York Day 4: The Hairy Fig, Walmgate

The Hairy Fig are "purveyors of fine fodder" according to their sign on their store front in York, on Walmgate.

I would have to say that I agree with this. The Hairy Fig consists of a deli, selling from what I hear unbelievably good pies (and the Yorkshire folk know a good pie when they see one), a little shop selling artisan chocolates, vinegars and oils, hundreds of varieties of speciality loose leaf teas and coffees and other edible bits and bobs. A great place to find a gift or treat yourself. 

At the back of the shop is a tiny 10 seater cafe. As I'd been eating fairly lavishly over the past few days I wanted something lighter to start my day and knew the Hairy Fig was just the place as they mostly do salads and sandwiches with a couple of specials every day.

I love that this lady on a lunch date looks so happy here!

I had the figs, baked with homemade balsamic vinegars, (sold in the shop) honey and a dollop of marscapone. It was really lovely. So simple and so tasty. The sourness of the vinegars was off set by the honey and marscapone. 

I also ordered a pot of tea and I was allowed to choose from any of the speciality teas that they sold in their shop. I went for the most intriguing tea I could find: The Blue Lady. It consisted of grapefruit, mallow and marigold. It had a lovely fragrant flaovur, sharpened by the grapefruit. 

They really pay attention to detail here. The best thing is all the china and cutlery they use. All individual, all with character, all sourced from charity shops or donated to them. My tea set was adorable. The bowl my figs came in was decorated and even the spoon was not lost on me. Perhaps the most beautiful spoon I have ever seen!!

The don't offer a great deal of choice, but head here for some homely light bites or to sample their wide range of teas!

York Day 3: Cabra Verde

I started the day off back in my natural habitat, my one true love, my only reason for living, the light of my life.....

Ok maybe a bit much, but I love this place to pieces, as I've raved about it many times. I was back at The Pig and Pastry. I love this place to pieces. Delicious, homemade and interesting food; freshly baked cakes and breads, great coffee, super cheap prices, friendly staff and a wonderful atmosphere. What more could you want from a cafe?! It may be my favourite cafe ever. Including places in London.

Anyway, I had the most amazing start to the day with an intriguing and super scrummy-sounding spinach pancakes with halloumi and lime butter.

And it was indeed scrummy.

The halloumi was of great quality, not that rubbery sort and it blended perfectly with the spinach pancakes, which were also incredible. The lime butter added the subtlest zing of lime, not over-powering but added just right amount of sweetness to complement the saltiness of the cheese.

In the evening, I made a last minute decision to dash to a recently re-branded tapas/deli place in York. Down a tiny lane (I would never have walked down it had I not known it was there) is Cabra Verde,  an authentic Tapas restaurant. They have a hunk of Iberico ham sitting on the counter at the front of the restaurant and it is of a minimalist, perhaps ever so slightly uncomfortable style. Sparse, white, modern tables and chairs make for a slightly uncomfortable setting, rather than cosy and, for me, some atmosphere was slightly lost due to this.

The owners clearly love the food they serve as the chef sources proper produce from Spain, including meats, cheeses and wines.

A little more expensive than one would expect for York, normal compared to London, but I can definitely appreciate the quality and authenticity that goes in to every dish.

I ordered 3 dishes, which hardly seemed enough but in fact was plenty. What I love most about tapas is that you can try little bits of everything, so I ordered one fish, one meat and one vegetarian plate. All the dishes were beautifully and carefully presented, obviously lovingly made. I've never seen tapas look so pretty, even the best tasting tapas can sometimes just be slopped into bowls.

First: pig's cheek, slowly braised in a tomato, leek and red wine sauce.

It was tender, moist and very yummy. Like a homely stew.

Then, Andalucian style squid rings with grilled apple and Spanish black pudding. Perhaps my favourite of all three! The sweet of the apple combined perfectly with the salty squid and the black pudding was divine.

Finally I had mahon cheese with green figs, drizzled with honey, an exquisitely presented dish. Again, the sweetness of the honey and figs worked together perfectly with the savoury cheese. And you know what? I don't even like cheese that much, so great job getting me to like it!! Oooh reliving it now and I think this might have been my favourite!

I was stuffed at this point, but tempted by the waiter for dessert. Well, you only live once. The cutlery was brought out in a cute little tin - they need more of this kind of thing on the tables! That was fab.

I had the Torta de Naranja - which was a cake made with ground almonds instead of flour with orange. It was a moist yet dense cake, however not claggy in any way. The flavour of orange that came from the cake was incredible. A real punch of pure orange, not subtle in any way, it was gorgeous. It came with Seville orange marmalade too, a lovely addition.

When I visit York again soon, I will definitely be back here!! I want to try so many more dishes on their menu, and it's some of the best tapas I've had. Would obviously recommend and, indeed, hope to bring lots more business their way!

