We don't go out to dinner as a family often. There are reasons for this. Namely that our children seem to lose their ability to behave when they are in a confined and different setting. We don't like to placate them with mobile phones and we just don't find it very relaxing. My husband and I very rarely get to eat out alone due to the fact that we live so far away from family and don't know any babysitters locally. If we do ever go out together, then it generally ends up being a compromise. Somewhere with soft play for the children and not great food. The children are happy and we are more relaxed, even if we might not be eating so well.
Last week we were invited to visit the Chase Grill Restaurant at the Marriott hotel in York and although I was excited about the opportunity, I was slightly concerned as to whether or not my children would behave!
Last week we were invited to visit the Chase Grill Restaurant at the Marriott hotel in York and although I was excited about the opportunity, I was slightly concerned as to whether or not my children would behave!
We arrived early and luckily the location of the hotel is fantastic, right next to York Racecourse. This meant the children could run around for half an hour next to the track, before we needed them to sit down and eat. It also meant that they worked up an appetite, which is always a bonus when you've been invited out to dinner!
We were the first people to sit down in the restaurant and initially had the place to ourselves, which put us at ease and helped us to relax into the experience. The lady who was serving us was wonderful, so friendly and chatty with the children.
We sat down at the table and on the table was a napkin each and a card which said "there is no love sincerer than the love of food". Whilst I beg to differ, I was certainly looking forward to not having to cook dinner, and also to getting to eat some fabulous food, preferably something I wouldn't eat at home.
Instead of bread, we were brought four huge Yorkshire puddings before our meal. They were accompanied by chutney and garlic butter. These disappeared from the board before I had a chance to take a picture of them all.
I would never have thought of putting chutney with Yorkshire puddings, but it was a match which worked well and tasted delicious. Both children demolished theirs very quickly!
My husband ordered the Catch of the day, which was pan fried grey mullet with gnocchi, pea purée and slithers of asparagus. The presentation of his dish was fabulous. He let me try his food and it really was delicious. I almost wished I had ordered the same! It was light and not too filling.
My son ordered chicken nuggets and chips. Obviously these weren't your average chicken nuggets and chips. They were also more like goujons than nuggets. The chips were handmade and tasted delicious. Sometimes my son is a bit fussy about chips, but not on this occasion!
My daughter ordered meatballs and snakes, after first checking that they weren't real snakes! Her favourite meal at home is spaghetti bolognaise and this is pretty much as close as you can get, so she was very pleased with her meal. She even tried the rocket which garnished the top, but wasn't keen on the taste.
I ordered Yorkshire Sirloin steak and I genuinely cannot remember the last time that I had a steak. It was absolutely delicious and was cooked to perfection (medium/rare). The sauce was also delicious, as were the tomatoes. I would highly recommend this on the menu. It came with chips and I also ordered a side of onion rings which my husband helped me eat in the end as I was getting rather full!
After the main course we all ordered deserts and took the time before they arrived to enjoy the fabulous view straight across the racecourse.
For desert, my husband and I both had chocolate aero brulee with strawberry granola. I have to admit that I couldn't find any strawberries in the granola biscuit, but that was my only disappointment about the whole meal! The brulee was delicious and it almost looked as though it had glitter in, it was so sparkly when it arrived!
My daughter ordered jelly without the ice cream and she was slightly frustrated that it wasn't 'proper' jelly. It was clearly made at the hotel and was a thick jelly with very little wobble. It tasted absolutely delicious though and my daughter was only put off because it didn't look like the jelly she usually eats. My son had the chocolate pot for desert and he loved it, although couldn't manage to eat all of it.
Whilst we finished our food off, the children went out to play. Due to the elevated position of the restaurant we could see them from where we were sitting so we knew they were safe. It was a nice time for us to discuss the success of the evening. The food was fabulous as were the staff and we were made to feel so welcome and at ease, even though we were there with children. I would highly recommend the Chase Grill at the Marriott York if you are looking for an upmarket place to eat where you will feel comfortable with children. It would also be a wonderful place for a night out with your partner.
We had looked at staying over in the hotel because we knew we would be home late, but it was a bit pricey for one night. However, once we saw there was a swimming pool and that the location was so good, we wouldn't have minded paying a little extra. In fact, we have bookmarked it for an out of (B&B) season trip with the children.
Disclosure: We were provided with our meal and drinks free of charge. This had no impact on this post, which is honest and fair.
