And for this week, both Alice Kavanagh and I had long wanted to try out The Whippet Inn.
I was last in there earlier this year on Saturday afternoon enjoying a drink, thinking it would be great to return and enjoy a meal.
Well, the pint was good and the surroundings were very eclectic and upmarket.
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Then, we had the visit from Hollywood star Jason Mamoa, of Aquaman fame, which perhaps made it more appealing.
No doubt a big lad like Jason, who is 6ft 3 and quite beefy, had heard of its great reputation for steaks.
The Whippet Inn is a popular venue in North Street and before 2014 operated as the Yorkshire Hussar.
Anyway, we both turned up last Wednesday on the evening of the solar eclipse.
It was about 6.30pm so it wasn’t particularly busy, I could see just two other tables in our large room at the back were taken.
The ambience and setting was contemporary and relaxing, with music from pop and rock era, which had much appeal to us both.
Alice said this “set a really cool tone for the pub.” Such vibes were almost wasted on a hot day, she continued, feeling the Whippet Inn “would be the perfect winter pub – great music and cozy atmosphere.”
The service was prompt and friendly and we were soon shown to our table, which we had not booked.
We were shown the menus and I ordered a pint of Jorvik Blond (£5.25) and Alice ordered a pint of Eagle lager (£6). We also shared a large sparkling water (£4.50).
The food menu listed was quite an extensive range of gastropub-type options. There were various nibbles, starters, mains covering all kinds of meat, a specials board of chateaubriand or prime rib available in two sizes, not to mention sides and sauces, and a great number of different puddings.
A novel innovation was a small sorbet to cleanse the pallet between the starter and the mains.
I ordered the citrus and ginger curd chalk stream trout (£14). It came with pickled fennel, wasabi crème fraiche and squid ink tuille (a tuile is a wafer or crispy part of a dish- yes, I had to look it up as well!).
I can’t really find the words to describe it as it wasn’t like the usual smoked salmon or trout I have had before. Nonetheless, the flavours balanced each other well, with a little bit of bite from the wasabi contrasting with the smoothness and mildness of the crème fraiche. It all added up to an exceptionally pleasant starter and was a decent-sized portion to boot.
Alice went for Yorkshire Ham Hock and pistachio terrine (£15). It featured peas, broad beans, crispy pigs ears and a parsley emulsion. Again, another generous portion, so I was able to try a little. I’m not into hock but it was good, with bold flavours.
Alice said the terrine was lovely, really great textured with well-matched flavours. It could have done with more pistachio as she could barely taste it. But it was “filling and delicious.”
For mains, we both went for steak. I ordered the 300 chargrilled Ex-dairy ribeye (£36) and Alice went for the 200g Ex Dairy Fillet Pan roasted with herbs & butter (£39).
But first came the palette cleansers (£2.50). I went for the Sicilian lemon sorbet with mint, which looked a treat and had a refreshing citrussy flavour that did cleanse the palate.
Alice went for the Whippet gin and tonic sorbet, which she says was delicious, but she could not tell the flavour as it was very lemony.
The wait for the mains wasn’t long and I took delight in observing a couple at the next table, who were sharing a 750g prime rib of Ex Dairy. It came with skinny fries, garlic field mushrooms, onion rings, charred tenderstem broccoli, and a choice of 2 sauces or butters.
The plateful looked magnificent, well worth a treat to share one day and the couple told me it was perfect.
Anyway, our steaks arrived and mine was cooked as I wanted, a little pink but not too bloody. It was exceptionally tender and far better than the slightly-overdone sirloin in a village pub I had had the weekend before. The ribeye was a generous size so I barely touched my chips. But the few I did eat were cooked beautifully, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
Alice also said her steak was cooked beautifully, very pink but she would have preferred it a little rarer. It came with the perfect amount of sauce, recommended by the waitress and was “the best peppercorn I’ve had.” I tried a little of the sauce, and it was good.
Alice agreed the chips were good but she wishes she had tried the mysterious 15-hour potato instead that was on the menu.
As for the steak, whilst it looked small, Alice said it was a really nice portion and she liked the pub using former dairy cows, saying that is a bit more ethical.
We were both quite full but having enjoyed such good food, purely in the interests of journalism, Alice found room for dessert, opting for the sticky toffee pudding (£9).
It was boozy and pruney, really tasty, but could do with a bit more sauce, she said. I tried a spoonful and it was good.
Next time, Alice said she would opt for the Out in a Blaze of Glory- double espresso, fudge and a shot of rum.
It was time to pay and the bill came to £138.75, to which a 12.5 per cent service charge, bringing the total bill to £156.11.
This meant that the venue is not exactly cheap but the food, service and ambience was all good, so such an amount is hardly excessive today for such all-round quality.
This is reflected in the good ratings on the review websites, with Tripadvisor giving 4.5 stars out of five based on 3,068 reviews, ranking the Whippet Inn 118th out of 879 York restaurants.
The latest Tripadvisor review gave five stars and said the Whippet Inn offered “the best Sunday launch.”
After praising various aspects of the food, they added that whilst comparatively expensive, it was still worth it and they would visit the Whippet Inn again.
Google awards 4.4 stars out of five based on 1,384 Google reviews. The latest one have five stars across the board.
And such a consensus seems to sum up the Whippet Inn. It is not the cheapest, but it is good and well worth a visit. It is most highly recommended if you want to push the boat out. And who knows which Hollywood star you might bump into!
Reviews are independent and meals paid for by The Press
Fact file
15 North Street, York, YO1 6JD
T: 01904-500660
W: https://thewhippetinn.co.uk/
Verdict:
Food: Plenty of choice, good quality, tasty and plentiful
Service: Friendly and professional
Ambience: Contemporary modern with eclectic touches
Value: Not the cheapest but all-round quality makes it still worth it
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