Anna Mckay shares a recipe perfect for celebrating Chinese New Year
Laura Reynolds reviews the latest arrival to the York cafe scene
Anna Mckay tempts us to break the new year healthy eating streak.
Just 4 days until Christmas..get in the mood with some festive nosh!
Halfway down the Shambles, nestled between Edinburgh Woollen Mill and the Earl Grey Tearooms, is a tiny timber and brick building with a bow window. So far, so York: but step inside Ristorante Bari and you’ll be transported into an authentic Italian kitchen. The walls are crowded with pictures, pots and pans, the lighting is low, and the red-painted chairs and tiled floor give the place a cosy, rustic feeling.
The restaurant itself is small, but always busy, and the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly. So relaxed are the waiters, they may take a while to take your order or forget the jug of water you asked for, but they are otherwise charming and helpful.
On the extensive menu is a wide selection of pizzas, pastas and meats. There is nothing particularly adventurous or unusual, just hearty Italian fare. I have now been three times (which is recommendation in itself), and each time have been impressed by the quality of the food: haute cuisine this is not, but for simple, delicious flavours in lavish quantities Bari is the perfect place.
On my most recent visit I had a tomato and chorizo risotto, which was, like everything I’ve ever eaten at Bari, delicious: it may have been lacking in presentation- it arrived just dumped on a plate- but that plate was piled high and the flavour more than compensated for its appearance. I followed it with the Foresta Nera, which was also superb and generously served. The specials menu may be the same with every visit, and the enticingly named Zabaglione may never be available, but the food at Bari is unpretentious and consistently tasty.
Between two people, eating two courses each and with one bottle of wine (we splashed out on a sparkling Moscato Spumente for £15), the bill came to £44. This sounds like a lot compared to Efe’s, but at around £10 for a pizza, the price is much the same as high-street Italian restaurants such as ASK and Pizza Express, and you do get a lot of food for your money.
As the evening winds down, the waiters themselves take a plate from a kitchen and eat together, enhancing the feeling of being part of the family. The cosy, cheerful ambience means Bari is the ideal place to bring your parents, but the lamp-lit tables and intimate atmosphere also make it perfect for a date. Whatever the occasion and whoever you take, you are guaranteed a cheerful and relaxed evening, with smiling service and comforting, delicious food.
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