On a previous trip to York we’d visited “Pairings Wine Bar”:https://pairings.co.uk/ for lunch and enjoyed it so much, we decided to return for a light dinner.
Having booked for 8pm, and said that my partner was slightly deaf, we were seated on high stools at the window overlooking St Mary’s Churchyard. Booking was a must as it appeared full by the time we arrived however, it was difficult to see right through to the back as it’s long and narrow. The place literally offers charcuterie and cheese with a few other nibbles and small plates.
Having looked at the “menu”:https://pairings.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/FoodMenu_Oct2021_temp.pdf in advance, I’d chosen beforehand and so it was good to know that everything was available. We opted for a deli board which had a Yorkshire pork pie and a choice of three meats and three cheeses. I chose a Yorkshire chorizo, and in homage to my London home, Islington Saucisson and asked the waiter to recommend a third. He unhesitatingly suggested bresaola (an air-dried, salted beef fillet). For cheeses, I went with a Wensleydale and a Yorkshire blue, but couldn’t resist one of my favourite cheeses, Comte de Bourgogne, described by the waiter as “Brie on speed”.
The cheese and meats were attractively presented on a long slate and dotted with the pork pie, three types of crackers, pea shoots, cornichons and edible flowers. There were two small jars, one of caramelised onion chutney and the other of chilli jam, which despite me loving spicy flavours seemed a bit unnecessary as it overwhelmed the flavours. The pork pie was a good size and cut in half to reveal plenty of yummy jelly.
We were also presented with a breadbasket with two fingers of focaccia and three large thick slabs of sourdough along with a dish of olive oil and balsamic vinegar in two mini bottles so we could top up.
The wine list was reasonably priced, and we chose one of the cheapest bottles at £20. It was good to see that all the wines were available in two glass sizes (125 or 175ml), a 500ml carafe or the bottle. They also had various flights of wine for around £15 if you were undecided.
Service was not automatically added, and our bill came to £45. We had very friendly service and our window seat gave us the ideal position for watching the ghost walk tours lingering in the churchyard. Bearing in mind it was rather a chilly night, we thought we were in the right place.
