Art's Cafe

I was delighted to be invited out for lunch today by one of my readers Jane (or @nipclaw if you twitter) she writes a number of blogs on the subject of intellectual property law.

We decided on Art's Cafe, located on Call Lane. The decor is simple, with basic wooden furniture, and bright sunny yellow walls, adorned with artwork from local artists.

The lunch menu consists of a varied selection of sandwiches, interesting looking salads and mixed platter type dishes.

I chose the Mediterranean platter- with a selection of olives, grilled courgettes, potatoes, chorizo, roasted tomatoes, bread and salad. Jane had tuna from the specials board.

My meal was delicious, the ingredients were fresh and tasty and the portion was a good size. I really liked the variety. Jane's tuna steak was huge, and looked nicely cooked- still pink in the middle. Her only criticism was that the side order of vegetables were slightly over cooked.

The prices were good. The platters were only £6.50 each and were perfect for lunch. The main meals from the A la carte menu are a bit more, about £12 each, but they are worth it for the quality. I could imagine this place being really lovely in the evening, as its quite small but has a really nice warm, inviting atmosphere and good service.

I had a lovely lunch, and I had a really nice time chatting to Jane and learning about her interesting work. Thank you Jane! (and if anyone else wants to take me out for lunch... just drop me a line!)

Art's Cafe
*Delicious Food
*Interesting dishes
*Lovely atmosphere & decor

42 Call Lane
Leeds
LS1 6DT
Website

Wokon

From the outside this place looks so sleek, modern and styled that for a long time I was convinced that Wokon was part of a chain. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this fast food noodle bar is a Leeds based business with only 2 outlets.

The interior is simple, with a chilled counter displaying the raw ingredients, a row of gas stoves and basic wooden tables. The menu consists of a range of oriental style stir fries, soups and curries which are all cooked to order right in front of you. We decided to go for the meal deal for 2 which comprised of 2 mains, 2 sides, 2 drinks and a bag of prawn crackers for £12.75. (There is a similar meal deal for one with main, side and drink for £6.49).

I had the Chicken Satay and Gev had the Seafood Mee-Goreng. The ingredients were picked from the counter in front of us and transferred straight to the wok where they were cooked and served to us within a matter of a couple of minutes.

The noodles were delicious, covered in tasty sauces and all the better for being piping hot and completely fresh. We had spring rolls as the side order which were also delicious. My only criticism at this point was that the meat and veg spring rolls were mixed into one box without asking us first. This wasn't a problem but could have been if one of us didn't eat meat (Gev used to be vegetarian).

Another bonus is that these meals are pretty healthy and some of the salads were 97% fat free. There is also the option to design your own dish choosing your own vegetables, meat and sauce.

As we were sat enjoying our meals, we watched as the chef got out 2 huge stock pots and proceeded to make oyster and satay sauce... from scratch.

I was so impressed by Wokon, its a simple idea, fresh food, prepared from scratch, cooked to order, at a very reasonable price and served without fuss and pretension in cool little boxes like you see on American TV shows. The shape of these boxes make the noodles much easier to take away and eat on the move or at your desk. The boxes can also be resealed and saved for later (necessary as the portions are generous!).

Places like this should be the rule and not the exception. It annoys me that I get so excited when I find somewhere like this that provides really decent food at really decent prices. We need more places like Wokon!

Wokon

*Fresh tasty fast food
*Cooked from scratch
*Good value for money

156 Briggate
LS1 6LY
0113 234 6666
Website

(There is a second branch on Station Street)

Leeds Beer Festival

On Saturday, we all got ourselves to the station bright and early in order to catch the train up to Pudsey

I have never been to a beer festival before so didn't know what to expect. We lined up outside the civic hall and waited to be let in. At 11 am the doors were opened, we paid our £3 entry fee, collected our programmes and glasses, bought some beer tokens and set off into the main hall.

There were 2 large beer bars along each side, a cider and perry stand at one end and an international beer counter at the other end as well as a snack stall and hot food stand. Upstairs there was a smaller room with another beer bar.

