Bib of the Month: Skosh, York

This month, we’re heading to the beautiful city of York and one of its most popular and most thrilling restaurants. Skosh has been a hit for years now, thanks to its invigorating cooking and electric buzz. Here’s why one of the MICHELIN Guide Inspectors loves it so much:

“When the team at Skosh decided to expand their premises in early 2024, it was little surprise to anyone who has eaten there. Such a lively, enjoyable restaurant was always going to be deservedly popular. From the first minute we entered, it was clear that Skosh is so successful because it is a restaurant full of energy. The hum of contented diners and the buzz of the open kitchen combine for a fantastic atmosphere, which suits Neil Bentinck's fun, bold and accessible culinary style. I particularly enjoyed the well-judged spices that reflected his roots and travels."

For more insights into how Neil Bentinck has achieved such success with Skosh, we spoke to the man himself.

What was the idea behind Skosh? How would you describe your approach to food and cooking?

The idea behind the restaurant, when I was dreaming it up 10 years ago, was to create a relaxed environment in which to enjoy refined yet playful cookery, using pan-Asian flavours but within a small-plates concept. This style was the perfect way to enjoy a variety of dishes – something very commonly encountered in various Asian meals. With my Indian heritage (my father was born in Shimla, Northern India), our family meals would often include rice, bread, salad, pickles, dahl, vegetable & meat curries and so on. You get to try so much, nibbling and grazing – it’s a fantastic way to eat!

In the UK at that time there wasn’t much in the way of contemporary small plates I don’t think. I knew this style of eating was going to become more popular, as tasting menus were really the only way to enjoy a variety of refined dishes, but they are a set menu and that ‘experience’ isn’t for everyone all the time. The small-plates approach to dining was already, in my opinion, becoming very popular over in the US (and of course, the Spanish tapas bars): modern, skilful and eclectic cookery but served in the style of a variety of small plates.

I approach the food at Skosh with creativity and a variety of spices and seasonings! Salt, sweet, spice, sour and texture with some temperature contrasts – a balance of flavours with sometimes unusual combinations. But underpinned by the core tastes and using great seasonal, often local and organic produce.

You cook with a range of global influences at Skosh, such as Japanese and Indian – why do you choose to approach the menu this way?

Indian food I grew up with. I don’t think I appreciated the variety of flavours I was introduced to enough when I was growing up! But it was embedded in me, I guess. Indian food always comes so naturally to me. Other flavours come purely from my interest in the varied cuisines of the countries across Asia.

Everyone now knows how amazing and complex Japanese food is – as its popularity, rightly so, has increased so much over recent years – but so is Thai, in my opinion. I love it! The balance of the intense flavours they use is so impressive. I cook the food I like to eat – fresh, spicy and vibrant with layers of flavour.

I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to work and travel throughout Australia, where I found it to be a melting pot of Asian influences and communities; it definitely opened my eyes to all those flavours. I travelled back to Australia twice and then continued to work and travel, visiting Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and the US, which was all so exciting to experience.

What price range can customers expect and how are you able to keep your prices affordable?

Our dishes range between £4.50 for individual nibbles and up to £22-£25 for a larger plate like wild halibut, venison or salt-aged duck. Value is so important to us as a business and for guests to receive this is, for me, an important factor that helps to bring customers back for more. We want bums on seats at the end of the day – and that won’t happen if they feel short-changed.

We have loss leaders in a costing sense, dishes that are top sellers – and we are thrifty, skilful and smart with our kitchen procedures and purchasing. Aged beef and venison are prepped in-house, with trim being used for sausages and dumplings; fish trim for skewers; scallop skirts and roes for XO sauce. We also utilise cheaper cuts like chicken thighs, duck legs and pork belly. We use expensive cuts too, of course, as I want the guests to try those beautiful luxurious items, for variety, but we also use a lot of local vegetables. When prepared with detail and paired with interesting flavours, these dishes are some of our most popular.

What is the dish to order at Skosh?

Everyone would say the hen’s egg! But I couldn’t choose per se… we create so many I couldn’t pick one!

Is sharing plates simply your preferred way of cooking and dining, or is it also about creating a communal dining experience for you?

I do personally enjoy trying as many different dishes as possible – that might be my creative brain wanting more options, or maybe I’m just greedy! But I love this style of eating, so that’s what I set out to do when we opened eight years ago.

The communal aspect is also a big part of our style at Skosh. Dining out is an experience, so it should be fun – sharing with partners, friends and family, it creates conversation and excitement. If the restaurant is a little quiet, I think something is wrong and no one’s enjoying it, so then I turn the music up!

Tell us about your location on Micklegate and your expansion to a larger premises in early 2024.

Micklegate is a 12th-century gateway into York and is also the part of the York city walls that royalty would arrive through when visiting the city! It’s a great location, just round the corner from the train station and a short walk into the city centre over the Ouse Bridge – also the rent was cheaper here!

Micklegate is a colourful street. When the very popular York Races are on, streams of people head down to the racecourse in the morning past the restaurant, then we see them all walking back into town several hours later, looking slightly wobbly as they go to start their night out!

Work began in the premises next door (which was an old solicitors’ office) in October 2023, then we closed in January 2024 for two months to knock some walls down and finish the work. To be fair to the tradesmen, they did a stellar job turning it around in about 10 weeks.

With the expansion came a larger open kitchen, prep kitchen and walk-in fridge. We finally got a staff room and an office too! We opened up the wall to create a new ‘pass’ and there’s a raised snug area to the side, that allows diners to see into the kitchen. We still have our counter dining in the original dining room – that didn’t change too much.

At the front of next door we have our new bar, with a cosy seating area and also some walk-in tables available, set up against the window so you can look out onto Micklegate. We also gained a disabled access & baby change toilet upstairs. In the adjoining property we have the advantage of a large downstairs area which houses our private dining room with its own bar, that holds 7-12 guests.

Hero Image: A seafood dish at Skosh, York. © Karen Turner