Restaurant 92 and Chef Michael Carr: Placing Harrogate on the Foodie Map

Head Chef and Patron Michael Carr of Restaurant 92, has been crowned Harrogate’s Chef of the Year 2018, for the second time running, at the Harrogate Tourism and Hospitality Awards. 

Located in Harrogate, Restaurant 92 first opened its doors in November 2015. 26-year-old Chef Patron Michael Carr offers forward-thinking modern British cooking that celebrates the unrivalled flavours of the restaurant’s local produce. The chef’s young age – with the restaurant being named after his birth year – has been no barrier to his success and expertise. On the contrary, his experience, having worked with leading chefs including Gordon Ramsay (The Ramsay Group) and Alyn Williams (The Westbury), coupled with sheer determination and dedication, have earnt him exceptional skills in the kitchen, which are recognisable in the playful and yet classic makeup of his dishes.

With 50 covers and an adjoining wine bar called Bacchus, the restaurant has received glowing reviews and become a favourite amongst locals and tourists alike. The restaurant’s concept, appearance and offering was born of a mutual passion for quality food in a stylish yet relaxed environment between Michael Carr and the restaurant’s owner, Ian Humphreys. On first meeting, the pair discussed Harrogate’s need for a restaurant that embodied both and fortunately, Humphreys had the perfect site in which to open Restaurant 92.

Today the restaurant offers an a la carte menu, with a choice of four starters, mains and desserts. Sample mains include the signature dish – beef wellington – served on a wooden board and this is created using the finest aged Yorkshire fillet of beef with a crisp, flaky pastry and a rich, mushroom and red wine sauce served with pomme puree and garlic kale. Other dishes include wild halibut with mussel, courgette and hispi & air-dried Yorkshire duck with brown butter cigar, yeasted broccoli and celeriac. Two tasting menus are also available – one seasonal and one vegetarian – both offering ingredients sourced from within and around Yorkshire.

A wine pairing option features handpicked international grapes from restaurant manager, Walter Tassa. With an impressive background within the hospitality industry, Walter Tassa was only 16 years of age when he completed his sommelier training and 20 when he first became restaurant manager of his parents Michelin-starred restaurant. He has the perfect palate for wine pairing and at Restaurant 92 demonstrates this perfectly in every service and at the monthly wine club. The pairings are chosen from the wine bar’s extensive cellar which is constructed by Ian Humphreys’ close friend and master of wine, Miles Corish.

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Located in an old Victorian building with high ceilings, wooden edges and gold and grey décor, Restaurant 92’s interiors and exteriors mirror Michael Carr’s modern British approach. The team opted to keep the existing Victorian architecture intact while updating and improving the space where necessary. A full kitchen renovation was carried out and the restaurant now boasts beautiful marble tables, local artists’ work, exposed brick walls, hard-wood floors and leather upholstery.

Michael Carr explains, “My experience has pushed me to become the chef that I am today. I am extremely proud of my family and the Restaurant 92 team for our achievement and am very humbled by the situation I am in – I have to remind myself every day that I’m only 26!”
Michael and Ian hold ambitious plans for Restaurant 92 and plan to continue growing Harrogate’s reputation for fine dining.

Restaurant 92, 94 Station Parade, Harrogate HG1 1HQ – 01423 503027

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