A PIECE OF PARISIENNE GASTRONOMIC CHIC

A PIECE OF PARISIENNE GASTRONOMIC CHIC

The spa town of Harrogate has an elegant and sophisticated feel about it with  restaurants of every type abounding at every street corner.

But if you are a discerning diner looking for a piece of Parisienne chic with a menu full of gastronomic delights then there’s only one choice for you –  venture down Albert Street and discover Cote Brasserie.

Cote has an elegant feel before you even pass through the doors. Close your eyes and you could be in a quiet boulevard brasserie  in the French capital. Outside there’s tables with fresh white linen set with sparkling glasses and gleaming cutlery sitting underneath an antique ironwork canopy for alfresco pavement dining.

Walk into the main restaurant and it has an art deco feel to it with comfy seating and a relaxed atmosphere and ultra attentive staff.

Cote has a varied menu and serves food all day long with a good selection of vegan and vegetarian options an a la carte, breakfast, brunch, and a weekday fixed price menu. There’s even a children’s menu for family occasions.

The restaurant’s innovative Spring/Summer menu has been designed by Gordon Ramsay’s former Executive Chef Steve Allen.

Steve has focussed on fresh seasonal ingredients highlighting the best of French cuisine.

Whilst we perfused the menu we decided to chose a wine from the extensive wine list. The wines are reasonably priced for their quality and we were not disappointed by our choice of Vin De France Ancients Temps Blanc from the Pyrenees. It was light and lovely and perfect for summer drinking – in fact the perfect tipple for any time of the year.

For starters we chose two of Steve’s new dishes. My Tomato Tarte Fine was a very large starter. It consisted of sliced tomatoes on a puff pastry base with tapenade and caramelised red onion drizzled with goat’s cheese cream.

The puff pastry just melted in my mouth and the tomatoes were sweet and grilled to perfection. The caramelised red onion and the drizzled goats cheese added a wonderful fusion of flavour. It was interesting to find out this can also be ordered as a main course.

My colleague chose the Cheese Souffle a twice baked Camembert souffle with a chive and mustard sauce. This was lighter than air she remarked.  The taste of the cheese was just right and not overly strong but you could still taste the Camembert. The chive and mustard sauce was the ideal accompaniment to the dish.

For my main course I decided on the Paillard Salad. This was the stuff salad dreams are made of. The two large portions of chargrilled chicken breast were tender and cooked to perfection. It was served on a bed of endive, lettuce with French beans and the addition of hazelnuts and croutes to give a flavoursome touch. The tarragon and caper dressing put the final touch to the salad.

My colleagues chose the Quiche Aux Champignons – a mushroom and thyme quiche. The filling was wonderfully light with a great taste as was the pastry and one could really taste the mushrooms.  The tart was garnished with courgette and tomato and came with a portion of frites.

Dessert time was absolute bliss. Both of us admitted our chosen dishes were heaven on a plate and must really have been made in the Angel’s kitchen.

My choice of Almond Financier was a first for me and has rapidly become one of my all time favourites now. This was a warm almond butter cake served with a sour cherry compote and vanilla ice cream. It was so full of taste I savoured every mouthful. The combination of the almond butter cake and sour cherry beautifully balanced the sweet almond taste.

Crème Caramel -a traditional set vanilla pod custard with a dark caramel and cream was according to my colleague the best she had ever tasted. It was smooth and the dark caramel set off the taste with excellence.

Soon it was time to leave – had we been at Cote for so long? Well as the restaurant has true French style we loved the fact we were not rushed and the relaxed atmosphere was so Parisienne.

Cote is a delightful dining experience. The staff are friendly and really know their menu and will recommend if you are not sure.

And it wasn’t only us that highly rated our visit. A lady at the next table, obviously  visitor to the town, when  asked if she would come again on her next visit by the server replied “Absolutely. No question. This is my favourite place now”.

That says it all.

Cote Brasserie , 5 Sunwin House, Albert Street, Harrogate.  HG1 1JU Tel: 01423 226155

Open: Mon – Thurs 11.30am – 9.00pm; Fri & Sat 10.00am-10.00pm; Sunday 10.00am – 9pm

 

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