Nicola's Reviews

We ate at the York and Albany last night. It seems to me that it's a restaurant that has almost (but not quite) got it right.

The first two people we encountered to were unable to find our booking despite them having called me the previous Friday to check we were coming. Eventually the bright and smiley restaurant manager found us and told us, wryly, that “you just can't get the staff”. We rejected the first table (right under the air conditioning unit) and were seated at a nice round one although the person on the outside seat was asked to move several times during the evening in order for chairs to be pushed by and for staff to gain access to the wine cupboard.

There were highlights and lowlights.

So, to the highlights: the service was really friendly and very efficient and even amusing – in a good way. The food we ordered was, in general, excellent. The pace of service was also very good – not too fast and not too slow.

The lowlights: (1) The first basket of bread brought to the table was stale. I'm perhaps being unfair, I'd say that it had probably been cut in the morning and left to dry out but by the time it reached us, it was totally inedible (unless you fancy cracking your expensive porcelain crowns) and we had to send it back. Really not what you expect from a Ramsay establishment – must do better. On the upside, they replaced it very quickly with a fresh basket. (2) The wine list is outrageous moving seamlessly from the one or two reasonably priced bottles at around £25 up to very overpriced offerings starting at £50. We estimated a 300% to 400% mark up on most of them. (3) The lighting (absolutely fine when we sat down) was then turned down so low that it became difficult to read the menu. (4) The menu itself was quite difficult. There was really only one starter and two of the main courses that I fancied. (5) My summer salad starter, whilst delicious, was absolutely teeny weeny. A minute, nouvelle cuisine, doll's portion which was a shame because every… More

We love Retsina although some people we know seem simply not to ‘get it’. They clearly have no taste. I must confess that as we're well known here, we always get a big, hearty welcome and as my husband's father always used to say … 'the best restaurants are the restaurants where they know you best" . Run by the Minos family, it's very much a family affair with Mum Zita in charge of the kitchen and son Menos at front of house although from time to time, they swap roles. Until it did so well (coming third) in Channel 4's The F Word last year, tables were easy to come by. Since that well deserved success, it's wise to book ahead as these days the place tends to be packed out particularly over the weekend. The food is always beautifully cooked and the portions bounteous. This is simple, unpretentious fayre at very reasonable prices. The whole grilled seabass and large grilled prawns are some of the best I've eaten in England whilst the souvla (of whatever variety) and generous mixed grill are my husband's favourites. Typical Greek-Cypriot starters are all home-made and delicious, ranging from the ubiquitous taramasalata to more ambitious spanagopita, falafel, dolmathes and lots more. The wine list is limited but there are a few French options if Greek wines aren't your bag. My husband (the wine connnoisseur) happens to love Retsina – the wine. I think it's evocative for him – there's really no accounting for taste. If there's any room for improvement, I feel the desserts could be a little more adventurous but then that suits me because I could without the calories.