North Yorkshire restaurant guide - Brace Restaurant & Grill, Raithwaite Hall, Whitby

Previous 1 of 3 Next

Promotional Feature

It’s only been open since last October but word is obviously spreading. Friday night at the Brace Restaurant and Grill in magnificent Raithwaite Hall and the tables are already filling up.

This 19th century mansion, the former home of a shipping magnate, is in Sandsend on the edge of the North York Moors and a stone’s throw from the sea. After a £30million makeover (from the people who designed the interiors for the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, among others) it has become a fabulous 45-bedroom hotel, furnished with excellent contemporary taste.

We were here, though, for taste of another kind. We’d heard good things about the menu, created by executive chef Darren Iddon, a former sous chef at the renowned Capella Hotel and resort in Singapore. His spectacular food didn’t disappoint.

The Brace specialises in steaks but don’t confuse it with a steakhouse. All the meat and produce served here has been reared and grown by Yorkshire farmers with much of it coming from within a 15-mile radius of the hotel. (Beef, pork, poultry and game comes from Ryan Atkinson at Waterford House Farms and fish comes from Matthew Asquith of Whitby Sea Fish.) The beef is 45 days aged, grilled and served on the bone and cooked over an open grill to maximise flavour.

I thought I should sample a fish starter, though, so began with the rock shrimp cake, served on a bed of creamed spinach and with a crustacean sauce. The sweet spinach and the texture of the meaty shrimp made a fabulous combination. My wife, meanwhile, had the English lettuces with Wold blue cheese dressing, walnuts, apple and poached hen’s egg, chosen from the Brace’s three course dinner choice menu. This was a big dish lovingly prepared and a refreshing twist on the classic Waldorf salad.

For main course, I plumped for a 300g Limousin rib eye, cooked medium rare on the bone with bordelaise sauce served on the side. The steak was marbled, juicy and smoky and, with triple cooked chips and winter vegetables, totally lived up to its promise.

Outstanding. My wife’s Ryan Atkinson’s Waterford Farm grilled steak served with truffle potato mash, sauté green beans and truffle sauce was simple and simply exquisite. For her, though, the highlight of the meal was dessert, an orange crème brûlée with warm and chewy ginger madelines. Divine, she enthused.

It’s not just the food that’s excellent. The staff at Raithwaite are a cut above, too. Our waiter, Saber, from Tunisia, offered friendly, chatty but discreet service and was a font of knowledge and advice about the menu. He also gave me a fabulous sounding recipe for chicken breast, pasta and blue cheese which I’m dying to try out.

Saber obviously loves his job. For example, his delight at choosing cheeses for my cheeseboard (good Stilton, Mrs Bells Bluemin White, Monks Folly and Swaledale) was obvious. Enthusiasm like his can’t be faked. If only all restaurant service in the UK was delivered at this level.

Impeccable service, exceptional food. Pretty soon, everyone is going to know about the Brace Restaurant at Raithwaite Hall.

Brace Restaurant & Grill
Raithwaite Hall, Sandsend Road
Whitby, North Yorkshire, YO21 3ST
raithwaitehallwhitby.co.uk
01947 661662

Members Comments

There are no comments for this article.

Add a Comment

Please log in to post a comment.