You’ll need to wander a little way beyond the city-centre tourist trail to find the smart black and gold façade of The Rattle Owl, but the historic street it’s situated on merely adds to its charm. Set in a row of 17th-century buildings on Micklegate, this seemingly petite independent restaurant is something of a Tardis, thanks to its three floors and extension out back. We were seated in the conservatory area on the ground floor which, in spite of its light and airy feel, managed to retain the cosiness of the main section, especially once the daylight began to fade.
The decor here is far from fancy, but little touches such as tasteful ceramics and glassware offset the simplicity nicely and suggest that the focus here is on the quality of the food, wine and service rather than over-the-top interiors.
This theory was proved correct almost immediately as our friendly waiter arrived with freshly baked rolls still warm from the oven, along with a quartet of tasty amuse bouche to nibble on while we consulted the wine list. We opted for a buttery Chardonnay from the ‘wine of the week’ section and an intense Merlot to complement our starters of pea velouté and devilled crab, both of which were superb.
Fresh, sweet and sporting a gooey quail’s egg encased in crispy breadcrumbs, the velouté was the ideal choice for a summer’s evening, though the pistachios mentioned on the menu were either absent or completely lost. By contrast, the devilled crab was rich and autumnal on account of the delicately spiced granola that also served to add a satisfying crunch to proceedings.
One of our mains was a triumph – an expertly cooked piece of bream accompanied by miso and black olive aubergine and fresh-as-you-like fennel jam – but we were disappointed by the vegetarian option: organic nursery tomatoes with tarragon ricotta cannelloni. The aniseed flavour was overpowering, which left little to eat but the tomatoes themselves.
Happily, dessert brought it back with a creamy peanut butter parfait that was simply divine, and a pretty millefeuille topped with sweet raspberries. A meal here won’t come cheap, but for occasion dining, it’s well worth splashing out.