Melton's Restaurant — Restaurant in Great Britain

I booked a reservation with Meltons restaurant in York approximately 5 months ago, based on a recommendation from the Michelin guide. Some time passed and I received no confirmation from the restaurant. The day of the reservation I decided to call and confirm. Someone in my party has a lethal peanut and lupin seed allergy, which I was very clear about in my booking. When I called, I inquired whether they had received my booking and if they could accommodate such allergies (I was quite confident in their ability to do so since there we no such allergens listed on their menu, and these are part of the 14 legally declarable allergens). They confirmed with back of house and the owner of the restaurant that they would be happy to accommodate us and had our booking confirmed for the evening.

When we arrived, we were sure to inform our server of the allergies again. She was very unsure and said she would need to check again with the back of house. When she returned, she said they were unable to confirm they could clean the kitchen well enough to prevent cross contamination from peanuts. The owner was sent over when we pressed the server for more information. It was at this point the owner informed us that, though there were no peanuts or lupin seeds on the menu, the staff had made a Thai style dish for the staff meal and used peanuts that were brought in from outside the kitchen.

This was appalling as we had been guaranteed that we would be safe to eat here. They offered to call a taxi to their sister location, who couldn’t necessarily even guarantee a safe experience. They called us a taxi and while we waited they offered us drinks. We asked for water, which we asked if they could guarantee the water was safe, they couldn’t even do that. Abysmal service from a restaurant that has been in business for 32 years. Even worse, this reservation was booked to celebrate my fiancé and I becoming engaged that night.

Please be exceedingly cautious if you plan to visit this restaurant and have any form of an allergy, especially since were it not for our own diligence their negligence could have proved fatal. This establishment is not compliant with health and safety regulations regarding allergen information and...

If I could leave 6 stars, I would. There wasn't a single mouthful of food I didn't enjoy. My wife and I had the seven course taster (although technically 6 because I couldn't possibly have fitted a cheese course in, so I asked for it to not be brought - and I'm a BIG eater!) with wine pairings. It was perfect for me too because I like good, firm flavours. I'm not a big one for incredibly light and subtle hints of flavour. I like flavoursome, well seasoned food - which is exactly what this was. Not to say that there wasn't subtlety at play - but I've had some tasting menus where you're just bordering on bland on the lighter courses.

I'll try and sum up the good points, outside of the great tastes, without rambling - *Great service - went at our chosen pace (we don't like to hang around) *The pairings were nice. A couple of them tastes like they were ingredients in the dish, such was the harmony. *For the level of care into the dishes, I don't think the price is unreasonable. £75 for 6 courses at that level is spot on. And you don't feel short changed with the £40pp drinks pairings. We were tipsy! :) *Very full by the end. *Table service was informative without over stepping into being too long, which I hate. *there must be more, but the mind goes blank once it's time to think.

The only thing I'd mention is nearby parking was a struggle at peak dinner leading into a sunny bank hol weekend, but you expect that. There's a small public carpark straight across the road and others nearby, but at our times, everything was full. We ended up on the free parking near York Racecourse which left a 1 mile walk, but given the lovely area and weather, this wasn't a chore. I'd park there and walk again.

Will...

All of us had the tasting menu, and we were honestly EXTREMELY impressed by the food!! Delicious flavours (with some Japanese influence…?) and ingredients, beautiful plating!! My guests had the lamb and fish mains and I had the vegetarian one, and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the veg main. Excellent food for its price. Bravo!!

Have been to multiple Michelin starred restaurants around the world, and we honestly feel that the quality of Melton’s food doesn’t lose out. We particularly enjoyed the amuse-bouche, the refreshing pea dish, the scallop, the mushroom broth (with cauliflower in it). However, if we could give some constructive criticism to the restaurant, it would be regarding the lighting and the provision of napkins. Firstly on lighting — we were sat at a rather dim table (right opposite the staircase down to the lower floor), and without an additional table lamp / candle it was truthfully quite difficult to fully appreciate the lovely colours, arrangement, presentation and overall plating of the food. Thus, we felt that this was quite a waste! Besides that, we thought that napkins could be provided after the amuse-bouche given that we had to use our hands to pick them up (this is usually the practice in Michelin starred restaurants). Lastly, just a small note to add, my guests and I felt that the tart of the last dessert course might be more enjoyable if it were a ‘lighter’ pastry!

These points aside, the dining experience was divine. Hope more people will patronise Melton’s. Our compliments to the...