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York & Albany
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York & Albany Ming Tang-Evans
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By Guy Dimond
‘The cocktails are great, aren’t they? And this place is just so wonderful,’ said the friendly, tipsy blonde sitting beside me at the bar. The thought did cross my mind – was she a plant from Ramsay Holdings, there to talk up a bar heaving with press in the first week? ‘We’re local, you know,’ said her equally blonde friend, as if reading my mind. ‘And this place is just the best thing to have happened round here for years.’
They were right of course. Camden hasn’t seen anything like this new Gordon Ramsay Holdings hotel, bar and restaurant which just oozes glamour at the northern end of grimy Parkway. The building’s a former coaching house, designed by John Nash in 1826 as part of Regent’s Park. The York & Albany monicker is a reference to Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany – better known to most of us as ‘The Grand Old Duke of York’.
York & Albany looks low-lit and discreet outside, like a private club. Step inside and the place exudes bonhomie and wealth. The horseshoe-shaped bar’s a beauty, and the staff really are expert cocktail makers; I studied them, impressed, for 20 minutes. This is not a lager-swillers’ pub; they do sell beers, but it’s the cocktails and wines by the glass you come for. Leather sofas and high bar stools make the place resemble a hotel bar, which of course, it is (the ten rooms cost from around £180 per night).
Past the chichi deli which sells Italian-accented stuff for rich folk – a window-dressing exercise, with only token amounts of fresh wild mushrooms – is the main dining room. Angela Hartnett oversees the whole operation, but it’s chef Colin Buchan handling the Modern European menu.
The quality of ingredients is excellent. A starter of smoked duck was cut carpaccio-thin, topped with pea shoots; the meat was fine-grained and flavoursome, like a cured ham. Breast and leg of partridge were cooked perfectly by separating them, the bird then reunited on the plate. The potato mousseline it sat on was so dairy-rich it was virtually potato-flavoured butter, but kale made a good foil for this fat overload.
Oven-baked halibut was a delight, the stock infused with the rich smokiness of chorizo and the texture of white beans. The accompanying pail of chips were the only disappointment, being limp not crisp.
The starters and main courses we tried were very good,but dessert clinched it for us: the prune and armagnac tart is moist and fragrant, yet with a pleasing bite on the teeth.
Service throughout was impeccable, from the greeters to the barmen to our waitress. Great service helps give the place a real sense of occasion, yet – for the time being at least – you’re only paying gastropub prices.
As we left, I stuck my head downstairs to see the other dining room, which is decorated in bold reds and comfy banquettes, like a brothel. Gordon Ramsay was there, schmoozing and glad-handing tame journalists and assorted hangers-on. But there’s no need – York & Albany will do brilliantly on its own merit, without the need for any Ramsay X-factor this time.Time Out London 1990: October 9-15
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Time Out reviews restaurants anonymously and pays for meals. Of course, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or independence of user reviews.
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Details
- 127-129 Parkway, Camden, NW1 7PS
- Area: Camden
- Tel: 020 7388 3344
- www.gordonramsay.com
- Book online
- Category: Modern European
- Travel: Camden Town tube
- Times: Bar open Mon-Thur 12noon-12midnight; Fri, Sat 12noon-1am; Sun 12noon-11pm. Restaurant open Mon-Fri 7am-10.30am, 12noon-2.30pm, 6-10.30pm; Sat 7am-10.30am, 11.30am-2.30pm, 6.30-10.30pm; Sun 7am-10.30am, 11.30am-3.30pm, 6-9.30pm
- Service charge: 12.5%
- Services:
- Outdoor tables: courtyard tables, open only in good weather
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Took my family (including nan of 89) for dinner at the York and Albany in mid March. We had a great experience and felt very comfortable at a table downstairs right opposite the kitchen. It was nice and calm while we dined as we booked the table for 6.30pm - it was bustling when we left. The food was excellent. We all enjoyed our three courses courses and I felt it was very good value for money. The location is great for a quick stroll to have some drinks afterwards, too. We will definitely go back soon.
Food okay. Drinks expensive. Service f........ awful.
Endemic problem with serving customers.
A fab place, great food nice service but don't expect to be rushed. Dinner took us 3 hours but was worth it. Excellent wines and good value for money for this type of restaurant. Angela Harnett happy to speak to us also. Would highly recommend this restaurant.
at last we have a decent restaurant in north london excellent lunch and excellent value - good break butter and coffee three important pointers for me
This Time Our article is just nonsense. Since when was Parkway grimy, as a local I;'d agree Kentish Town Road maybe, but Parkway, it leads to The Regent's Park and the Nash Terraces. As for the pub, not really on a par with the Primrose Hill eateries and some of my other favourites which I won't advertise here. Gordon jumps on the Camden bandwagon.
My grandma treated myself and girlfriend for what was suppoosed to be a never forget experience...I will never forget it for all the wrong reasons..the 3 of us travelled down from London for a night stay and an evening meal in the albany. I'm not going into detail but the visit was very disapointing and the rooms where way over priced for what you get. This was the first and last visit to a Gordon Ramsey's Restaurant - hotel???
Went for lunch there on a Saturday a few weeks back. It was busy and we were seated on the bench seats downstairs next to the kitchen. Whilst the tables were more private than those upstairs where it was quite crowded and aucous - the downstairs seating was very uncomfortable, particularly for my father and his partner - seats appeared to be designed to sprawl across rather than sit and eat a meal at. Food was not disappointing but not spectacular, however service v. slow - we sat looking at our empty plates for a good 10 minutes after each course whilst the staff chatted to each other, although when we managed to catch their eye they were friendly enough. Not sure I'll return in a hurry for anything more than a drink, which is a shame as we are local.
I was in a group of four visiting York & Albany last night 15/11.Being a staunch GR restaurant fan visiting several over the years and having booked the table a number of weeks before the opening night we were all looking forward to the experience.We were left disappointed.Don't get me wrong the food was of the usual high standards,it was ambiance that seemed to be lacking.The greeting was friendly although we did have to wait a long while for drinks.The table we were given had more rock and roll than Elvis We asked to be moved and did after a management scrum down. Our waiter seemed to be reading from a script and didn't want to or couldn't converse any more than his written lines.Sorry all,yes the staff did work hard but did not seem to gel together and work as a smiling happy unit with the confidence of maybe stopping to talk for a few seconds about anything other than whats on the menu.Maybe it is because York & Albany doesn't seem to have an identity as yet,so staff are not quite sure how to treat customers.I do hope York & Albany can achieve whatever goal they have set themselves,but customers don't always do "what it says on the tin"
I went to the York & Albany one Friday night recently. I had the Dover Sole and my husband had the steak. I must admit, it was the best food we had out in a long time. The fish was so succulent as was the steak. Service was a bit hit and miss but the people were very nice. Love the bar!
Wow - I wonder if I ate at the same place.
1) The dining room is far too stuffy for Camden/ P Hill - no locals when I went, just people who looked like they'd got lost on the way to Chelsea.
2) service is appalling and amazingly slow. We were told there was no fizzy water. Why not? And would it kill them to go down Parkway and get some?
3) The basement - open kitchen - is like sitting in an oven. We asked to be moved.
4) Despite supposedly being "fully booked", the restaurant was half empty last night. Zero atmosphere - and the pub bit wasn't much better.
5) As for the food: the pumpkin soup was crazily over-salted. The roast beef was fine, if unexceptional. The veg was overcooked to the point of sogginess. The coffee was undrinkable. The popcorn that came with it was nice.
I live round the corner, and once again, the place was half empty today.