Yorke Arms Ramsgill

[Gary Marshall]

I'd say it is superior to northcote in terms of food and certainly ambiance and location

[Bapi]

I'd say it is superior to northcote in terms of food and certainly ambiance and location

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It's rare that this happens, but I wholly agree with Gary. I would make the journey back to the Yorke Arms without a second thought. A trip back to however, would require a level of coercion. Go and enjoy.

[PhilD]

The food was good but the place seems to be a throwback to another era – it is like a “serious” restaurant from my childhood, all hushed tones, and filled with the local worthies. The cooking here would shine so much brighter if it was framed better.

We headed up for a weekend in Yorkshire and booked into the Yorke Arms for Saturday dinner. It is a great looking place and as others have said is in the middle of nowhere. But you walk in and it is like walking into a church, it is so quite. We are shown into the chintz lounge for a drink and menu perusal, but opt for the bar instead, but even this was quite, with no sign of any locals.

The menu has three sections, the dishes of the day on the right hand side, some additional dishes (I assume the regular fare) and a surprise six course menu. It was good to see local Grouse on the menu, and we commented that we had just been talking to the keepers from the local (Vestry) estate in The Crown up the road (there are two in the next two villages both good village pubs). The maitre’d then floored us with his comment “I hope you have left them up there as they are not our type”, as you can imagine we were lost for words. After a quick perusal of the menu we asked the maitre’d to give us some more info on the tasting menu, “I am sorry I can’t I don’t know what is on it”. We had an 8:30 table which seemed to be one of the later ones, so replied “but you must have served some already surely you know?”, but no “the chef decides what to serve it changes”. OK it is call a “Surprise Menu” but I am reluctant to lay out £60 without some clue as to what I may be eating. If it wasn’t the only place to eat for miles we would have walked out, this was the most pompous, snotty maitre’d I have come across.

The food was good. My partner had a crab starter which was very good, including an excellent crab tortellini with creamy cockle sauce. My pork belly with langoustine and beetroot and pumpkin accompaniments was pretty average with very bland pork and langoustine. My partner had Hare for her main course; the good bits were well flavoured, tender and moist. However half the dish was dried out and tough. My Grouse was good, very tender and moist, and served with appropriate accompaniments.

We skipped dessert, and headed for a magnificent 29 strong cheeseboard. All English (I think) and all in great condition. It would have been great apart from the instruction “you can choose 5 cheeses”. Why? Do people go mad and sample all 29? I would have thought there were far more subtle ways of controlling this.

Overall not a great meal, the cooking is generally good, but with lapses. However, the ambiance isn’t great, it is one of those places were no-one seems to be having fun. Everyone is serious, and whispers to each other. For £156 (£38 bottle of Chianti) it should deliver far, far more.

We stopped at t

The Star in Harome on the way to Whitby the next day. We only had a coffee but in comparison it seems a much more fun place with much more friendly staff.

[Gary Marshall]

they are chalk and cheese the star and yorke arms, i was expecting more of the former when i first visited and was initially suprised, but then pleasantly when the food came out.

as for locals - did you see many houses?!

maitre d' does sound a cock and not representative of francis and co who usually run a friendly ship in my experience, tho it's the only place i've ever been asked not to take photos but that was soon resolved amicably.

[BertieWooster]

Don't particulalrly like the restaurant bit, but sitting outside in the sun on a summer's day (uhhr....) is wonderful there.

[BertieWooster]

Just to withdraw my previous comment. Rapidly becoming our favourite country pile (over-taking The Star which has got very erratic IMHO). Overnight on Saturday. Pol Roger chilling in the room. Tasting menu. Terrine of partridge; wonderful combination of glazed salmon, white crab meat and fish soup (when I say combination, the three fish elements were all on one plate, but quite separate...), probably the best dish I've had this year; Hare in sausage roll form, as fillet and as leg meat in gravy, the fillet particularly dripping and moist and stunning; souffle as dessert. English cheese board.

All excellent, not a weak dish amongst the eight. And generous portions for a tasting menu. John, the maitre d', is far too friendly for Yorkshire, chasing us back to our room with petit fours as we were skipping coffee.

