York & Albany

Last Tuesday night i went to York & Albany with my partner to celebrate our anniversary and had a cocktail to start with. The barman was charming and created a drink which wasn't on the list according to our taste in spirits. In the restaurant we were served by a lovely young blond lady. Her food knowledge was impaccable and very passionate. We had a great night and walked home reving about the amazing food that we had, we could have had more dishes but we want to keep fit!

Definitely will go back. This is an every day kind of place especially with those very affordable prices!
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Melanie ''75
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Portions are still tiny, I had the pollock which I don't recommend, rather tasteless and dry. Lovely treacle dessert. Waitresses were pleasant, heating turned up after a while so it did get hot. Atmosphere was fine but could think of nicer places to eat for £95 with better food.
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James
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Monday, December 07, 2009

Four of us went to York and Albany for dinner on Saturday. We were seated in the back of the cheaply refurbished and badly lit basement, which was overheated to an uncomfortable degree.

Our starters and mains were interesting and well flavoured though the portions were minuscule, as others have noted. Service, initially attentive, flagged half-way through. Only one of us ordered a dessert and the rest of us, offered coffee at the same time, asked for it to be served a few minutes later. This proved a mistake as when we did order it nothing happened for at least a quarter of an hour, then the waiter we grabbed said there had been a "logistical problem" and a further 15 minutes later we called another waiter over to cancel the coffee order and bring the bill instead. This eventually prompted the arrival of the coffee which we declined as by now we were melting in the heat.

After paying we left without any word of apology or goodbye from the staff.
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Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Tuesday, November 24, 2009

My last two visits to the York & Albany were thoroughly enjoyable. The maître d' was very welcoming and friendly on both occasions and she made us feel totally at ease. The waitress (short blonde hair and glasses) is the best I've come across in terms of efficiency, helpfulness and general attitude. Such a delight after the cold snooty French waiters you normally get in the Ramsay restaurants.

The food was very good and the Sunday lunch and early supper menus are fantastic value.

Last time we sat downstairs in front of the kitchen which was great - very comfortable and entertaining. I would definitely recommend the York & Albany and am very happy to have such a good local restaurant.

The bar needs better lighting and better staff though and the bar snacks should be free considering the price of the drinks.
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londongal - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, November 14, 2009

I had lunch here in the basement restaurant last Friday with four others and really enjoyed it. We had the three course set menu for £20. The food was wonderful - I really can't say anything bad about it. Portions were quite small, but add in bread, wine and coffee, and I was pleasantly full at the end of it. The service was very good and not at all slow. The only issue was, when we arrived, they tried to seat us on a table with backless sofas and very narrow seats - when we asked to be moved, even though there were only two other tables in use in the basement, they made a big production of checking with the manager. We were permitted to move and the restaurant remained almost empty for the next couple of hours, so I'm not sure why this was a problem. Apart from this bad start, it was a very enjoyable lunch.
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Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Thursday, October 15, 2009

Lunch at the Y&A (July 31, 2009) was a disappointment compared to the sensational one had at Maze Grill the day before. York & Albany’s small main floor dining room is cramped and noisy. A more comfortable option would be to eat in the bar as it has fantastic windows facing onto Regent Park. The downside of the meal was a chocolate soufflé presented as a hot, chewy pancake, perhaps it was lost in translation. Lukewarm coffee topped off the meal. Service was slow.
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LWS, Toronto
Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 5
Sunday, August 09, 2009

Seven of us had a meal on a Saturday evening. Booked about a month in advance, we could only get a table at 18.30. The reservation process was quite tiresome.

Those of us who arrived on time had a pleasant wait sipping satisfying cocktails from a wide array of drinks in the elegant bar, moderately priced (£4.50/pint of beer). Open and bright, the well healed crowd enjoyed looking out a wall of windows in the regency building at the trees of Regents Park. The host had no issue showing us to dinner closer to 19:00 as the restaurant was only half full, but we felt like we were going to be pressured to get though the meal given the trouble in trying to make a later booking.

We were seated at a large round table in the basement, which can be described as atmospheric and dramatic with lots of red fabric covering fairly high walls. However, this table and five or six others is at the bottom of a busy staircase and close to a very lively kitchen compared to two other dining rooms that appeared to be more cosy and inviting. Nonetheless, the atmosphere was ok even as the place got busier.

The service was fair as the wait staff was responsive, but they did not go out of their way to be particularly helpful or friendly. The waiter designated to take our wine order did not know the first thing about wine or even what the York and Albany had on offer. The wine list, which was varied (only a few bottles above £50) offered Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir, Vacqueyras, Galician Albarino, Margaret River Chardonnay. These were numbers on a list as far as the waiter was concerned. We managed to find good matches for the food we had ordered, without help...

The starters are around £8-10 and main courses, £20. The paella starter was good, with the right amount of spice for me and nice chunks of shellfish, but not generous. The main course of lamb was very well made and presented and very tasty. The Elderflower jelly desert was delicious. Most of us noted that the portions are generally not very generous - let's assume, to promote moderation!

We thought that we might be kicked out after 2.5 hours to make room for the second sitting, but happily that did not happen. We all had a good time and enjoyed our evening; the bill, at £75 each (we all had starter, main and desert) including 4 bottles of wine (priced at a ~2.5 mark up) and cocktails, was a bit beyond the high end of our expectations but did not leave a bitter taste.

The overall impression is that this is a restaurant that is defined by its position at the low end of the Ramsay family, and does not quite match what the outside world might think a Ramsay eatery should be like. Restaurant goers were casual, quite a mixed crowd, some in their fancy Saturday evening attire and others in jeans and a t-shirt. The service was gastro pub-like, but without the passion found in the best.

Would consider going back, for lunch.
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Loulou
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Sunday, July 26, 2009

Visited Thursday lunch time and had a most wonderful lunch, extremely relaxed and enjoyed the whole experience. Food was lovely - I had the Roasted Devon Plaice with sweetcorn and girolle risotto, buttered runner beans - was divine and I was sorely tempted to pick up my plate to lick clean! For desert I had the Elderflower jelly, gooseberry compote, pink Champagne granité, almond macaroon which was light and refreshing given the hot sticky weather outside. All four of us thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and will be returning.
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Crack - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Friday, July 10, 2009

The food was phenomenal - but the service made me feel like an unwelcome, unworthy guest. I felt on edge the entire time, and felt like anything I asked the staff was an imposition - including asking for our order to be taken at least 10 minutes after being seated and totally ignored.

When we did get service it was strict and impatient - with the exception of one waitress who had some genuine people skills.

Wine orders were forgotten, the bill took an age to come - despite the restaurant being all but empty. The meals - once we got a chance to order them - came promptly, were perfectly-sized portions, and were seriously good. But not good enough for me to put myself through that experience again. I'm not keen on paying £70 to be made to feel like a second-class citizen.
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Ottilie Standring
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, April 14, 2009

A very poor dining experience, I have to say. The venue is extremely attractive, at least if one sits at the bar--there is a feeling of space--but if one is seated in the basement, it is all a bit lugubrious. Portions of food so miniscule that after the set lunch was over I had to make for the the nearest newsagents and buy a large bar of chocolate, which I wolfed down. The service was acceptable but nothing special. Prices quite expensive for what is offered. This is the ideal place for those on a crash diet--they would do well to eat here regularly. Certainly won't be back!
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Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Friday, April 10, 2009