Having picked up the newspaper a few days ago there was an interesting article about the relatively local chef Tommy Banks. For those that don’t know Tommy is forging a career as a top notch chef having been the youngest recipient of a Michelin Star (at 24) and the owner of a number of high end eateries as well as being the winner of the The Great British Menue in 2016 and followed up again with wins in 2017 and 2020.
His first restaurant The Black Swan which is near to the family farm received world wide attention when it was voted the Best Restaurant in the World by Tripadvisor in 2017. His other restaurant Roots was the first restaurant to be awarded a Michelin Star in York. All his restaurants pride themselves on locally grown and reared produce and much of it comes from the nearby family farm. With so many Michelin Stars flying about you can guess that not only is the food high end but so are the prices.
So back to the newspaper, the article was announcing that Tommy had opened up a more accessible and relaxed restaurant called the Abbey Inn which just down the road from its Michelin Starred stablemate The Black Swan. Relaxed seemed to fit our wallet a bit more and we were thrilled to find an available table for Sunday Lunch the following Sunday. As an aside, don’t try and book a table via Open Table. The listing is for the previous owner price to Tommy Banks and its looks like they were still taking bookings after they had gone bust and closed. To book click here
On arrival the staff were very welcoming and the vibe is “Old English Pub” which in fairness is exactly what it is! Dress code is relaxed and dogs are and are made to feel welcome, so it ticks a lot of boxes in terms of what you would want from a pub Sunday Lunch.
The Food at the Abbey Inn Byland
The menu is pretty limited and to be honest I don’t think that is a bad thing at all, with a choice of Roast Pork, Roast Beef, Fish and a Vegetarian option. We were only planning to have a main each (obviously roast beef!) but when we saw a dinner being delivered to another table we said to each other in unison “We’d better order a starter!”
I went for the Chicken Liver Parfait and Mrs K went for the Smoked Pablo Beetroots. The parfait didn’t really do it for me, it was a little bit warm (in fairness it was a boiling hot day) and more unforgivable that in spite of how much you layered it on the bread there just wasn’t enough bread and I ended up leaving a third of it. On the other hand the beetroots were amazing (I unleashed the puppy dog eyes to get a taste of it) it really zinged, which was probably down to the Elderflower Vinaigrette. It was a big thumbs up.
On to the mains then and I’ve got to say everything was cooked very well and its probably the first time that we have been out for a Sunday Lunch and not had to ask for more gravy. The braised ox tail in Yorkshire pudding really sticks in the memory it was rich and tender and very enjoyable. The beef itself was cooked to perfection and tasted lovely and succulent BUT and this is the big thing for me one slice (especially once you cut the fat off) was just not enough! An extra slice of beef (he gets it from his dad it shouldn’t be a problem!) and another roast potato (only got 2!) and this would have been well worth £26 for a main, as it was, I just don’t think it hit the mark.
The Cost
When the bill arrived I don’t think we got £130 worth of value, especially when you consider that one of us wasn’t drinking (me!) Don’t get me wrong we enjoyed it but I think that was the point we enjoyed it but weren’t wowed by it, but it was so close to being so much better.
Would We Return to the Abbey Inn Byland?
Would we go back? For Sunday Lunch I don’t think so but on a sunny day it might be worth visiting Byland Abbey (which is free to enter and literally across the road) have a nice walk and then have a meal from the non-Sunday menu which looks very appetising (especially the burger!)
The Abbey Inn at Byland will probably do very well indeed, especially as it offers the opportunity to eat at a Tommy Banks establishment without the Michelin Star prices as his other restaurants and the number of people who were turned away whilst we were there speaks to its popularity. It will probably do a roaring trade on Sundays way into the future but the proportion of people who come back might be quite low, whilst it wouldn’t take much to push it into being a “must return” Sunday Lunch!
