Van Zeller

Food was extremely good. Small portions but I went in hungry and left full. So can’t complain!
Even the bread was extremely good!
One of us wanted a Vespa, had to give the instructions but when it came it was spot on.
Really impressed. Recommend it for an occasion. As it’s a bit pricey!

For my birthday I received tickets to The Good Food Show in Harrogate and a meal at a restaurant of my choice — there was only one choice once I’d started doing my research! Van Zeller won the Good Food Guide Restaurant of the Year last year — they were an unexpected winner as they don’t even have a Michelin Star. However going by the meal I had they really should have one as it was a brilliant meal, although perhaps the desserts weren’t quite as good as the savoury courses.
Cauliflower, Truffle & Taleggio — This was a nice way to start the meal — a posh cauliflower cheese in essence with some luxurious truffles flavours as well ⁸⁄₁₀
Quail, Heritage Tomatoes, Jersey Royals & Hazelnut — Perfectly cooked Quail, flavoursome tomatoes and great crunch added by the Hazelnut. My only criticism would be is that if you mention Jersey Royals I’d expect more than 3 very thin slivers ⁹⁄₁₀
Charred Mackerel, Peas & Yorkshire Goats Curd — The peas took the format of a pea pannacotta and was complimented well by the saltiness of the Goats Curd. The mackerel was cooked perfectly but this could just as easily have been a vegetarian dish as my favourite bites were without the mackerel ⁸⁄₁₀
Scallops Ceviche, Curry, Turnip & Pomegranate — I’d never have put all these ingredients together but they went really well — the curry was only a light flavour and didn’t overpower the scallops at all, which was my initial worry ⁸⁄₁₀
Rabbit, Marmalade, Carrot & Soil — This was my least favourite savoury dish as I just found it slightly bitter for my taste. It was all cooked well though and looked very pretty on the plate. If I’d been ordering off the A La Carte menu this is the started I’d have had so definitely glad I went for the tasting menu ⁷⁄₁₀
Barbecued Monkfish, Roscoff Onions & Asparagus — This was my favourite course of the night and one of my favourite fish dishes ever. The Monkfish was cooked to perfection and I loved the charred outside of the monkfish; the Asparagus was also cooked the same way and was the best I’ve ever had — I’d go back to Harrogate just for this dish ¹⁰⁄₁₀
Duck, Mango, Spring Onion, Pak Choi & 5 Spice — This sounded a little simple and obvious for a main course but it worked really well with the mango adding sweetness. The duck was served three ways — breast, spring roll and heart. ⁹⁄₁₀
Parsnip, White Chocolate, Elderflower & Lime — This was the first of the dessert courses, which used the technique of having both sweet and savoury on the same plate and from memory it worked pretty well (although apart from that I don’t really remember anything about it, which isn’t a great sign) ⁷⁄₁₀
Citrus, Poppy Seed, Meringue & Sorbet — This was my favourite dessert of the night, with the sorbet the highlight 8.5÷10
Chocolate, Coffee & Salted Caramel — This sounded great on paper but again I thought to myself «as much as I like chocolate I’m really never impressed by a chocolate dessert» — it was all cooked really well but I couldn’t taste much of the salted caramel ⁷⁄₁₀
If you’re ever in Harrogate I’d strongly recommend Van Zeller. It’s a little pricy at £85 for the menu above, although they are doing a special 7 course menu for £35 (during the week or early doors at the weekend)

We made out first trip to Van Zellers after he (that being chef Tom Van Zeller) won the Oliver award (no, nothing to do with me) for best Yorkshire chef this year.
The restaurant is small and cosy, the staff friendly and polite.
My main of venison was perfectly cooked, delightfully pink with beetroot fondant and a rich but well balanced chocolate/​red wine reduction. The portions are a little on the small side and I found the menu to be a little pricey for what it is. However a dessert of chocolate delice with salted caramel and raspberry sorbet was worth every penny. Rich, fudgey, it left me grinning like Greg Wallace with a chocolate fondant.
A meal for two with drinks came to £90. I have had better meals for less, but perhaps this is more a reflection on my unfamiliarity with Harrogate prices than anything else.
Overall however, a lovely meal and I can happily recommend Van Zellers.