REVIEW: Fish and Forest, York

Last Saturday evening, we visited the somewhat similar sounding Fish and Forest restaurant on Micklegate.

While the name is similar to Forage, this is where they end. Fish and Forest is a tiny, neighbourhood bistro. The exterior and interior are understated, and it is immediately clear that it is the food that’s going to do the talking.

Thankfully, the short, sparsely worded menu, gave a clear indication that this wasn’t going to be a problem.

Fish and Forest started out in York’s Spark – a collection of pop-up businesses housed in a collection of ISO freight containers on the site of a former warehouse.

LIke others before it, Fish and Forest has made the move from pop-up to bricks and mortar, and I am delighted to say they’ve done so with confidence.

Under head chef and owner Stephen Andrews, the bistro offers a small a la carte menu of fish and game. There are only four starters and as many main courses, which shows the confidence of Stephen in both his produce and his cooking.

Throughout our evening all seven tables were occupied, and customers came and went. Given it was early January, we considered this a good sign. We were right.

The size of the bistro means that Stephen and his team are located barely a few metres from your table. Here you can see a team working in harmony, with barely a raised voice or eyebrow on display all night.

Indeed, I asked our waitress about the playlist, given the music seemed to be personally selected for teenage me. She surprised me by saying that there was no list, but rather Stephen was queuing songs as he worked. He doesn’t have great taste, he has my taste. But how he found the time to do this, I have no idea.

The menu is presented to your table on a large blackboard. Presented, because the board is given a seat at your table, while the waiter expands on the options, helping you understand what you’re getting, how it’s served and how the flavours combine.

After a suitably comprehensive briefing and time to reflect, I plumped for the onion mille feuille. A dish which was described as being “all things onion.” How could I resist?

Charlotte swerved a starter, given we’d had thick slices of deliciously, sharp, homemade sourdough before we began the meal. I also had a fresh oyster, served simply with lemon and tabasco. Because why not.

For mains, we plumped for the coley, celeriac, green peppercorn and the venison, carrot and jus. Thankfully the meals weren’t as minimalist as their names.

The mille feuille was a feisty, fun starter that did exactly what it promised. Layers of onions, and layers of flavours were piled with aplomb. I was given the choice to try each layer individually, or mix them up. I went for the latter and it worked for me.

Our mains really did pack a punch. My thick piece of coley was presented in a sea of powerful green peppercorn sauce. At first glance, the celeriac was missing, but instead, it was presented below and beside the huge piece of perfectly cooked, flaky fish. Celeriac is one of my favourite vegetables, and here it tasted as good as I can remember. There was a rich, smooth puree and a delicious, crispy, melting bon bon. Combining these with the fish and sauce was a flavour combination that really works. The fish was topped with crispy carrots and they added texture and taste.

Charlotte’s venison was similarly well presented, and perfectly balanced. The meat was rich yet smooth, rare yet tender. It was served with a delicious jus, and carrots served a number of ways, including smoked – a way of cooking carrots I’d never considered but might now never forget.

We decided against side dishes and desserts, but the potatoes looked delicious and the desserts sounded special. How often do you spot a homemade rice pudding on a menu? Not nearly enough if you ask me.

Once again, the atmosphere, the service and the meal were all excellent. Fish and Forest is a great addition to Micklegate – located as it is, only a few doors away from York’s best restaurant, Skosh.

I’d highly recommend a visit. And given Stephen changes his menu daily, you’re guaranteed something interesting.