Harden's says
Originally opened in 2007 in Walsh Bay, Sydney, this modern British restaurant from husband and wife team Lovaine and Adam Humphrey relocated to York in spring 2017, taking over the former site of Italian deli and café Le Langhe.
Harden's survey result
Summary
“Really worth a visit” – Adam & Lovaine Humphrey’s intimate, contemporary outfit (fewer than 20 seats) “doesn't disappoint”, whether you opt for the two- or three-course set lunch and dinner or the more elaborate five-course ‘Kitchen Menu’ blending market-led dishes and Arras staples. “Try to fit in the wonderful cheese course and petits fours too!”
Summary
“The food is exceptional and the choice is not so large that you are left bewildered” at Adam & Lovaine Humphrey’s “little” 18-seater, where you choose either a conventional two-course or three-course meal, or go for a five-course taster selection. “The excellent short menu is happily low on cheffy tricks but very long on accomplished and flavoursome cooking, and with well-suited wine matches”. The end of the meal is a highlight: an “outstanding cheese board” and “an amazingly generous selection of treats (ice cream cones, Turkish delight, jellies, donuts, chocolates…)”. “The ambience can be a little underwhelming” but it’s enlivened by the “lovely” service.
Summary
“The food is exceptional and the choice is not so large that you are left bewildered” at Adam & Lovaine Humphrey’s “little” 18-seater, where you choose either a conventional two-course or three-course meal, or go for a five-course taster selection. “The excellent short menu is happily low on cheffy tricks but very long on accomplished and flavoursome cooking, and with well-suited wine matches”. The end of the meal is a highlight: an “outstanding cheese board” and “an amazingly generous selection of treats (ice cream cones, Turkish delight, jellies, donuts, chocolates…)”. “The ambience can be a little underwhelming” but it’s enlivened by the “lovely” service.
Summary
Not everyone vibes with the decor, or often, by extension, the overall experience of this ambitious yearling “occupying the premises of the much lamented La Langhe” (RIP). What is “a lovely, very peaceful setting with abstract art on the walls” to some tastes is plain “strange” to others. But “even if it’s bonkers decor, what matters is the food”, and – be if from the à la carte or the tasting menu – “blimey does it deliver (“the styling’s a bit cold, but the cooking’s red hot!”)”… or at least that’s the majority verdict. The downbeat view is that the dishes are “bland” and “don’t stand out”, but even critics concede that the “excellent cheese ‘chariot’ with a unique selection of side, is exceptional” – “described at the table by Chef/Patron Adam Humphrey for whom it is a genuine passion. Save a space for the huge selection of petit fours that Willy Wonka himself would be proud of”.
For 31 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
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Restaurant details
Prices
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Wine per bottle | £25.00 |
Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
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Service | 12.50% |
The Old Coach House, Peasholme Green, York, YO1 7PW
Opening hours
Monday | CLOSED |
Tuesday | CLOSED |
Wednesday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
Thursday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
Friday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
Saturday | 12 pm‑2 pm, 6 pm‑9:30 pm |
Sunday | CLOSED |
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