Sunday Lunch – Walmgate Ale House

By puboholic on Dec 15, 2014 in Sunday Lunch | 2 comments

Sunday Lunch - Walmgate Ale House After reviewing the Walmgate Ale House I had to return to eat in the upstairs Bistro in my search for York's Best Sunday Lunch. What's on offer? From the Menu: Traditional Roast Slow Roast Yorkshire Beef or Pork, Yorkshire Pudding, Roast Potatoes & Vegetables. (Meat from Taste Tradition, Thirsk) The Sunday Lunch is served between 12:00 and 19:00 as part of the set menu which is £13 for one or two courses and £15.50 for three. We both went for the Roast Beef as a main course and then ordered a Sticky Toffee Pudding with Vanilla Ice Cream, and a Selection of Yorkshire Cheeses for desert. What worked? The meat was absolutely stunning; perfectly cooked chunks of beef browned on the outside and pink in the centre and still piping hot throughout, wonderful. I would have eaten just a plate-full of the beef and gone home happy, I think it should be a menu option. The Yorkshire Puddings were far and away the best I've found in York. Large fluffy bases with a just-crisp top, full of flavour and deep enough to fill with gravy. I love it when you get gravy in a jug on the side, everyone wants a different amount and being able to decide for yourself is a huge bonus. On this occasion the gravy was delicious and I enjoyed topping up my plate every time I went back for extra portions of the side dishes. What didn't work? The only real issue I had with the whole meal was that for the purposes of this website I'm trying to find the best Pub Sunday Lunch in York and the Bistro is a full-time restaurant. The split between the upstairs and downstairs is noticeable and unavoidable. An issue that arises from this is that the Sunday Lunch ends up feeling like an item on restaurant menu and not a dedicated full roast; the veg on the side are delicately cooked pieces of kale and tender carrot, not hearty chunks of roast parsnip and crunchy potatoes. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the food, it's fantastic, it's just not what I was looking for in a pub lunch. Is it York's Best Sunday Lunch? I can heartily...