Review: The Old Liquor Store, Bishopthorpe Road, York

ONE of the duties of a Press journalist is reporting on the latest planning applications in York and charting the changing face of our city.

Back in January 2022, I remember trawling through online plans which outlined how a part of the former Terry's Chocolate Works - right next to the iconic clock tower - was to become an eatery.

It was fascinating to read the application, which told the story of the original building which had once been the liquor store at the chocolate factory, where barrels of rum were kept to be used in the likes of rum truffles.

The Grade II-listed store room was built between 1924 and 1930 but has lain empty since the chocolate factory, off Bishopthorpe Road, closed in 2005.

NIbbles to start at The Old Liquor Store

Then in August this year, it opened as an Italian-inspired restaurant and deli, aptly named The Old Liquor Store, under the captaincy of Ben Williams, who once ran the Rose & Crown at Sutton-on-the-Forest.

In the kitchen is Matt Leivers, formerly the head chef of the Michelin-honoured Star Inn at Harome, backed up by Jack Whitely, one-time head chef of the Star Inn the City.

On opening, The Old Liquor Store was serving breakfast and brunch, but is now also offering a dinner menu, as well as one for Sunday lunch. There is also a deli and a small shop selling artisan products from Italy.

When Ben invited The Press to sample the evening menu, I was keen not only to try the food (and drink, it is The Old Liquor Store after all) but also the interior.

Situated right next to Terry's Clock Tower, it is not hard to find the restaurant - but the entrance may fox you. It is down the side of the building, behind a terraced area which can hold up to 30 diners during good weather.

But this was a wet and windy December night, so we were glad to take cover inside, which still bears witness to its 1930s heritage with original white tiles adorning pillars and walls.

Ben and assistant manageress Millie were perfect hosts, offering us a cocktail while we read the evening menus and let our hunger build.

Dinner is served from Wednesday to Saturday from 5.30pm to 9pm and there is a choice from a small plates menu featuring dishes of olives, homemade bread, oysters, zucchini fritti, scallops and prawns (priced from £4 to £23), as well as sharing platters (£22-£36) and a selection of stone-baked pizzetta (£6-£16).

We started with an array of snacks - the small dish of onions pickled in balsamic vinegar (£4) were sharp and sweet, and my probably my favourite after the truffle and pecorino mixed nuts (£4) and green salty olives (£4.50), large enough they had to be eaten in bursts of polite nibbles.

Generous slices of thick focaccia bread (£6) were served - which stayed with us for the rest of the meal, ideal for soaking up the sauces to come.

Ben made sure we gave the dinner menu a good workout, bringing out a succession of dishes, mostly starter size, building to the evening's star turn - pan fried fillet of sea trout with gnocchetti pasta.

That's not to say the other dishes were lurking in the shadows - far from it.

The flatbread with Mortadella, pistachio and mozzarella (£8) was a clever flavour combination, and we loved the Caesar salad notes on the smoked salmon croquette (£7) which was in essence a generously filled giant fishcake.

Smoked salmon croquette with Caesar topping

I went to Sicily for my summer holiday and fell in love with its trademark street snack - arancini (fried rice balls) filled with beef ragu and cheese. So my face lit up when Ben brought Matt and Jack's version (£6) to the table. Oooh... it was good. The crispy exterior giving way to the soft rice and and delicious sauce, revealed as melt-in-the-mouth slow-cooked beef lovingly cooked in tomato with peas.

As the evening continued, the eating just got better and better. Next up was an ensemble of succulent scallops with the softest finger-sized pieces of chorizo and charred corn (£17). This was a real treat and one of the nicest things I'd eaten in ages - the chorizo being the best I'd ever had not only on account of its soft texture, but its intense smoky flavour.

And then we had the ta-dah moment: the sea trout with gnocchetti (£19). This was gorgeousness on a plate: the fish was beautifully cooked, tender and flavoursome, lifted to another level by an incredible creamy sauce flavoured by leeks, smoked pancetta and mussels, which were dotted throughout.

From the wine list, Ben chose a bottle of clean and dry Verdicchio di Matelica to accompany the meal, then served us a glass of the sweet, sticky, and deeply fruity Californian Elysium Black Muscat (£7) with our pudding - a panettone bread and butter pudding with the most amazing pistachio gelato and - in a nod to the building's provenance - a chocolate orange sauce (£10).

Maxine tries the house cocktail - a boozy Chocolate Orange Martini!

To finish, I had to try the signature cocktail - the Chocolate Orange Martini (£13). Again, this is a reference to the site's past, but be warned, this is not for the faint-hearted. It's a seriously boozy mix of vodka, chocolate liqueur, Creme de Cacao and Triple Sec. Wow!

Ben said the menu changes weekly and would be different on a return visit.

As we piled into the taxi home, we were already rating The Old Liquor Store as one the decent places to eat (and drink) in York and making plans to go back with friends.

And that way we might be able to work our way through the menu again!

Find out more at: theoldliquorstore.co.uk