31 Castlegate

WORD of mouth is hard to beat when it comes to restaurant recommendations. So when I received two phone calls from Evening Press readers urging me to visit a new restaurant in Castlegate, near Clifford's Tower, I made a booking that weekend.

Occupying a prime spot at the top of the historic street, 31 Castlegate looks from the outside like a grand Georgian town house. Which, presumably, it once was.

Readers might have known it in its previous incarnation as Caf Andros and new chef/owner Nick Julius is attempting to hold on to the daytime snack market by operating a caf during the day and a fine-dining restaurant at night.

There were four of us, including my husband Nick and our friends Daniel and Kildip. We met at 8.30pm and enjoyed drinks in the cosy bar area - just two squidgy sofas and a low coffee table - at the front of the restaurant.

The two waitresses were fresh-faced and friendly and made us feel instantly relaxed. We were impressed that they had eaten many of the dishes on the menu and could give good descriptions and recommendations.

Daniel and Kildip are both vegetarians who eat fish and were pleased the menu offered plenty of choice.

Highlights included pan-seared king prawns with garlic and red pepper coulis and an avocado and cucumber salad (£5.95) for starters, roast fillet of beef with potato, pancetta-wrapped green beans, oyster mushroom ragout and red wine jus (£17.95) for mains and warm chocolate fondant with white chocolate and basil ice cream (£5.25) for dessert.

The dining room is quite formal, decorated in honey and red tones, with starched tablecloths and gleaming glass and silverware.

To start, I debated having the king prawns but opted for the warm salad of confit duck (£5.25). It was served in a parmesan basket - a crisp-like cylinder filled with pieces of duck, pancetta, chorizo and nettly lettuce leaves. I found it dry and would have preferred more salad and dressing.

But I was the only one disappointed. The men had the crisp goats cheese tart and were utterly seduced. The earthiness of the just-melting cheese was offset by a sweet and fruity plum tomato and balsamic chutney. Kildip had the fishcakes, home made and generous in size, they were light and creamy and packed with decent-sized pieces of salmon.

For round two, Nick and Kildip had pan-fried seabass, which unusually was served on a puff pastry tart with tomato fondue, grilled red onion with a spinach and shellfish vinaigrette. But the mix of flavours and textures worked brilliantly. The soft flesh of the fish was infused with tangy juices from the tomato and the pastry base provided that satisfying feeling that only carbs can bring.

Daniel, a recent convert to seafood, ordered pan-seared salmon fillet and was served with a giant portion of perfectly-cooked fish. He found it a bit over-facing, but enjoyable. Less so was the chorizo sausage served with the potatoes and spinach. To be fair, it was printed on the menu, so it was his oversight, but it did take the shine of an otherwise tasty dish.

I had the roast cod fillet with sage and parma ham, confit savoy cabbage, baby fondant potato and thyme red wine juice. It was all lovingly cooked but the strong flavours of sage, cabbage and thyme did compete for attention.

For puddings we ordered two stalwarts of the dessert menu: sticky toffee pudding and vanilla crme brule and both were worthy of premier league status. I have a weakness for Drambuie so couldn't resist the dark and white chocolate Drambi tart (£5.25) which features the Scottish whiskey liqueur. The tart was tasty enough: a thick slab of truffle-like chocolate with a drizzle of white chocolate on top, but I couldn't taste any Drambuie.

Just as well that I ordered one to enjoy with my coffee.

With a bottle of very agreeable (in flavour and price) Pinot Grigio (£11.75) and a round of coffees and liqueurs to finish, the bill came to £126 - a fraction over £30 a head. We thought that was good value for the quality of the food, the amount of drinks and the fantastic service.

What's also very appetising is that 31 Castlegate offers an early-bird menu from 6pm-7pm with two courses for £8.95 or three for £10.95.

If we had any complaint, we found the bland elevator music at odds with the atmosphere the restaurant was trying to create. Softer lighting and more candles might enhance the atmosphere too. The downstairs loos pose a hurdle to customers with mobility problems, and also need a refurb to match the upmarket pitch of the restaurant.

Nick Julius has a good track record and has worked with Marco Pierre White and was formerly head chef at the Durham Ox at Crayke. His menu is ambitious and different - and most of it works brilliantly. Everything is home made and dishes are updated regularly. I thoroughly recommend it.

Maxine visited 31 Castlegate on February 25, 2006

31 Castlegate, York.

Tel: 01904 621404.

Updated: 16:50 Friday, March 17, 2006