It’s been a long-time coming, but it was certainly, well worth the wait!

What with delays caused by the pandemic, and the cost-of-living crisis caused by its lockdowns, Miller and Carter has finally opened its steakhouse in the former main Post Office at 22 Lendal.

Plans for the venue were submitted in 2019 and the impressive refurbishment only came to fruition, finally opening its doors, a month ago.

And what a fine job they have done transforming the former Post Office into a 140-cover restaurant employing 55 staff.

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I was invited some weeks ago, but only got to enjoy the venue last night (Thursday).

Once more, I took my vegetarian old schoolmate to create something of a challenge.

I arrived first and was warmly welcomed and taken to our table, set well back in the restaurant.

The mainly young staff are lovely and friendly and certainly well-trained and knowledgeable. One called Emma was said to be an expert in steak, who also knew what wine to pair it with too.

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Whilst waiting for my friend I ordered a large bottle of Harrogate Spring Water, which came with ice and lemon and was refreshing and delicious. I also enjoyed a glass of Chapel Down English sparkling wine.

I ordered a bread board (£5.25) that came with sourdough, ciabatta, olives, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. They came warm, a little crisp and crunchy, lightly toasted, and made for a great starter. But don’t fill up on bread when there’s so many good things to come!

My friend arrived and he stuck to diet coke, but I ordered a glass of Argentinian Malbec, which was nice and smooth.

We ordered the starter, which was pan seared scallops (£12.25) for me, served with crispy maple bacon and apple puree. The scallops were good and I enjoyed the bacon but was unsure if apple puree was the right match.

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My mate ordered spiced cauliflower wings (£8.50), which came Asian-style, crispy fried with a Som Tam dipping sauce. This was “spicy but not too spicy” which would “appeal to most people.” The dipping sauce was a good match, he said.

I could see some people nearby with a selection of mighty fine steaks they were sharing between them. There was big bone as well, adding to the spectacle of it all. Turns out it was the 25oz Butchers block (£78.95), which comes with 50-day Black Angus steaks, including a 8oz rib eye, 7oz sirloin and two 5oz fillets, plus a beef brisket topped bone marrow.

But I settled for the 20oz T-bone (£41.95), which features tender beef fillet at one side and flavoursome sirloin on the other. This is Miller and Carter’s ‘signature dish’ and as recommended, I ordered it medium rare.

My steak came with fries, I chose Bernaise from several different sauces, and what is traditional at Miller and Carter, a wedge of lettuce, on which I had some grated cheese and garlic sauce on (from a choice of several sauces to choose from).

My mate did not have that much choice, barely a handful for mains, but he went for the Spinach and Camembert Pithivier (£17.50), which is a kind of pie. It featured wilted spinach, creamy Camembert and caramelised onions encased in puff pastry, with mashed potato, green beans, peas, sugar snaps and gravy.

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To share, we ordered garlic button mushrooms (£3.75), chargrilled vegetables (£4.25) and sauteed greens  (£4.75). There’s other choices and you can have 3 for £10.

The sides were all presented in lovely little pans, but it did make for a somewhat cluttered and crowded table.

My mate thought his pastry was ‘nice’, but felt the filling of cheese, mash and spinach needed a stronger flavour. But he loved the chargrilled vegetables, as I did too.

The sauteed greens were also crisp, tender and delightfully cooked, as were the button mushrooms.

My steak, well, that was superb, magnificent. You can see why Miller and Carter are ‘Masters of Steak’ from the Craft of Chefs. It’s been some years since I have had T-bone, but it was tender, full of flavour, nicely pink, certainly the highlight of the night.

I had been recommended a ‘bold and intense’ French red to go with it. Now, it could have been the 15% Chateauneuf-du-pape. It certainly had some kick and two glasses of that went down very nicely.

To finish we shared a dessert sharing board (£13.95), which came with banoffee pie, crème brulee, and a double Belgian chocolate brownie. The Crème brulee was especially good, as was the chocolate brownie. My mate had a coffee and I had a third glass of the intense red.

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Sadly, it was approaching 9pm and time to head to the station. Trains home are only hourly at this time and I have to think about my 87-year-old father, who would be picking me up. It meant no time for a cocktail, but there does appear to be an extensive choice and some good deals on.

We left and thanked the wonderful staff for a great time. They told us they have been quite busy since they opened, with people queueing to get in some nights and some having to be turned away.

Certainly, it was busy too on Thursday, and the lovely staff coped well.

To date, based on 61 reviews, Tripadvisor has awarded 5-stars, ranking it 111 of 567 York restaurants. Google rates it 4.8 stars, out of 5, based on 27 reviews.

But much as I love my meat, and yes Miller and Carter is a top-class steakhouse, with a massive variety of delicious meaty offerings, they might want to offer more choice to those who are vegetarian and vegan.