We decided it would be best to drink 1/3 pint measures, meaning we could get around and try more things.

I decided to start with a safe bet of 3.5% Giant Leap Bitter from Leeds brewery.

Next up was Mars Magic from the World Top brewery, a lovely 4.6% Porter.

We then headed over to the Cider stand. They had run out of all the sweet ciders and perrys. I had a Reddaway cider (6%) and I really didn't like it at all.

I was tempted by the following description 'strong spiced fruit aromas with rich malt and full on fruit flavour'. Unfortunately in reality Oakham's Oblivion (5.7%) was not that great, having the aroma of Potpourri/ cheap pub toilet air freshener. It didn't taste much better.
We wandered over to the snack stand where I purchased a bag of chilli flavour Seabrooks. This is part of a new 'Hot and Spicy' range which include, mustard, wasabi, and oriental. Between us we sampled all but the oriental, and I was impressed by how real the flavours were. They were also very very hot, which actually masked the flavour of my horrid beer, which was a bonus.

After 2 failures, I wanted something good, I decided on the Dark Ruby from Sarah Hughes (6% mild). It had a beautiful caramel flavour, and was my absolute favourite of the festival.
Then if my knees weren't quite wobbling enough, I decided to have my first ever try of Barley Wine, with Otley of Pontypridd's 8% O8. The beer was delicious but seriously strong, I doubt I could have managed a pint of this!

We went back to the snack stall for the nicest pork scratchings I have ever had. Mr Scratchings Pork Crunch are scratchings that have been somehow puffed up to make them light and crispy. Lovely and the perfect accompaniment to a pint (or third).
I got a fantastic fruit beer from the international stand. I had a half of this because it was so great, really really fragrant and fruity, not at all like drinking a beer!
I'm not an ale expert so I ended up picking my beers much in the same way as I pick race horses.... by the silly names. I had a taste of the Dark Side of the Moose, from Purple Moose (4.6% Porter) and to finish Elland's Bark at the Moon (5.6% Bitter).

By this time it was 4pm, closing time. We all piled back onto the train, and headed off home were I promptly fell asleep for the rest of the afternoon, and woke up with a headache.

We all had a really great time. We felt that drinking at 11am was justified by the fact that we were learning about traditional British beers (Yeah right!). There was also the feeling that handing over little paper tokens in exchange for beer and then receiving 40p change was brilliant (even if we did pay £10 for our tokens on the way in!).

There are loads of beer festivals coming up in the near future. I really recommend you try going to one, it wasn't full of beardy old men, there was actually a surprising number of people in the 20's and ladies too.

Check out Leeds CAMRA for details. Local beer blog The Good Stuff is also well worth a look- it was Leigh that put me on to going the beer festival in the first place.

Riveresque

I decided to get this weeks 'end of night shifts' bacon sandwich from Riveresque. This little cafe sits at the bottom of Briggate on Leeds bridge.

The food is pretty standard cafe fare, sandwiches, salads, soup, jacket potatoes and of course cooked breakfasts, at fairly standard prices.

The bacon sandwich was served in a large oven bottom, with ketchup. The bacon was pretty salty but otherwise ok.

What sets this place aside from other cafes is its location right on the banks of the river. The large windows look out over the water and the old warehouse buildings that line it. The small back room is furnished with large pine tables and the interior is painted a lovely warm terracotta colour. This is the perfect quiet little cafe just to sit in with a cup of tea and watch the ducks bobbing by.

Riveresque

*Standard cafe food
*Bright cheery interior
*Lovely river views

15 Bridge End
Leeds
LS1 7HG
http://www.riveresque.co.uk/index.htm

Gev's Coffee Spot #2 Coconut

Coconut is a tiny little place, tucked among the terraces of Hyde Park. They have had a bit of a rearrange and a refurbishment since my last visit, to make better use of their limited space.

