Emons Tandori take away.

I went to Gevs for take away last night. She had decided that we should get our meal from Emons on the Monkbridge road, as she said it smelt amazing every time she walked past.

We placed our order and then walked down to collect our food, and she was right, the smell permeating from the shop was divine! We collected our food and hurried off back to her flat.

The meals looked and tasted great, I had the Palak Aloo Bhuna, made with spinach and potatoes. It was really tasty, lovely flavours, I would have liked there to be more lumps of potato as I only got about 5! It was described as a medium curry, but the spice level hardly registered, and I am someone who doesn't like curries to be too hot.

Gev and Mr Gev said that their curries were tasty but also lacking heat, and didn't contain much meat.

Overall the curry from Emons were very nice, but I would have liked to seen a bit more meat in the meat dishes, and if you like your curries hot you may want to ask for extra chili!

Emons Tandoori
*Good quality food
*Not too hot

44a Monkbridge Road
Meanwood
LS6 4ER
0113 274 0646
Online Menu & Ordering

The Courtyard

*NB THIS VENUE HAS NOW BEEN REOPENED AS 'A NATION OF SHOPKEEPERS'*

READ THE REVIEW HERE

I went for a few drinks with some of the girls from work last week and we ended up in the Courtyard bar on Cookridge Street (opposite the Catholic Cathedral).

This bar is fairly big, and is the type of place where people go on a Friday night to throw drinks down their neck... so as a result the floor is a bit sticky and you sometimes have to remind the bar staff to put a slice of lemon in your G&T. Its not my first choice to of place to hang out, but its not the last either, and there is the major bonus of the large covered Courtyard area outside, which is lovely when the weather is nice.

I have had a meal here in the past and enjoyed it, so was looking forward to having something to eat.

The menu contains nothing ground breaking for example, gammon egg and chips, fish and chips and burgers and err chips.

This time I had the bacon and guacamole burger, and we shared some onion rings. The prices are fair, the burgers freshly cooked and tasty and if you get a seat outside it is rather pleasant.

The Courtyard
*Popular city centre bar
*Decent pub grub
*Nice outside courtyard

27-37 Cookridge Street
Leeds
LS2 3AG
(0113) 203 1831
Website

Real German Sausage Stall Kirkgate

This post is a bit of a mile stone for me as it is my 100th post woohoo! Also this is the first time I have let Liam do all of the tasting! My reputation is on the line!!!

This hotdog stall is located on Kirkgate (down the side of Zara) next to the Milkshake Cart I reviewed a few months ago. There is a selection of German sausages to choose from like Bratwurst and Bockwurst. There are also pork burgers.

Liam loves this stall and looks out for it every time he is in town. It is not there every day (thankfully!), and has a tendency to appear towards the end of the week and weekends.

This time Liam had Bockwurst which is a mixture of pork and beef. The sausages are huge and come in a bun to match. Onions are included, cheese is extra. Liam's verdict 'tasty and meaty'.

They do smell nice, although I don't think I could manage to eat one whilst walking down the street without making a mess! At £2.20 / £2.50 with cheese, they wont break the bank, and Liam says that the lady who runs the stall is always very cheerful and friendly!




The Real German Sausage Stall (Kirkgate)
*Convenient Snack
*Good portion size
*Keeps the man quiet on shopping trips

Fun with Freebies!

Gev is still waiting on her first pay cheque since returning to Leeds, so the the one stipulation of meeting up today was that it would be free!

The first freebie of the day was rather unexpected, little promotional boxes of Shreddies were being handed out in the city centre so I picked up a couple.

We then went to Caffe Latino in Albion Place. Team Gopher (www.teamgopher.co.uk) currently has vouchers for a free cup of coffee, there is no obligation to by anything else, and you can choose any type of coffee. Gev had a latte and I had a cappuccino. The coffees were nice and creamy but they didn't have that much flavour or oomph. I also had a slice of the Boston Brownie. It was sweet and chocolatey but wasn't the most exciting brownie I have ever had.

The cafe is nice inside, and they also have free wifi which is a bonus. You cant knock a free coffee, even if it is slightly underwhelming, and they have some good early morning and meal deals so its well worth a look.

After a bit of shopping we headed down to Bar Room Bar on Call Lane with vouchers for a free 6" pizza. I picked these up from the counter of the clothes shop Ace on Duncan Street, I have also heard that they are available from Quicksilver in the Victoria Quarter. (Let me know if you have seen them elsewhere).

BRB, is a comfortable, trendy bar, with a small restaurant area at the back. The décor is modern and luxurious, after a recent refurbishment. I have had pizzas here before on a Tuesday when they do a 2-4-1 deal. The pizzas are made in the open kitchen in the restaurant and cooked in a proper pizza oven.

I had a terribly traditional duck and hoi sin option, whilst Gev chose the portablello mushroom variety. They were both really tasty, with nice thin bases and loads of toppings. This free deal is generous, considering that the pizzas cost around £4.50 each usually, we just had to pay a couple of quid each for some glasses of coke, and we had an enjoyable lunch. www.barroombar.com

On the way back we passed more of the Shreddies promoters so I ended up with about a weeks worth of breakfast! All in all a bargain of an afternoon!

