REVIEW: Café 21, York

There’s a new restaurant in town and you’ll find it tucked away behind the designer clothes and sparkling makeup counters on the second floor of Fenwicks, Coppergate. 

Your Local Link’s editor, Krystal Starkey, headed down on a rainy Sunday to put Café 21’s menu to the test. 

Café 21 didn’t have an ideal start, opening for just two months in November 2020, before lockdown was imposed once again. But you wouldn’t know that walking in today. The immaculately presented team wear sleek grey waistcoats, smile warmly as we enter the café and know their stuff when it comes to the menu. 

There’s a gentle chatter as we head to our table, a group of women are enjoying a leisurely lunch over wine, the staff milling about, and as I sit down on a millennial pink curved sofa, no less, I get to take in my surroundings. This is a professional job. Muted neutrals and flashes of wood blend with metallic tones, a bouquet of glass bulbs hang over our circular table, it’s very Instagram-worthy. Once I’ve taken in the view, I’m presented with the menu. 

A fusion of traditional English and Italian inspired food give this Sunday menu a fresh feel.  I opt for the Tuscan style Porchetta with Fennel and Apple Salad. This baby is cooked low and slow, at 75 degrees overnight. To serve, it’s then blasted at 300 degrees to crisp up the fat. The apple and fennel salad provides a welcome acidity in place of the usual apple sauce while the juicy, herb stuffed pork sits neatly inside a crisp, salty crackling. It’s hearty and full of flavour – exactly what I want from my Sunday dinner.

My guest goes for a traditional roast rump of beef. It arrives in pink, silky slices with a lashing of gravy for good measure. I try the beef, and it’s as tender as it looks. 

As the sides start to arrive, I notice that each element has been made with more care and attention than I’m used to. The cauliflower cheese is broken down into small pieces to create a smooth consistency with a crisp top. A carrot and swede mash is drenched in chicken stock butter, while the greens come in the form of cabbage and peas. Crisp roasties and parsnips complete the generous offering. 

For dessert, I call on my second (pudding) stomach and go wholeheartedly for the whisky marmalade sponge with vanilla custard. The waiter explains that the chef always likes to include a proper traditional pudding on the changing Sunday lunch menu. This dessert has haunted me for two days since eating it. The tangy marmalade soaked sponge with rich whisky undertones is surrounded by a creamy but light vanilla custard. It’s the stuff of old English dreams. 

The verdict

Contemporary, elegant and indulgent. Be sure to turn up hungry. The portions are generous, and the sides never-ending. Each one so delicious, that you won’t be able to stop eating. 

Café 21 is open from morning until early evening every day. Visit cafe21york.co.uk for more information.