But just like everyone else, we've all been starving for company and good food, so on the day it became compulsory to wear face coverings in shops, we finally decided to enjoy some proper food in York City. I'm back in the center. .
Back in February, we were lucky enough to go to the re-opening of the then newly renovated Judge's Lodging in Rendall.
The Grade 1 listed building, built in 1710, has undergone extensive refurbishment costing over £500,000 to owners Daniel Thwaites Estate.
But in this post-lockdown world, it's not the interior of a building that most diners are interested in, but the fresh air at tables dotted around a leafy courtyard and overlooking the street.
The dining experience has changed somewhat since my last restaurant review. The purpose of our visit to Judge was to find out how eating out currently works and how it feels when you're with strangers in public, almost as much as the food tastes. That was it.
We had a bit of a shaky start as when we tried to book online there was no option to specify sitting outside. We headed into town on foot and eventually chatted to the lady at the outdoor reception and made the reservation that way, and she was happy to accommodate.
Upon arriving that evening we were asked if we would still like to sit outside and shown to a table facing the Old Bank bar opposite. This is the perfect place to watch your brave social companions.
We had invited friends who had good news to celebrate with us, and it was great to be able to see them in person for the first time in months. We stuck to verbal greetings and were glad to be in the same place as each other.
Table service is now the norm, even if you just come for a drink. There is a technical option where you scan a code fixed on the table with your mobile phone and a menu will appear on the screen. From there you select your food and drinks and bring them to your table. Payments are made on your device. I had the choice of using Apple Pay or paying by card.
This system would have worked fine if you didn't want to go off the menu in any way. However, one diner wanted fish and chips but didn't want the mushy peas that came with it. There was no way to convey this on screen so it caught the eye of the waiter and she happily took our order the old fashioned way.
Jordan and I shared the Cheesemonger's Plate (£16) which included boxed camembert, goat cheese arancini, marinated olives, chipotle spiced guacamole, pickles and homemade bread.
Not too rich, it was the ideal starter, packed with a sharp, rich, and very tasty punch with homemade bread cut with pickles and sprinkled with baked cheese. The arancini were perfectly flavored bonbons and I was satisfied with every bite.
For mains I chose a 10oz gammon steak, fried duck egg, sweet pickled pineapple and thick cut chips (£14). The meat was nice and plentiful, split in half and the tangy pineapple was a bit of a revelation. To be honest, I couldn't tell the difference between duck eggs and regular chicken eggs.
Jordan had his fill of the smoked aubergine seitan burger with vegan cheese for £13, which he said was “delicious” but not as flavorful as the starters and would have liked a little more seasoning. The texture wasn't as hard or chewy as he expected, and perhaps he would have preferred it if the seitan had taken the starring role from the eggplant. He completely forgot that vegan cheese was involved until we wrote the article.
Harry ordered prawn tempura with Asian salad and soy and honey dressing (£7.50) and fried whitebait for £4. He raved about the fish, the only negative was that there were only 3 shrimp. Suzanne opted for £14 of beer-battered fish with thick-cut chips, grilled lemon and tartar sauce, and decided to forego the mint-crushed peas. She was disappointed that the fish was a bit greasy, but all three of us who enjoyed the whole dish and especially the chips agreed it was excellent.
For dessert I chose the chocolate brownie (£6.50). Suzanne and Harry shared sticky toffee pudding for the same price and Jordan had a mini cheesecake and coffee (£6). All the puddings were delicious. I had no complaints, but it wasn't until I was on my way home that I realized Jordan hadn't brought me any coffee. The total cost of food was £87.50.
Any apprehensions we had quickly dissipated in good company and the judges made every effort to make our evening as pleasant as possible.
Reviews are independent and meals are covered by The Press.
judge's residence
9 Rendal, York
www.judgeslodgingyork.co.uk
Phone: 01904 638733
Open every weekday from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Weekends 8am to 10pm
Food: Good 4/5
Service: Satisfied 3/5
Value: OK 3/5
Atmosphere: Relaxed 4/5
