Eat at a Michelin Star restaurant

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Being on the penultimate day of the year, I’ve pretty much had 39 non-birthdays as everyone is saving themselves for ‘The Big One’, but I needed to make this one memorable. Looking at the list, there seemed only one option to kick off my forty things at 40 escapade and subsequently, Roots at York was booked for 12:30.  Booking was easy at rootsyork.com 

Like many Michelin Star restaurants, Roots operates using a set tasting menu, not al la carte, but this was fine by me as I wouldn’t have the opportunity to choose something safe! The menu has eleven courses and a wine flight is available but as a non-drinker of fifteen years, I found the choices for me were disappointingly few; two to be precise. I plumped for raspberry ice tea and enjoyed it nonetheless. 

All of the staff were well informed of each course and explained the minutiae of the cooking process to us in terms we understood which was helpful as we’re not regular fine diners. A fact I made abundantly clear on receipt of the very first course which was a smoked mussel and lemon verbena broth. It arrived in what I would call a ramekin but was not accompanied by a spoon. With a cheeky smile on my face, I asked if we should just pick it up and drink it and just as cheerfully, he said we should. It was delicious! 

This is the basis of my universal praise for our three hour meal at Roots. I’d read on the website that the dress code was as smart or casual as diners wished and this was clearly the case for the full house of patrons dining on my birthday. The overarching factor for praise was that the whole experience was laidback and unpretentious. This was created by the decor, layout and mostly by the staff who genuinely seemed happy to be part of the exquisite dining experience of Roots. 

I am in no way going to critique the food but can say that the presentation was beyond lavish but also elegant and tasteful. Speaking of taste, I enjoyed every bite and although some tastes were stronger than my palate is used to, by the second bite I was adjusted and delighted. I can only assume that this means that the dish is very well created but, as said, I’m no food critic or expert! 

Whilst I won’t be dining Michelin Star on a regular basis in the future, I would recommend trying it and I certainly recommend Roots.