriously sticky caramel sauce and, perhaps most impressive of all, wafer thin shards of meringue flavoured with coffee.
My husband chose the rhubarb option, which turned out to be a sharp fruity compot served in a choux bun with elderflower cream. Another winner, he declared.
And so, our night was drawing to an end.
We'd had a very good meal, with flavours to remember. Service was exceptional, with all the staff not only knowledgeable about the menu and the details of every dish, but enthusiastic too. We felt very looked after without being overly fussed on.
If there was one down side, we found the restaurant too loud. There were two larger tables at the opposite side to us, but we could hear their voices and laughter to the extent we had to lean over our table to hear ourselves.
We did mention this to our waitress who said Stephen was looking into soundproofing, so it appears that this might be an issue which will be addressed in the future.
Perhaps the answer is to go with a group of friends and be as lively as surrounding tables!
Well, if you are looking for such a place to go for a celebration, Fish & Forest comes highly recommended.
Reviews are independent and meals paid for by The Press
Fact file
Fish & Forest, Grape Lane, York
Phone: 01904 661135
W: fishandforestrestaurant.com
Reservations: resdiary.com
Verdict:
Food: Memorable combinations and flavours
Service: Superb, about the best you can expect in York
Value: Good for quality of ingredients and culinary expertise
Ambience: Modern and classy but can be noisy
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