York Day 2: Mannion & Co Cafe

For breakfast the next day I headed to Mannion, a cafe I had heard of and walked past quite a few times staring lovingly at their cakes and pastries, but never managed to make it in. They are right next to York Cocoa House and their brownies usually get me before I even have a chance to check out Mannion. The times I have tried to get cake here they were all gone by the time I got there! The sign of a good cake I feel.

A deli counter at the front lures you in with gorgeous home made bread tumbling out of baskets and an array of cakes, pastries and enormous meringues and also cured meats and cheeses of nearly every kind you could ever wish for.

Extremely friendly staff greeted me and saw to it that I was well looked after. I ordered a much needed coffee that came in lovely china. I'm sure I've seen this in John Lewis. Or a market stall in Germany. #ChinaFiend. It also came with a lovely little cardamom biscotti! One of the nicest things I've ever been given free with coffee.

I ordered the perfect hangover cure: Yorkshire rarebit - oh hell yes with bacon - on sourdough.

The bacon is hiding under all the melting cheese.

They were not stingy with their portions, this managed to fill me up for the entire day. A tomato chutney on the side was tangy and strong, a great accompaniment to the smoothness of cheese and bacon. I just wish I had a bit more of it than what was in the tiny pot!!

I still remember this amazing plate of food. So simple, yet honestly one of the best things I've ever eaten and all for the incredibly low price of £7! I felt so gluttonous but it was homely and delicious. The cafe itself had a great buzzing, bustling atmosphere with the exposed kitchen (I love seeing chefs work) and cosy interiors.

As I left I finally ordered my cake to go, a very hard task seeing as I wanted a piece of EVERYTHING on display. I went for 3 - yes 3 though I did share them!! - and they did not disappoint. I wish I had been in there many more times now! The brownie was exquisite. It was so fudgey and moist and I was so shocked and delighted to find they had raisins inside!! My absolute favourite. I bake my own brownies with raisins and have never come across a brownie from a cafe with them. People are too afraid I think that punters won't like them. Cafe's of Britain, it's ok. I'll eat them all instead if I have to. It's the right thing to do.
The flapjack was unlike any flapjack I have ever tasted before! The texture was more dense and cakey than a standard oaty one. Which was fantastic! Different levels of flavour was created with the different dried fruits and whole nuts inside. And it was all topped off with a slice of rhubarb that had been caramelised, or something similar. I'm not usually a fan of rhubarb but this was so sweet with a punch of sour coming later.
The blackberry and almond tart was yummy too. My least fave of all 3, or maybe I should say that for me it was not as incredible as the other two because that makes it sound like I didn't like it. However, I did feel the pastry was a little dry, but then tarts aren't usually my thing. The filling was delicious though.

I enjoyed all this so much, I brought my friend and her sister along the next day for a spot of cream tea. Needless to say the scones, jam and cream were all amazing and the tea I chose was very interesting, one of a number of interesting speciality loose leaf teas they do.

On my last day, I headed there to grab one of their sandwiches I had noticed on their blackboard from previous visits. I got the fennel salami and tallegio cheese on fig and walnut bread. I'm not sure if the bread came as standard, or I was given fig and walnut because they didn't have any other kind left, but I was very impressed. Needless to say, I think you can guess it was incredibly delicious. It was also HUGE, I might add. To take-away, this came to a whopping £3.50!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT'S THE PRICE OF AN M&S SANDWICH!! Now don't get me wrong, I do love my M&S sandwiches, but for the same price I can get a homemade sandwich, with much more interesting and high quality fillings, that is double the size and all on artisan bread! It is unthinkable I that I have wasted all my time lusting after M&S goods when I should have been here all along.

I am honestly so disappointed that I didn't discover this place sooner, it had been right under my nose for so long. Had I stepped into this cafe sooner I'd probably have many more great memories in York and would have eaten a lot more great food!!

York Day 1: Filmore and Union

I went back to York for one last party and celebration before leaving pretty much for good to move home. I wanted to have fun, do things I've always wanted to do in York, eat places I've never been to and just have a few days of gluttony and enjoyment.

I arrived and headed straight to Filmore and Union for dinner with a few friends.

In the centre of Low Petergate, an independently-run cafe and diner opened about a year ago now in York. With two more outlets in Wetherby and Harrogate, I'm not sure you can yet call it a chain but it certainly has the branding and efficiency of a well-oiled machine - either there is more going on behind the scenes of Filmore and Union than they let on, or they just have a great business and marketing team - in which case I am very impressed. They have managed to expand very quickly in such a short space of time.

Their aim is to serve healthy food and take away lunches. The emphasis is on feel-good, look-great food. Even the cakes are supposedly healthy. Though I'm not entirely sure how healthy delicious white chocolate chunk brownies are - I don't ask. Just smile and nod. 

I have had many a soup, salad, sandwich, tagine, coffee, tea and treat from their deli and outlet in the train station. I always look forward to their yummy goodies for my journey. The take out food is pretty expensive in my opinion but I do still buy it because I know it is healthy and home made. I do, however, draw the line at a £3.90 carrot cake muffin. That's more than London pricing, guys. Pig and Pastry will do me a home made take out muffin, double the size of yours, for half the price. Just saying.

