One thing Harrogate isn’t short of is restaurants.
However the team behind Samsons brasserie and bar, which opens its doors tomorrow, is confident their new venture will stand out from the crowd.
Executive chef Josh Whitehead, who is known for his work with the Harewood Food and Drink Project, is heading up a talented kitchen team. He was also a semi-finalist on MasterChef: The Professionals 2016.
The bar will serve a range of beverages including cocktails, beer and spirits.
His menu will focus on “real cookery”, using quality British produce that has been mainly sourced from within a small radius of the restaurant, which is based at the former Le Bistrot Pierre site on Cheltenham Crescent.
Mr Whitehead said:
“We are buying really good, really local produce and presenting it in a really accessible way for everyone.
“It’s British ingredients, British cooking and finding a way to replace what you would normally get from other countries. For example instead of olive oil, we will use rapeseed oil from Wharfe Valley Farms in Collingham.”
The menu will offer a taste of the local area and ingredients will include Harrogate’s iconic Stray cherry blossoms.
Dishes start from £4 for small plates, classic starters from £6 and mains from £14.
Signature dishes will include duck crumpets.
The dining area seats up to 80 people.
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Mr Whitehead said:
“We will be offering a taste of Harrogate, which you won’t be able to get anywhere else.
“It’s a really exciting time. My first ever kitchen job was in Harrogate around 10 years ago in what was Restaurant Bar and Grill on Parliament Street, which is now Piccolinos.
“I’ve always thought something like this needs to be in Harrogate. I don’t want to say it’s like a homecoming, but it’s quite cool that this is the biggest job I’ve had thus far in the same place I started.
“I was looking for next challenge and this one just stuck out like a sore thumb. I’m really looking forward to it.”
Mr Whitehead will be reunited in the kitchen with his best friend and former colleague Andy Castle, who was head chef at the Ox Club in Leeds.
The famous cherry blossoms will also feature as garnish on the extensive cocktail menu, which will feature 12 classic and 15 signature cocktails, all of which have been given Harrogate-themed names.
The name of the restaurant is also linked to the town.
Managing director of Samsons, Mark Morrison, who moved to Harrogate from London seven years ago, said:
“There was a chap called Samson Fox who brought the first street lights to the world. He was also quite philanthropic, he did a lot of work helping the poor. He built the Royal Academy of Music, which happens to be in London, not far from where I grew up. So there’s a nice link there.
“But when I was looking around for things about Samson Fox, there was one brown plaque 12 streets away on his old house at Grove Road and that’s it.
“And this is the only three-time mayor of Harrogate, a significant figure, and nothing really to celebrate him or his life.
“It’s a nice name for a restaurant.”
Samsons, which is described as “a light, airy design-led space”, seats up to 80 people in the restaurant and 20 people in the bar area. There is also additional seating on the outdoor terrace, which is set to launch in the warmer months.
A new restaurant celebrating “exceptional British produce” is set to open at the former Le Bistrot Pierre site in Harrogate this month.
Work is underway to transform the building into Samsons restaurant and bar, dubbed a “vibrant yet elegant dining and drinking destination”.
The spacious unit on Cheltenham Parade has remained empty since July 2020 after Le Bistrot Pierre became one of the first restaurant casualties of the pandemic.
Managing director Mark Morris said:
“I am thrilled to bring the people of Harrogate and the surrounding area a unique drink and dining location in the heart of the town.”
The team behind Samsons includes executive chef Josh Whitehead, who is known for his work with the Harewood Food and Drink Project. He was also a semi-finalist on MasterChef: The Professionals 2016. Andy Castle, who was head chef at the Ox Club, Leeds, is also involved.
No opening date has been announced yet.
Roof garden
It aims to be the first carbon-neutral restaurant in the UK. This includes plans to launch a full roof garden with a wild flower meadow and bee hives next year.
The ‘design-led’ restaurant, which will offer an all-day dining space with plush booth seating, will have space for up to 182 guests across the main restaurant and bar, as well as a snug room for private wine-tasting.
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Samsons is currently recruiting staff, with a job advertisement for various positions stating:
“Samsons is unique, reflecting its heritage and location, but founded on the core values and principles. Sustainability, provenance, seasonality and traceability shines through.
“We will be striving to be the best restaurant in Harrogate.”
The empty premises were due to be occupied by Tomahawk Steakhouse, however the restaurant chain is now planning to move into Solita Food Hall’s space on Parliament Street, which closed last year after just six months.
The steakhouse had planned to open in January, but with the change of location it is now planning to launch in April.
The site was also formerly Jamie Oliver’s restaurant.