This has become my new favourite place to eat. Food and…read moreservice excellent. Great atmosphere, food cooked to perfect, attentive staff.

In my opinion one of the finest french restaurant in the north.Taking inspiration from some of…read moregreat dishes of La Gavroche. Had a fantastic evening in November 2011, the team provided the perfect festive lunch, the monkfish thermidor was fantastic. Strongly recommend potted shrimp starter. If you enjoy great French food, then Chez La Vie could not be recommended more highly. The wines available on the wine list are truly fantastic from the house wines to the finest red & white wines, there is something for every budget.

Very popular spot so we suggest to book a table before going. We have seen people being turned away…read morebecause there's no availability. Menu was great and I definitely recommended their mussels. They have a starter portion and a main portion, tbh it doesn't make a massive difference. If you want to try a few more things, get it as a starter and get something else for main. We are rather disappointed in the duck leg because the flavor was so uneven - some bites are great, some are too spiced.

I adore French food and when I saw there was a French restaurant in York that had good reviews and…read morefairly reasonable prices, I made a reservation for our first of four nights in town. We were seated quickly and had a nice table on the main floor. Our drink orders were taken post haste, a bottle of Les Vignerons - Carignan Syrah (£25.15) and a pineapple juice (£2.25), and delivered equally as fast. The male server arrived with an open bottle and started pouring, chug-a-lug-a-lug, no tasting, just sloppily emptying the bottle into my glass. It was tremendously unimpressive. Great start! We both ordered the three-course Set Menu (£25.95). For our entrees, I had the Moules Marinieres à la Creme (mussels in a wine, garlic, herb, and cream sauce) and my wife the Champignons a L'Ail (mushrooms in a garlic cream sauce). My mussels were plentiful for a starter and fresh, but I could barely taste the wine, garlic, or cream. The sauce was watery. My wife's mushrooms were very tasty. On to Les Plats Principaux ... Mine was the Steak Frites with Mushroom Sauce and my wife's the Tarte aux Champignons et Pont L'Eveque (mushroom tart with leeks and Pont L'Eveque cheese). My steak was tiny, four to five ounces max, and half of it was gristle, so I was able to swallow maybe three ounces of it. I told the server that the first bite was very tough, but I never saw her again until I had chewed and spat out half of the steak. The fries were hot and tasty and the mushroom sauce was good, but what a huge disappointment. My spouse enjoyed her tart, but I thought it was rather bland. For dessert, I asked for the Sèlection de Fromages Francais (French cheese board) and my lovely bride the Crème Brûlèe. My cheeses were very good, with three varieties and coming with a bit of lettuce and a few grapes as well as a small baguette. I left just enough wine in the bottle to savor one of my favorite things in life - cheese, bread, and wine. My wife's crème brûlèe was massive, the biggest I had ever seen, so she hit a triple while I had just s single - she hit 1.000 for the night while I hit a mere .333. Our server, Didi, was very sweet and felt terrible because I had not enjoyed my meal, so she offered to discount my meal. However, my journalistic integrity would not allow me to accept remuneration for my meal and we paid full fare - £91+ including tip. A couple of small things spoiled this meal and both were completely avoidable. A little more wine, garlic, and cream, a minuscule cost for the restaurant, would have brought the mussels to a five-star level. As far as the tiny, cheap cut of meat I received, I had no problem with the size had it been tender because bigger is not always better, just ask my friend's wife. Quality control in the kitchen was obviously lacking, hence my rating ... CombatCritic Gives Rustique 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

We take my in-laws to Simply French whenever they come to town. The prices are reasonable, the…read morefood is excellent and it's a nice walk along the quay to get there. This would be a nice place for a date, actually! It's cozy and intimate inside and quiet enough to chat. The staff is really friendly and the owner, Rob, always has a big smile for us when we cross paths (in the restaurant or just around town!) If you're going for a lunch date, try Quite Simply Food instead. It's a little cafe by the same owner and it's excellent also.

If you're familiar with popular astronomy concepts, you might appreciate the following statement:…read moreKendells Bistro exists almost wholly within the Goldilocks Zone of the restaurant universe, a phenomenon that's expected to be possible, but only encountered an infinitesimally small fraction of the time. The restaurant's interior is cosy and charming, dark and candlelit. It borders on being romantic, but doesn't take itself so seriously that it'll dissuade diners who aren't coming in as a couple. Its location is central, but not -in- the city centre. A mere handful of minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Briggate and Leeds' shopping meccas, one can readily walk to this bistro, but it's offset enough to deter the masses. And during the early evening hours (I believe from opening time until 2000 the night we visited), you can take advantage of their 2-course, 3-course, or 3-course and a half bottle of wine offers for between £17-25; it's a bargain, no matter how you slice it. The only thing that's absolutely excessive is the portion size for each of the dishes. My salad with rich, hearty bacon chunks and a perfectly poached egg on top was enough to sate my hunger. Then, when the cassoulet main arrived, I got -maybe- halfway through it before deciding I was completely stuffed. The cassoulet (featuring duck leg, sausage, -and- pork loin) was hearty and richly flavoured. By itself, it was a monstrous serving. That's ignoring the delightfully piped and plated potato mash, carrot mash, and mounded broccoli. From start to finish, I couldn't think of a single thing to improve about the experience. Kendells was readily the most noteworthy dining experience I've had in Leeds yet, and ranks highly amongst any gastronomic adventure I've embarked upon throughout Europe, generally!

if you go here, make sure you try the Supreme de Volialle L`Estragon. It's a really lovely dish…read morethat is part of the tea time menu. As they state 'Everything stops for tea.' The menu is priced at £21.95 - if you include half a bottle of wine into the menu (which of course, you will!) and you can pick from starters like, Gratin Lyonnaise, Saumon Marine A' la Aneth and Pate Maison. The mains consist of; Porc Boulangere, Confit Du Canard, Saumon en Croute and the likes. One of the best parts is of course dessert...pick from Petit Pot au Chocolate, Tarte aux Citron, Creme Brulee and Fromage. Nobody does Creme Brulee like the French so I'd recommend this! This is a great place to go before going to the theatre to see a show or even just to kick back and relax after a hard week.