The coffees are creamy and smooth, served in latte glasses, and good value at £1.50 for small and £1.80 large. The coffee isn't too strong, so no good if you like a good caffeine fix, but perfect if you want to enjoy a nice drink and not feel wired for the the rest of the day!


If you don't fancy coffee, they have also started selling milkshakes- some of the flavours I spotted were snickers, raspberry and of course coconut. I didn't try them this time but they looked delicious.

Another new thing is that they are selling baguettes, ice creams and healthy looking salad pots as well as the usual cakes and cookies.

I was really impressed by the staff, they were friendly and welcoming. Due to its size this place mainly is for take out, but there are a few little seats inside, and a newly opened yard at the back for when the weather is better. This place is not just for students, everyone is welcome to this little hidden gem.

Coconut Cafe

Coffee 3/5
Atmosphere 3.5/5
Staff 5/5
Value 4.5/5

Total 16/20
1 Welton Road
Hyde Park
LS6 1EE

The Arc, Headingley

Arc is a large, modern purpose built bar in the centre of Headingley. We landed there kind of by accident yesterday afternoon, and ended up staying there all evening.

Being in the centre of studentsville the clientele are mainly students, as are the bar staff, who can be at times a tad lackadaisical. This point was demonstrated perfectly by one blonde lass, who neglected to serve us for several minutes because she was having a conversation with a friend over the bar.

Aside from this slight irk, the bar is comfortable, with plenty of seating, a large outside balcony area, cheesy music, big screen tellys showing sport (thankfully on silent), and cheap and cheerful drinks offers.

We found ourselves a comfy spot in the corner and started reading the Sunday papers. We also ordered some food. Arc don't seem to do Sunday roast so we all ordered burgers (around £8 each) which like the other bars in this local chain (Box, Kobe, Zed etc) are home made from local grass-fed beef stock. It's worth noting that the burgers are 2-4-1 on Mondays which is a bargain.

The burgers were tasty, still a bit pink in the middle with plenty of toppings and served with little pails of crispy fries. Liam however did have a little trouble conveying his order to the bartender...

Liam: may I have a bacon cheeseburger?
Staff: no sorry we don't do that,
Liam: but do you have cheeseburgers?
Staff: Yes,
Liam: and bacon?
Staff: Yes,
Liam: so may I have a bacon cheeseburger then?
Staff: oh, yeah ok.

Later on in the evening I ordered a dish of olives for £2.50 (because there were no crisps... although it later transpired that there were crisps, at the other bar upstairs) and was seriously aggrieved when I was presented with a ramekin containing only 13 olives(there are other pubs in this city such as the Palace and Adelphi that give you a whole glass of olives for that price).

All in all, this isn't a bad place, and the burgers are good, but the staff could do with getting their acts together, because its the accumulation of the little episodes of slackness that lead to a frustrating experience that mean that I wont be rushing back in a hurry.

The Arc
*Comfortable and trendy
*Tasty burgers
*Let down by slack staff

19 Ash Road
Headingley
LS6 3JJ

0113 2752223
Website

Gev's Coffee Spot #1 Opposite

So as you may already know, my mate Gev is back from Australia. Like me she has a great love of all things food and drink, and in particular loves coffee. This will be a regular spot where Gev will review various coffee shops in and around Leeds.

We visited Opposite yesterday for the first time in years, it used to be a regular meeting point for us in our university days, as it is located, like the name suggests Opposite the Parkinson steps of Leeds University.

Back in those days the coffee was served in huge mugs with the shop logo printed along the side. Thieving students have put paid to that. Now the coffee is served in slightly disappointing paper cups.

The shop is quite small, in a basement room. There is a mixture of sofa and table seating, there is also a reasonably large patio area. The walls are covered with interesting original artwork.

I have always enjoyed the range of coffee here. The prices are very reasonable and the coffee is of good quality. Katie's favourite is the white hot chocolate, which this time she had in mocha form. It was very sweet, but really smooth with plenty of foam on top.

