On Friday 16th June I headed to The Rattle Owl, which has been taken over by new management. A new head chef has also been brought in by the name of Adam Jackson, former head chef of The Black Swan at Oldstead when it first received its’ Michelin Star all the way back in 2012.

Walking through the door, I was immediately greeted by Alex, the general manager, who took my name and showed me to the dining room upstairs. The Rattle Owl offers a tasting menu which is only available in the upstairs restaurant. The Tansy Beetle Bar downstairs has a separate menu.

I was left in the very capable hands of Chloe, who lead me to my table and radiated happiness. There was a genuine interest in customers from both Chloe and Alex and an easy conversation to have with both of them at various points throughout the night.

The menu was already on the table as it is for anyone having a tasting menu. Water was brought to the table and whilst there was no drinks menu given (there was a delay from the printers, understandable given the circumstances), Chloe and Alex knew the list of beverages off by heart and reeled of a list of soft drinks available for me.

The first course arrived and we were off, the tasting menu had begun. ‘A Nod to the Romans’, the inspiration from this dish came from the renovations, when Roman remains had been found in the cellar surrounded by 300 oyster shells. Potato soufflé, oyster emulsion and pickled cucumber served in an oyster shell. When I think of soufflé, I think of those wonderful, fluffy baked egg dishes which have to be served straight away before they deflate. This, was a small round crisp like snack, with a creamy centre and not at all as acidic as I expected it to be with the pickled cucumber.

Up next was the lobster, I always look forward to having lobster as I’m still pretty new to eating it, I’ve only previously eaten it in pasta, but I will order a full lobster one day! £1 from each serving of the lobster is sent to the Whitby Lobster Hatchery to fund their conservation scheme of ‘buy one, set one free’. A vibrant tomato and pepper gazpacho, lobster bisque butter, crumpet and tart were all set before me. A feast for the eyes (and the stomach too). The fresh smell omitting from the little bowl of gazpacho was incredible (can food smell fresh?). The tart perfectly crisp and thankfully I didn’t make a mess when eating it… well, save for one or two crumbs which were swiftly swept from the table as soon as my plate was cleared. I broke a piece of the warm crumpet and smothered it in butter. Whilst each element had lobster in, there wasn’t too much of it. Nothing overpowered the lobster as lobster can be quite delicate and can get lost in bold flavours.

My third course was game tartare, charcoal and tomatoes with slow cooked egg. Chloe’s dad has a game farm and shoots the game, as although game is traditionally a winter meat, it needs to be shot in June or so I was told. The slight crunch from the grains paired with the perfectly prepared tartare, coated in an almost sticky egg yolk was flavour and texture heaven.

Trout with caviar, asparagus and velouté soon followed. So much flavour packed into that velouté, my tastebuds were on cloud 9. Thankfully, there was only a small amount of caviar in this dish. Having previously eaten caviar on a plane journey to Australia, I’m not a huge fan. It’s too salty and frankly overhyped, on this occasion though, the amount of caviar was perfect for the size of the trout on the plate.

The final savoury course, Ilkley lamb, turnips, courgettes, mint puree and wild garlic. Oh my, the flavour from the jus; umami, sweet, salty. I just needed a bit of bread to mop it up. I hate leaving such a flavourful jus on the plate.

The transitional course, buckthorn house spruce, spruce sorbet, redcurrant granita and compote. The granita was by far my favourite element on the dish, cool, refreshing and perfect for a hot summers day. If The Rattle Owl sells this granita on it’s own, or decides to make and sell a redcurrant sorbet, I will be the first in line to buy it. A slight chewiness from the dehydrated frangipane cake was lovely.

Finally, we move onto the desserts and I’m pleased to see that we had fruit in the desserts! Strawberry, elderflower sponge, mouse and sorrel sorbet. The sponge and mousse encased in a pink dome, to be cracked with the back of your spoon. There were a few small pieces of strawberries but as an avid strawberry lover, I always want more. Put the whole punnet on the dish if you must!

The final dessert course was CHOCOLATE! Praise the lord, we have chocolate in a dessert! Coffee caramel, ganache and black mirin. The chocolate was very rich but as a final dessert course, it was fine. I think if it had been the first dessert course, I may not have been able to eat any more. Bright orange popped against the darkness of the chocolate.

I ordered a coffee and received the final food item of the night. A chamomile and tansy financier with butter cream. Lovely.

I left the restaurant nearly 2 hours after I had arrived. During that time, I never felt rushed. The total came to £137.81, I had paid a deposit of £45, so the total to pay on the night was £92.31.

The restaurant has two sittings for the taster menu, 7:30pm and 8pm. Whilst my visit was a Friday night, there was still a couple of empty tables. The restaurant is by no means massive, it is small and intimate but I need to shout from the rooftops about the food and staff . The front of house staff, especially Chloe and Alex are a credit to the team and the food speaks for itself. Flavourful, elegant, beautiful, I could go on but I won’t. Adam Jackson gained a Michelin Star at The Black Swan, I wouldn’t put it past him to gain another with the team here. I just wish everyone knew about this place!

Date of Visit:

16th June 2023

Time of Visit:

7:30pm

Cost:

£137.81 (including deposit)

Rating: (Out of five stars)