I have visited Cafe Lilli twice now, the first time for an evening meal with my husband and the…read moresecond for lunch with a large group of female friends. When my husband and I had dinner there I thought that my meal of pasta in a pesto and pice nut sauce was absolutely delicious, although to be fair the portion size wasn't quite big enough for me! My husband was not impressed with his meal at all; he had pasta in a salmon sauce and he didn't like it! He's not a big fish man really but in his opinion this seemed to be the least fussy meal on the menu! I've always tried to persuade him to return but he always finds an escuse! The second time I visited I had the same meal again, which was again delicious, and just the right size for a lunch. I followed this up with a delicious pudding of pannacotta which was one of the nicest I've had anywhere. I would really recommend Cafe Lilli myself; I thought that the menu was reasonably priced, the service was great and the wine list extensive.

I have eaten here a few times and always here people saying how good it is. Yes it is good for…read moreNorton however the menu is small and hardly ever changes, it is also quite expensive for the North East, the prices are more based on Yarm than Norton. There are normally about 5 starters and 6 main courses to choose from. I don't really know anywhere better in the North East but that is not saying much.

Came here for my gf's birthday dinner. Here are the highs and lows…read more - the broths they used were amazing - the macaron with blood pudding was genius - the tartar was very good - service was very knowledgeable about wine - the bread was truly perfect and the brown butter was perfection - the chef who served the butter poached scallop dropped it in the rock salt and it became too salty - the oyster had a large amount of the crushed ice one the oyster itself. Should have been served in the side. - the braised rabbit was too salty and was a bit too mushy. Awesome to see a group of young chefs pushing boundaries with food. I think once the can reign in some of the concepts, this place could be great.? Def worth going to.

Feeling adventurous? If so, then Le Cochon Aveugle is for you. They offer a set menu that consists…read moreof either 6 or 9 courses that is decided for you. The 6 course meal is 50 GBP and the 9 is 70 GBP.

Probably my new favorite place to eat when I'm in York. The Cheateaubriand dairy cow steak here may…read morebe the most tender steak I've ever had, and I've had a lot of steaks in a lot of countries. I am rarely this impressed by steak quality outside of the US. And the wine list! Orin Swift (the famous maker of Papillon), Stag's Leap, and lots of lesser known but still excellent brands from around the world. This is going to be my first stop next time I'm in York. My only comment -- but maybe this is just from an American used to farm-to-table food -- is that just like everywhere else in England, I wish there were fewer fried things and more vegetables on the menu (although the tomato side salad was amazing). Still the freshest, most farm-to-table type of meal I've had in York.

After two different people recommended this restaurant, we thought we would definitely try it. We…read morearrived at 5:30, the first customers of the evening. Waitstaff were very attentive and friendly. Hubby ordered onion rings which were hand battered and delicious. I ordered cod and vegetable risotto which were fine but not remarkable. Broccolini with blue cheese sauce barely had any blue cheese or sauce and was hard, not cooked really much at all. I left half of the serving. We had bread pudding for dessert which was also okay. I didn't find the seasoning of the food to be adequate and maybe salt and pepper on the table would have helped this. By the time our food came out, the waitstaff was busy so I didn't have a ready opportunity to ask for salt. And should I have to ask? This place has a charming interior but i'd suggest drinks here, not dinner.

Pleasantly surprised. Fine dining in a little town. French food in an English Village…read more Charming inside. When we made the reservation we asked what the dress code was, no mandatory dress code, we dressed up (cocktail/wedding like attire) anyways & glad we did. Everyone was in at least a button up shirt and slacks, some had coats. The atmosphere was classy. We weren't sure if we needed to make a reservation but glad we did, it was a busy Saturday night. The food portions were filling. The food was delicious. Also ordered the Duck Fat Chips, a glass of white wine recommended with the meal, and Escargot (forgot to take pics of these). The escargot was amazing. The food was appetizing to the sight. It was evident much heart went into each dish. The staff was polite and attentive. The price was reasonable for the quality and portion. Will definitely be going back because there are many more items on the menu I'd like to try. Do recommend.

Holy cow! Call me impressed…read more On our way to Edinburgh we stopped to find a place to have dinner. Although out of the way, this restaurant in Hexham is a hidden gem. An unassuming building from the outside leads to a softly decorated dining room with French prints and neutral tones that leads to a calming dining experience. My appetizer was one of the best chicken liver parfaits I've had in a long time. Perfect baguettes accompanied the pate which also came with cornichons and white onions. Cheese soufflé was light and airy with a hint of saltiness to add effect to the overall taste. The mains of duck confit and lamb rounded out the full eating experience. My only one criticism is that the duck was a little bit dry as the dish became cooler. Lamb entree was fabulous though!!! Such an amazing little restaurant that just went through a new renovation to the dining room that just makes the whole experience a must try for anyone who enjoys French cuisine.