lifestyle

York Restaurant Set For Expansion In 2024 With A Brand New Location

Cedar Cottage Photography

Fish&Forest, based on Micklegate in York has confirmed a new location in 2024. The popular restaurant, founded by Chef Stephen Andrews, will be moving to Grape Lane, York, increasing covers by fifty percent.

Chef Stephen said of the plans:

“We’ve loved our time on Micklegate but we’re definitely ready to take on a bigger premises and broaden the Fish&Forest offering. But it’s really important that we can keep the heart of Fish&Forest alive. Our ethos is to create innovate dishes for our guests, in a friendly and approachable way. We want our guests to feel comfortable, to relax with a glass of wine, or even come up and watch as we prepare their meal. We really want you to enjoy the space as if you were dining at a friend’s house.”

Fish&Forest launched as a pop-up concept in 2018 and opened its doors at Spark York in 2020 before moving to the current site on Micklegate. It’s already attracting attention within the food scene after being recognised in the Michelin Guide for its Commitment to Sustainable Gastronomy; being recently listed on Harden’s; as well as receiving an AA Rosette.

Cedar Cottage Photography

The restaurant serves seasonal and sustainable seafood and game, with crab coming directly from the fishermen in Whitby, oysters from Lindisfarne and game from small local farms and estates. But there’s also huge attention paid to using seasonal herbs and vegetables, which are forages from the local countryside.

“I actually start forming my recipes by thinking about what seasonal veg I want to use, and then build from there with protein. We’re very lucky in Yorkshire to have access to some incredible produce, so it’s very important to me that we utilise this and really celebrate this with our guests,” explained Stephen.

This way of developing dishes means that the ever changing menu always features a vegan offer too. Guests who are looking to enjoy a purely plant based meal, can still enjoy the full Fish&Forest experience.

Yorkshireman Stephen Andrews, is a self-taught chef who has worked and trained in Australia and Canada. His background has included working at a bistro in Sydney which focussed on sustainability and zero-waste, which are elements he’s brought into the Fish&Forest offering.

Cedar Cottage Photography

The move to Grape Lane, is scheduled for May 2024, with the existing restaurant running as normal until then. The restaurant is open Wednesday-Saturday and bookings can be made at www.fishandforestrestaurant.com.