INTRO ABOUT SUTLERS DISTINCTIVENESS AND NEW MENU TO COME
1. Alcoholic rhubarb
Yorkshire rhubarb is a true local delicacy, and you can do more with it than stick it under crumble and custard.
Try a pint of Rhubarb Cider, made from “genuine Yorkshire single variety Timperley rhubarb” by the Real Cider Company. They say it’s like nothing you’ve ever tasted.
2. An octopus
Not a giant octopus that will emerge from the Sutlers cellar ready to arm wrestle you and seven of your friends, but a baby one served in a tomato and white wine sauce.
And that’s just for starters… They don’t do ordinary specials at Sutlers.
3. 3,500 years in a glass
If you’re a regular YorkMix reader, you probably know that Sutlers is home to more than 100 gins.
Some of the most interesting hail from small distillers like Hendrick’s in Ayrshire. And their top man is heading to Sutlers for It’s A Gin Thing who will take you on “a whimsical jaunt through the annals of time, from 1500BC to today” while you sip on a complimentary G&T, quite possibly infused with cucumber and rose.
4. Cowboy bourbon
To be clear this is not cowboy as in ‘cowboy builder’ but cowboy as in Texan ranch hand.
Because it is the lone star state where Garrison Brothers whiskey hails from, considered by some to be the finest example of US bourbon around. And it’s available in York, thanks to Sutlers. Yip-yay-ay, pardner!
5. War rations
On many levels, the Second World War was a bit of a downer. But one positive thing about it was the invention of spam fritters.
And this marvellous culinary creation is on the ‘ration packs’ section of Sutlers’ menu, alongside another tin pan classic, corned beef hash, both for £4.45.
6. Slow food. I mean real slow
When your ingredients are the finest you can source from local farmers, you aren’t going just to slap them in the microwave. Sutlers food is lovingly prepared to order by the kitchen staff, and so occasionally a little patience is needed from diners.
But there’s slow cooked and there’s slow cooked… If you should plump for the baby back pork ribs, be aware that before they arrive at your table they have been in the oven for ten hours.
That’s why it melts in the mouth. But don’t worry, you won’t be waiting ten hours for your order, they do the cooking beforehand. (They’re hot on the forward planning thing in Sutlers).
7. One night in Bangkok
Or to put it another way, Thai up your tastebuds with some south-east Asian cuisine.
The bar’s regular Thai nights, featuring dishes like spicy tom yum soup, crunchy pak choi stir fry and green curry, are fairly new to the scene but have already garnered a following from food loversuw.