I had a hazelnut latte, which was an interesting twist, adding a bit of sweetness but not so much as to be overpowering.

If you are hungry there is also a great range of sandwiches, salads and home made cakes. We had a cookie each, which contained big chocolate chips and had lovely gooey centres.

Opposite is definitely worth a visit if your in the area.

Coffee 3/5
Ambiance 3/5
Service 4/5

Value for money 4/5

Total 14/20

Opposite Coffee
26 Blenheim Terrace,
Leeds,
LS2 9HD

Mojo's

It has been very exciting for me this week as one of my best friends has returned from living in Australia. She is now back living in Leeds and was offered a job today, Hoorah!

I decided to take her Mojo's to celebrate. We had Champagne, well no, actually Prosecco cocktails (I'm not that flash!) and normal cocktails too. We were the first people in there at 5pm, and it was nice to have the space to sit at the bar- Mojo's can get so busy! The staff here are so knowledgeable and mix cocktails properly. All of the drinks were lovely, well balanced and smooth to drink. They even gave us a little bowl of home made chili and tortilla chips to nibble on whilst we had our drinks.

Gev had never been to Mojo's before and was impressed by the relaxed atmosphere, the music memorabilia on the walls and the cool Mowtown movie that was being played on the TV. I love it here, and recommend you try it some time!

Mojo's Website
18 Merrion St,
Leeds,
LS1 6PQ

Box Pizza

I had the urge for pizza and beer for tea tonight, but I faced a bit of a conundrum... I didn't want a greasy fast food type pizza and I couldn't muster the energy to go to the shop to buy beer or an oven pizza.

Then I remembered reading about Box Pizza...

This place produces proper restaurant quality, authentic, made from scratch pizzas and then delivers them to your door along with, should you require so, a bottle of wine or in my case 2 cold bottles of Peroni. Problem solved!

I ordered the 'formaggio', topped with buffalo mozzarella, goats cheese, ricotta, Parmesan and garnished with toasted pine nuts. This was a gloriously cheesy pizza, with the wafer thin base that you would expect from an authentic Italian pizza.

The ordering process was easy, the got my address from my postcode, and let me pay over the phone by card. 20 minutes later my dinner arrived piping hot, travelling in an insulated bag. Faultless service and a faultless meal.

At £7.45 a damn sight cheaper than Dominoes and a far superior product. The beer was £1.85 a bottle, which is a few pence more than from the Offie, but worth every penny for the convenience.

Highly recommended.

Take a look at their webpage for the menu and other details.

Box Pizza
*Posh authentic pizza
*Fair prices
*Seriously convenient

Unit 3
The Triangle
2 Burley Road
Leeds
LS3 1JB

Website

Yet more sleep deprived ramblings.

Regular readers will be starting to notice a trend...
Katie being on night shifts = diet based mainly on bacon butties, cereal bars and cake.

Walking home on Sunday morning I dropped by the Leeds Farmers Market and picked up a few things.

The bacon I got from the Wilson's van. It cost £3.50 for a dozen thick cut, dry cured rashers. Outdoor reared and no added water, the quality of this bacon was fantastic, and as cheap as supermarket bacon! The huge freshly baked breadcakes were a quid for 6. Bargain.

I also got some forced rhubarb which I simply stewed with a load of sugar and served with vanilla ice cream. Rhubarb has got to be one of the best comfort foods, I cant think of anything nicer!

I got the cake today from Piazza by Anthony at the Corn Exchange. Both these slices of cake came to less than £3. What a treat! The cakes were kind of similar, rich chocolate brownie bases, with strawberry cream fillings, and the finest of chocolate adornments. A real treat! The selection changes daily, so pop in and see what they have to offer.

Leeds Farmers Markets http://www.leeds.gov.uk/Page.aspx?pageIdentifier=1e8641a1-993c-4246-934b-df01fda856f5
Wilsons of Crossgates http://www.wilsonsbutchers.co.uk/
Piazza by Anthony http://www.anthonysrestaurant.co.uk/piazza/