Brasserie 44

This place has been on my 'must try' list for months now. I got the opportunity to tick off Brasserie 44 on Thursday night, after I visited with Liam and my sister.

Brasserie 44, is a smart restaurant located on the calls. With its 2 AA rosettes, it is a little bit more high end than the places where I normally dine, and the prices are a little more (but not too much) more that what I would usually want to pay.

The friendly staff showed us to our seats by the window, and after we had made our choices from the menu, we were given warm bread rolls, served with butter, the most delicious tapanade and a lemon mayonnaise.

While we were munching through this, we took the time to admire the interior of the restaurant which is modern and fresh whilst in keeping with the features of the old grain warehouse which was the original purpose of the building. From the windows, you look right out onto the river Aire, and its resident ducks and swans!

My starter was a deep fried Brie from the specials board, served on a mixture of chopped apples and onion. You cant go far wrong with a big lump of melted cheese in my opinion, and the freshness and acid of the apple cut nicely through the gooeyness of the cheese. Liam had salmon fishcakes, and my sister had pate and toast.

For the main course Liam had a wild mushroom tart, with a side order of chunky chips, and some veg and us girls had the lamb, which was served beautifully pink with a salad of new potatoes, tomatoes, olives and beans. The meat was wonderful, tender and sweet... some of the best lamb I have ever had!

The puddings were also good, I had a chocolate brownie with ice cream, again from the specials board, and my sister and Liam both had a white chocolate mousse, on a dark chocolate sponge base. They were all yummy, the white chocolate mousse was brilliant, tasting just like melted milky bar!

Now for the bill. As I said before, this place is a bit more special than the other places I frequent, however, we opted for the early bird deal, so for all three courses, including the bread, side orders of veg and half a bottle of wine each we were charge the bargain price of £21.50 a head!

This special menu is restricted to 4 choices for each course, but the dishes are varied so everyone should be able to find something that they like. The only other condition is that you have to order by 7.15pm and vacate by 8.30pm.

The beauty of this early bird menu, is that you know exactly what the bill will be before you sit down, so if you are on a budget, you can relax, tuck in, drink up, and not worry that the bill will give you a heart attack at the end! It doesn't feel like your are on the cheap deal, the food is excellent, as is the service. This menu is easily good enough for a special occasion or a romantic date.

This is traditional British and European cuisine, nothing new or ground breaking but beautifully executed and worth a visit!

Brasserie 44

*Wonderful food
*Lovely atmosphere and service
*Early bird bargain!

44 The Calls
Leeds
LS2 7EW
0113 2343232

Website

Jino's Thai Cafe revisited

The last time I came here, I was with a big party of friends for a celebration meal. This week I visited with Gev and her husband for a quick evening meal.

Nothing has changed, which is brilliant. The interior is still simple and unfussy, and immaculately clean. The service is wonderfully attentive and the food amazing, and cheap.

The starters were deep fried battered veg, Thai fish cakes and fried bread topped with minced chicken. (you get 4 fishcakes and 4 bread pieces in a portion... I forgot to take the photo before I tucked in!) Gev and Tom have travelled a lot in Asia, and they said the fish cakes were as good as the ones they had eaten in Thailand.

Tom and I then had the Matsaman curry and Gev had the Panaeng curry. All £7.20 each including rice. The portions were generous, and there was plenty of chicken in the curries. I really enjoyed my meal, it was a mild sweet curry with peanuts and potatoes. Its sounds strange but it was delicious.


We drank tea as the cafe is unlicensed, but if you want alcohol Jino's are more than happy for your to BYO.

I cant fault this place, especially when the bill was only £11 a head!



Jinos Thai Cafe Headingley

*Cheap and cheerful
*Really great food
*Wonderful, hospitable service

46a Otley Road,
Headingley,
LS6 2AL
2788088
Website

Golden Fisheries

I tried this place after work the other night. I asked for a Large portion of chips so that Liam and I could share, I wasn't terribly hungry.

The fish and chips cost £3.50 for a portion but when I got home I realised that this was only a regular portion. Golden don't do large portions and unlike most other chippies, the regular portion was barely big enough to share, so by the time I had taken my handful of chips for my buttie, it left Liam with a really measly serving.

The flavour of the fish and chips was fine, just not as good value as other places, like Crown Fisheries which is just up the road.

Golden Fisheries

*Average fish and chips
*Disappointing portions

New York Street
LS2

Updated Round Up of Early Bird and Discount Deals

*THERE IS A MORE UP TO DATE POST ON THIS HERE*

The last early bird round up I did is one of my most searched for and visited pages. I haven't tried all of these places so cant account for the food but here is an updated version of the best early bird and discount deals around: (This is all accurate at time of writing but please read the small print/ ring the restaurant to check the details before you go).

