Roy Woodcock enjoys a memorable meal at a new Beverley brasserie, Dine on the Rowe, naming it Journal Restaurant of the Month for October . . .

Dine on the Rowe, Butcher Row, Beverley

It seemed appropriate, if not poetic, that I enjoyed one of the best steak dishes I’ve experienced in many a long day in a restaurant in the appropriately-named Butcher Row. It was a prime rib-eye, cooked pink but without the rivers of blood some people seem to demand of rareness, and we even knew its local provenance, for this was four-week-matured steak from the Givendale grass-fed cattle reared on a 1,200-acre farm, near Pocklington.

My knife sliced through it, yes, like butter, for the meat was gloriously tender and juicy, with a slight gamey flavour. The chef had ground some salt and pepper on to the meat and then presented it with thick hand-cut chips, field mushrooms, vine tomatoes and a bearnaise sauce.

Accompanied by a glass of “meaty” red wine, it was perfection on a plate.

So where can we get some of this, I hear you ask? Well the Butcher Row is in Beverley, of course. And the restaurant? The cleverly-named new brasserie Dine on the Rowe.

The play on words comes not just from the location, but the fact that the restaurant is the brainchild of Jason Rowe. His mission statement: “To source the best local ingredients and create dishes with the love and passion of cooking for loved ones”.

The interior of the restaurant

In achieving this, he says, he will have given good service and created an amazing ambience, supporting the local economy and reducing food miles in the process.

Dine on the Rowe opened last December, having grown out of a gourmet sandwich delivery company called “lunch-on.com”, established by Jason in Anlaby Common six years earlier. Lunch-on.com grew into corporate and event caterers and continues to operate from the Beverley premises to this day.

Occupying Grade II-listed premises that have been, through history, a magistrates court, jail, brewery and solicitor’s office, Dine on the Rowe opens Monday-Saturday for breakfast, lunch and daytime snacks, Sundays for brunch and lunch and Wednesday to Saturday for its a la carte evening dining. There’s a comfortable lounge off to the right as you enter; turn left and there’s the choice of two distinct eating areas, either at the front or rear of the building. The room overlooking the street is the most popular choice.

In addition to the Givendale beef I enjoyed I was pleased to see another quality, local, meat on the menu; namely Burdass lamb from Driffield, on this occasion a neck fillet served with a red pepper couscous served with a spinach and basil pesto.

Locally sourced ingredients go into perfectly-executed dishes

To start, I selected some seared scallops with a black pudding risotto from the specials board; the risotto being another memorable highspot of the meal and packing a powerful, flavoursome punch. Chris, meanwhile, enjoyed a generous portion of Bridlington white crab meat, served with crostini, while other choices included a warm potato pancake served with smoked salmon (from Peck’s of Beverley) with sun-blush tomato pesto and some Brafford’s goat’s cheese served with a tapenade of field mushrooms.

Chris’s main course of pan-roasted duck breast served on a potato rosti with braised red cabbage and a redcurrant reduction was voted a huge hit; while other main course choices included Peck’s smoked haddock and salmon fishcake, served with a warm tartare sauce; crab and prawn tagliatelli with lemon zest, chilli and garlic; and a tart of roast vegetables and halloumi cheese served with local leaves.

Given that Jason also operates a company called Brownie Heaven, the sweet menu, not surprisingly featured a “Totally Tropical Brownie”. My leaning, however, was towards a good old-fashioned rhubarb crumble made from rhubarb out of chef Matt’s garden and served with pouring cream. Chris enjoyed an orange cheesecaske with Cointreau syrup and other choices included a croissant bread and butter pudding with a “Jack Daniels kick”.

With wine and coffees, our memorable meal for two cost £70.20. And a word of praise, too, for the exemplary service from the most cheerful duo of waiters I’ve met in a long time.

Bookings on 01482 502269.