Breakfast featured a gorgeous Black Pudding from local butcher's in Summerbridge. Much better than The Star's (which I'm still convinced comes from Lancashire unless I misheard). Walk around Gouthwaite Reservoir on a clear, bright winter's day, watcing the hen harriers play. Word with Ms Atkins on our return, and almost tempted to stay for SUnday lunch.

A fiver under £500 for the room and food and drinks. Food was £75ish each. Worth it in every way.

Edited October 6, 2009 by BertieWooster (log)

[Gary Marshall]

What are the rooms like now bertie? vis a vis the star for example? Last time we stayed (afew years ago) they hadn't renovated them so they weren't anything special, the refurb was planned shortly after.

Last time i looked it seemed quite costly so we took the cheaper option of going there for lunch (which was v good) and staying at the sportsman down the road for the night plus dinner.

Result was i wish we spent the extra on the yorke arms, sportsman looks nice but the bar is like a working mens club in layout, food ok, but nothing special, obviously cheaper than yorke arms but sometimes you regret not spending the extra.

Same experience last year at angel at hetton, nothing particularly wrong with it but came away thinking 'should have spent a bit more and gone to the star.'

[BertieWooster]

THey're good. Well, the suite we were in was lovely. Bathroom was a bit small, but the room itself was huge, all mod cons. Weirdly they charged for mineral water which is unusual at that level. We always sleep in room five at The Star (where the pool table is getting a bit knackered admittedly) and the bathroom there isn't that great either. Less modern feeling than The Star, more olde worlde decor. But very happy with them. Expensive. Actually, very expensive, but lovely.

Never liked the Sportsman--very stand-offish when we've been in. The Angel is not a patch on the standards of five years ago.

Try staying at the Yorke Arms, worth it for the three+ hours of the tasting menu...and the breakfast.

[Gary Marshall]

ahh, you seem to have a penchant for the expensive rooms bertie, wheras i'll always go for the cheapest (and in the case of angel, then blag an upgrade).

i don't tend to spend enough time in the rooms to justify it, i used to go to the star and stay in a b&b in harome for £25 a night, unfortunatley andrew and jacquie now live in it and oddly don't seem too keen to continue the deal!

[MaLO]

Lunched at the Yorke Arms today.

We ate canapés of excellent parmesan tart and ok salted gaufrettes.

An amuse of artichoke mousse with lemon confit was served. It was ok, the lemon really lifting the mousse.

Five hot fresh breads were really good.

For starters we ate a pressing of rabbit with pancetta and Whitby crab with potage of mussels and salt cod croquettes.

The rabbit was came as two slices of terrine with rabbit, pancetta a little carrot and leek and the unexpected bonus of foie. It had a splodge of crab apple jelly and some bread. Very elegant.

The Crab dish was also well presented, the bound crab particularly good sitting on a pool of creamy soup of and with mussels. I did think that the potage was a bit on the salty side.

Mains were Roast brill with langoustine, artichoke puree, tomato and pommes dauphine. It was also and somewhat surprisingly served with fine beans and asparagus. It was good though.

The second main was a very decent lamb dish, featuring herb crusted fillet, mutton pudding and a pink kidney. This had a little buttery mashed potato, some rice and barley and a little sweet potato puree. This was a really good dish.

To end we shared the plate of chocolate desserts and cheeses. The chocolate plate was very good and comprised of a fondant, a chocolate caramel tart, parfait and a chocolaty cherry mouse.

Cheeses were grubeen, Yorkshire blue, stinking bishop and a mildish goat cheese.

All in all it was a good lunch and not bad value for £30 pp. Ok Coffee and decent petit fours added another £3.50 each. Service was good.

The restaurant is rather old fashioned but in a good way. The dining room had lots of antique wood and a large real fire. The lounge was comfortable again with a fire blazing. There is even a bar area where you could sit and sink a few pints if you were staying.

The restaurant is quite remote and beside a few houses there seemed very little nearby so stopping over or very little booze is the best bet.

Martin