They do a very reasonable early bird set menu in their first floor restaurant of the cafe in York and considering how good their deli food is, I was keen to try.

The dining area is small - space for around 30 diners, but it is cosy and comfortable without being cramped and decorated with the perfect balance of modern, chic, homely and cute. A kitchen for the one chef on site is in the corner so you are able to see all your food freshly prepared there and then. The ambience and atmosphere in the room was just what you want for a nice evening out - not too loud (easy listening and jazz playing in the background, sadly no Bublé) but a quietly buzzing, comfortable setting.

An amazing view of York can be seen from the windows. If you go, try asking for the table with the bench and view of the minster!

A bottle of very nice wine was ordered, but that was unfortunately before I noticed the bottle of Hendrick's on the side in all its glory.

The starter was the best dish out of all three courses. They could have doubles its size and served it to me for main, and then again for dessert. It was that good. Baked serrano ham with goat's cheese, basil and olive tapenade with pumpkin bread. All the different textures, from the crunchy beansprouts and soft goat's cheese, made for interesting eating and the ham was divine. Slightly salty and and crunchy. The bread was also incredible.
I hate it when bread tastes so good.

L had steamed mussels with a tomato, coconut and lime sauce, which smelled so so good and she said was excellent.

I then had grilled sea bream, raw fennel and courgette salad with lemon and balsamic dressing. Presented in a minimalist, chic style, the flavous combined beautifully. I loved the fragrant fennel that worked with and didn't over power the fish. The skin was perfectly crispy and full of flavour, that I even ate it - and I never eat the skin!!
After being coerced to eat the flower on top by my friends, that I assumed was just for decoration, after they assured me it wouldn't be on the plate if it wasn't edible, I realised it was indeed just for decoration purposes only, because it was horrible!! Really sour and I imagine exactly what grass would taste like....

J ordered salmon and prawn fish cakes with ginger, lemongrass and chilli with butternut squash and puy lentils. I got to try some of the lentil salad and it was delicious. Similar to the salads that they serve in the deli.

For dessert I had a passion fruit, orange and almond cheesecake served on a generous base of oat and prune instead of a biscuit. The base was so gorgeously gooey and sticky, it reminded me of a homemade granola bar. I will definitely try to replicate this myself. In fact, the base was the star of the show. It was so interesting, I've never had a cheesecake base like it before. The passion fruit flavour of the cake was the strongest, I couldn't taste the orange and almond at all, nevertheless it was delicious. I'm not sure if the cheesecake itself was made slightly different to a "normal" one as the texture was slightly different. Was this then a healthier version?! Let's hope so.

I did not feel ridiculously full at the end of the meal, which isn't a bad thing! I was satisfied, however not stuffed. I put this down to there being no carb with the mains. The food definitely left me feeling healthy and "clean", so they definitely fulfill their objectives.

Overall a very tasty and enjoyable evening! It is such good value for wonderfully made, healthy and tasty food. Would gladly recommend and will head back next time I'm in York! Cheers!

We then headed to a few bars. The Blind Swine opened on Swinegate - in the very old, cobbled street part of town, last year. It bills itself as rock/cocktail/fine-dining restaurant-bar-place. It's the place people are scrambling to get tables - behaviour you don't usually find in York. It comes across as hipster and oh-so-cool.

When I entered, the place screamed try-hard. £2000 cut up amps line the wall with faint rock music playing. I'm not sure if it gets louder as the night goes on, but I definitely heard a cover of "total eclipse of the heart" faintly in the background and then tuned everything else out.

Only three chefs - who you can see working at one end - and two bar staff work there. There is no dedicated waiting staff, so the chefs bring over your food. So cool. Or is it? The fact that no one greeted us when we waled in - a fact previously that I'd clearly taken for granted - made me personally feel unwelcome here. We awkwardly trundled over to the bar, unsure if we were allowed to, waiting to be acknowledged and to be handed a drinks menu.

The drinks and abillity of the bar staff were impressive. They were creative, interesting drinks and unlike anything I've ever tried before. However the names - which some laughed at (and at the time I did too) but upon reflection, the names also scream we're so funny and cool!!

You want a what now?!

The drinks themselves make up for this.

I would still like to try the tasting menu - no idea what would be on it as no menu is online. I assume it changes regularly. I have seen pictures and heard too that the food is fantastic and, again, creative and inventive. There is no other inventive food like this in York, so I'm willing to look past their arrogance and let the food and hard-working chefs-come-waiting-staff to do the talking. 

The night then took us to Pivni - owned by the same company who own Euston Tap in London! But unfortunately craft beer is lost on me, so I just took in the surroundings instead. The pub is in a very cute, old, tiny Tudor era building. Exposed beams and low ceilings, never mind craft beer, if you want a taste of history go to Pivni!!