Tommy Banks and family
Chef Tommy Banks, together with his family and their friend and restaurateur Matthew Lockwood, will open Roots in York this September.
Roots, Banks’ second restaurant, has been hotly anticipated for some time. But we now know more about it. Unsurprisingly, the 28-year-old chef will continue to commit to seasonality and self-reliance: the farm-to-fork ideal that’s upheld in earnest at Banks’ amazingly successful Black Swan in Oldstead.
So what of Roots?
Lamb bao
Banks will be bringing his countryside charm to the city. He will cook with a focus on this three defined seasons:
- The Hunger Gap: Available through January-May
- Time of Abundance: Available through June-September
- The Preserving Menu: Available through October-December
It means a homage to vegetables – whether fermented, pickled or fresh – and dishes with the same creativity as at The Black Swan, with a delicate use of fish, and a bold, sparing – though not ungenerous – use of meat.
At the time of opening, September 2018, the daily menu will be centered around preservation – as per Banks’ guidelines. Dishes will include lamb with fermented turnip; cured trout with fennel kimchi and apple; beef tartare with fermented chilli and smoked bone marrow; and smoked eel doughnuts.
Banks is preparing
There’ll be cocktails at the 50 cover restaurant. It’s housed in an old Tudor-style building.
“We are all incredibly excited about our second restaurant Roots,” said Banks.
“Work is well underway in all areas and I am enjoying getting stuck into creating a new and unique menu for the city.”
Be sure to let us your experience if you go. Roots is taking bookings from August 1.
