Bar & Restaurant EightyEight at Grantley Hall review: Opulent and eclectic Yorkshire/eastern fusion cuisine by Great British Menu chef Samira Effa

We head past the elegant Palladian-style house, but swing past and into the car park close to a contemporary curved and undulating building nestling discreetly in a stunning Japanese garden. Should you visit Grantley, I suggest you give yourself time to see this.

The modernist building houses Bar and Restaurant EightyEight and Valeria’s, a late-night champagne and cocktail bar names after the owner and woman behind Grantley Hall’s transformation, Valeria Sykes .

This modernist building should jar against the splendour of the 17th-century hall, but I love how it blends seamlessly into the landscape and is barely perceptible.

Restaurant EightyEight is one of five dining offers at Grantley Hall.

There’s fine dining from Michelin-starred Shaun Rankin; the more relaxed, but still sophisticated Fletcher’s - named, I imagine, after Fletcher Norton, the first Baron Grantley.

I highly recommend Afternoon Tea in the main hall, and in the warmer months, there’s alfresco dining next to the Norton Bar and the Orchard.

EightyEight not only stands alone in a separate building, but the bold promise of an eclectic fusion of Yorkshire and eastern flavours separates it menu-wise too.

At the helm is Huddersfield-born Samira Effa, who only took over the role this summer.

She is a hugely talented chef who has recently made a name for herself. She popped up twice on the supremo of cookery shows, Great British Menu; has cooked in several Michelin-starred restaurants, and more recently, was senior development chef at TRUEfoods and at arguably one of my favourites places to eat, CHEFStable at Melmerby near Ripon.

To say EightyEight is opulent is an understatement; it is awash with plush, deep turquoise velvet on curved seating or in intimate booths. There is mirrored glass on and around the bar, and the lighting is expertly designed to be both low and discreet but exactly where needed to make reading the menu and eating easy.

We were seated in a booth near the bar, and lovely as they are, especially for the romantically inclined or those needing some discretion, these are just perfect, I felt out of the way, especially as my reasons for being there were neither romantic nor intimate—apologies to my husband.

Choices are straightforward when it comes to the menu, with an eight-course tasting menu or, as we chose, a la carte with a couple of snacks and nine very appealing small and eight large plates with a wealth of both Yorkshire and Asian produce featured heavily. I needed Google for a couple of ingredients. I admit to not knowing what Gochujang karaage chicken is, but the rest are familiar.

We start with a steamer basket of Bao. The steamed buns are found everywhere in restaurants and even on supermarket shelves and often are okay at best, but usually bear no semblance of what they should be. But, here they were, so light, soft and slightly moist, and the delicious light red Char Siu pork belly and sweep of tasty nam jim sauce were a great start to dinner.

Charred, cured mackerel with Yuzu kosho, kohlrabi, buttermilk, and dashi vinegar dressing was an equally stunning plate of food. The charred mackerel looked broody and dark on a fabulous grey plate with the carefully shredded kohlrabi, surrounded by a pool of buttermilk. Eating this was as delightful as looking at it.

With my main plate, I will start by saying there was nothing wrong with the cooking or the flavour; it simply did not have the gorgeous appearance of the first two dishes. Nor I felt quite the same careful, expert balance of ingredients. A tender slab of celeriac was carefully and precisely cooked in a ‘master’ stock (a long slowed cooked stock used for braising and poaching) alongside a hefty chunk of hispi cabbage, miso jam and seaweed. Still, for me, the dish was simply underwhelming.

Not so the duck, though.

A Szechuan and honey glazed duck breast came with a little confit leg, onion, pickled daikon and duck sauce, it was presented beautifully, and the cooking, especially of the duck, was spot on. This was a classic combination of ingredients that simply worked together on the plate and palette.

Desserts are delightful and light enough to complement the menu. Our beautifully presented blond chocolate, banana and kalamansi cake with praline and a citrus sorbet was just the ticket to end with.

A visit to Grantley Hall is always a treat, no less at EightyEight. The food was good, and the place was gorgeous, but I think they could deliver even more.

At times the standards around us slipped, especially once the food was served; we were all but forgotten and found it hard to grab anyone’s attention.

Samira is clearly going great guns here, her menus and cooking are excellent, but with her talent, I’d really love to see her push the boundaries even more.

Bar & Restaurant EightyEight, Grantley Hall, Grantley, Ripon, HG4 3ET. Tel: 01765 620070. Dinner for two, three courses with wine £167.00. Open: Mon to Sun, Dinner 5:00 pm - 9:30 pm. Last food order is 9:45pm and Tasting Menu last order 9:00pm.