Stray Foodie reviews are brought to you by Deliveree, and written by Michelin-starred chef Frances Atkins. Frances independently chooses which restaurants she will visit. This month, she was impressed with Harrogate’s DOMO Japanese Cuisine.
A good friend of mine whose culinary expertise I have great respect for told me I should visit Domo Japanese Cuisine on Montpellier Walk here in Harrogate. He had a fabulous takeaway as a birthday treat at home, so intrigued, I made my way to Domo. Domo is on the site of what was Lord’s Restaurant, which then became Van Zellers Restaurant. Tom having a terrific reputation as a chef and was lorded by the eminent food critic Marina O’Loughlin. Much has changed since then, as one would expect, and the style is now dark, atmospheric and simple. It makes a nice change from so many overgilded establishments.
This is an authentic Japanese restaurant and before the pandemic Japanese style of food was very in vogue amongst the great chefs of our country. As all chefs tend to do to cement their own style and identity, they play with styles and tastes. With the very warm weather that we have had recently, there were two little tables and chairs outside, one of which my young man and I took watching the world go by. Interestingly enough we watched Fisk, the fish restaurant opposite, fill quickly and easily.
It was a warm summer lunchtime as we studied the menu and on offer was a Bento Box. The choices of chicken, salmon, spicy BBQ beef or sushi, all served with a miso soup came in the form of a Bento Box.
The spicy beef bento box
There was of course an extensive menu with the style of dishes you would expect.
My young man chose the spicy beef bento box at £9.50 and myself the spicy tuna with sesame and ponzu with a bowl of rice at £14.00. The charming lady taking my order explained to me that the tuna would be rare – and I would have been disappointed had it not been so! The arrival of this dish was beautifully presented and the flavours were sensational. It reminded me of a dish that I experienced in a Michelin Starred restaurant that was beautifully crafted – but it didn’t have the wow factor I was experienced Domo. This was a lovely dish and if this is an indication of all the other dishes on offer, Harrogate is a very lucky place!
Frances’ spicy tuna with sesame and ponzu, with a bowl of rice
While on the subject of how food should be cooked, often the opinion of the chef seems to differ from the opinion of the guest. As we always ask guests how they would like their red meat cooked, perhaps we should do the same with fish?
My young man’s Bento Box came with the miso in a lovely little bowl and was once again so refreshing and stimulating to the palate. The actual box contained tofu, rice, sushi, BBQ beef and a little salad. At £9.50 for the complete meal, it was excellent value.
We were left feeling that we had a healthy and satisfying lunch and look forward to revisiting.
Stray Foodie reviews are written by Michelin-starred chef, Frances Atkins. In 1997, Frances opened the Yorke Arms near Pateley Bridge, where she was the owner for 20 years. During her ownership, she held her Michelin-star status for 16 of those years. Frances now runs Paradise Food at Daleside Nurseries, alongside fellow Michelin-starred chef Roger Olive and front of house manager John Tullett.
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