Gasp! I didn't have my normal brunch at Little Betty's... I wanted to, but the line combined with my hunger just wasn't compatible. As we were walking toward Little Betty's, I had noticed a sign on one of the side streets off of Stonegate that said "The Fort". So we decided to go down the street to see what it was (it is a boutique hostel) and ended up finding Kennedy's Bar and Restaurant. The menu looked good, fairly inexpensive/reasonable, and the restaurant itself was cute, so we decided to try it.
There were two floors and they have a rooftop terrace. The staff seemed a bit preoccupied... actually we had a bit of trouble distinguishing one of wait staff as he just looked like another customer. However, the staff were very friendly and told us that we could sit wherever we would like and they would come around and take our order. We grabbed the menus, they happened to be celebrating Vegetarian Week by offering a vegetarian friendly specials menu. The menu was not lengthy, but offered some really nice dishes. The waiter took our drink order, which wasn't anything special, just water for the both of us and to our surprise he said, "I'll bring you a jug." Usually we have to beg for a jug of water and even then we don't always get it.
My friend decided to order the grilled steak and caramelized onion ciabatta with a side of the chef's sautéed vegetables and I ordered the roast beef, red onion, and whole grain mustard mayo sandwich on brown bread with a side of the mushroom and roasted garlic soup. While we were waiting, we were noticing the choice of music... from 70s disco to new age, hippy dippy stuff, but it certainly kept us guessing. It didn't take too long before our sandwiches came out. And they looked wonderful!
My sandwich (I have uploaded a picture for you to drool over) was more substantial than I thought it would be... it had at least three, thick slices of roast beef, finely sliced red onions, and just the right amount of the whole-grain mustard mayo (which was so delicious and not at all overpowering) on this fluffy, soft brown bread with a bit of seed in it. There was a bit of salad on the plate dressed with what tasted like a pesto olive oil, and of course the mug of mushroom and roasted garlic soup. The soup was very strong on the garlic, but there were some nice large pieces of mushroom in the soup, which made it more enjoyable. I finished all of my meal and thought it was just the right amount... filling, but stuffed making wandering around York difficult.
My friend's grilled steak and caramelized onion sandwich looked delicious and it was a little bigger than my sandwich. The ciabatta comes toasted. What was surprising was the huge side of t£he chef's sautéed vegetables... it could've been the main itself. The vegetables looked like a stir fry, but were apparently delicious. My friend was not successful in finishing her meal, but in her defense, it was a lot of food! While we waited for our bill, I decided to check out the toilets... as you do. The toilets are upstairs... and the upstairs is quite nice, I would say nicer than the seating area downstairs.
Just in case you were wondering Betty = female toilets and Stan = male toilets. The toilets were dimly lit, in fact when you walk through the first door, it is very dark. Lots of stalls (as I am sure they come in handy when it becomes a club at night), trendy looking sinks, and a Dyson Hand Blade. I also learned, thanks to the sign on the back of the door to the stall that they have an iPhone Pub Quiz on Mondays. £1.50 to enter and you just need one iPhone per team. They also have live jazz during lunch on Sundays and various DJs on Friday and Saturday nights!
The total damage for my lunch... £6.50, my friend's... £11.00. Convenient location, friendly staff, nice décor, delicious and inexpensive lunch... it has everything and I would highly recommend it. read more