Early Bird Deals:

Loch Fyne on city square continue to run their '2 courses & a glass of wine for £12' deal from 12noon to 7pm Mon-Sat. www.lochfyne.com Also if you sign up to the newsletter on their website they will send you a £10 gift voucher- bargain!

Las Iguanas by the Corn Exchange do a starter and a main from the lunch menu for £7.90 before 7pm with the first glass of wine/ bottle of beer for £1.50. They also do deals on their tapas menu at this time. www.iguanas.co.uk

Brasserie Forty Four on the Calls does a great deal of 3 courses and half a bottle of wine for £21.50 if you order by 7.15pm and leave by half past 8. Its worth remembering that this restaurant has 2 AA rosettes, so this is a great opportunity to dine somewhere really smart for a bargain price. www.brasserie44.com/b44/

Sous le Nez by the train station have a 'Menu du Soir' which is 3 courses and half a bottle of wine for £22.95. This is available week nights from 6-7.30pm and on Saturdays 12-2pm and then 6-7pm www.souslenez.com

Salvos Italian restaurant in Headingly does 2 courses for £12.50 and 3 courses for £14.95 with coffee. Available on week nights, order by 7 and leave by 8.30 www.salvos.co.uk

The Olive Tree Greek restaurant with branches in Headingly & Chapel Allerton do 3 courses for £13.95 between 6-7pm Mon- Sat and all day Sundays www.olivetreegreekrestaurant.co.uk

Sam's Chop House on South Parade do 2 courses for £14.95 and 3 courses for £17.95 with a glass of wine, week nights from 5.30-7.30pm www.thevictorianchophousecompany.com


Other Special Offers and Discount Deals:

Wokon noodle bar do a drink, starter and main for 6.49 for one or 12.75 for 2 people (including prawn crackers when 2 dine). This deal is available at all times. www.wokon.co.uk

Ha Ha Bar on Millennium Square do a 2 course evening meal after 5pm Sun to Thurs for £10. There are also vouchers available on the website for 2-4-1 meals and £10 off if you sign up to their mailing list. www.hahaonline.co.uk

Slug and Lettuce on Park Row do all of their food for Half Price all day Mondays. www.slugandlettuce.co.uk

As does Kobe in Horsforth www.arcinspirations.com/kobe

The Box and Arc in Headingly do 2-4-1 burgers and pizzas on Mondays, as well as some other good offers on breakfasts and drinks at other times. www.arcinspirations.com/global/pdf/offers_arc.pdf

In fact all of the Arc Inspirations Bars (Kobe Horsforth, Hub & Zed in Chapel A, Trio, Box & Arc in Headingly, Napa in Roundhay and Banyan in Harrogate) all have good deals of this type running. Go to the website and click on the yellow offers tab at the top of the page for the exact details. www.arcinspirations.com

If your mobile is on Orange, its worth remembering that Orange Wednesdays now extends to 2-4-1 pizzas at Pizza Express, you even get free garlic bread. See www.orange.co.uk for details.

Ruchee Indian restaurant does buffet on Sundays for £8.95 from 5pm to 10.30pm www.rucheeleeds.co.uk

The Wellington on Wetherby Road do a carvery for just £3.50 all day Mon-Sat, and are doing a £5 for 2 course deal for Good Friday, Easter Sat and BH Monday. Its is very good according to Silverback at Retirement Rocks who rants and raves about it at every opportunity!


Money Off and Vouchers:

Yo sushi (Located in Harvey Nicks) have currently got some great deals on their website and send out occasional (but good) offers by email. www.yosushi.com

Casa Mia have a £10 voucher on their website redeemable when you buy 3 courses. www.casamiaonline.co.uk

Team Gopher is a brilliant Leeds based website that has secured some excellent deals with local restaurants. At the moment they have free coffee, free dishes at Tampopo and £10 Littlewoods shopping vouchers.www.teamgopher.co.uk

Top Table is a national site that gives you points and access to special offers when you make a booking through the site. You can claim free meals and foodie gifts with the points. Its free to join, and worth collecting the points if your planning to eat out anyway. www.toptable.co.uk

Sugarvine has a good list of deals covering the whole of Yorkshire and you don't have to sign up to print the vouchers, just click on the 'Dining Deals' tab. www.sugarvine.com/Leeds

Money Saving Expert have a fantastic page detailing all the best offers from the national chains. Check it regularly as its always being updated www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/cheap-restaurant-deals

Let me know if you spot any other deals or think I have missed anything. Also if you have tried one of these deals, leave a comment and let us know what the food was like!

Sunny Sundays and A Litttle Bit of Culture

The first Sunday of the month means Leeds farmers market (it always seems better on the first Sunday, there are less stalls on the third Sun).

I went along and got some delicious chocolates from Cutting Cake Patisserie. These truffles are hand made in Meanwood, and have lovely smooth light fillings. I also got a ganache filled chocolate cube that can be stirred into hot milk to make the most indulgent hot chocolate, and a bargain at (if I remember correctly) 60p! www.cuttingcake.co.uk

I also got some cupcakes from 'Cupcakes By Charley'. It was nearing the end of the market by this point so got them at the bargain price of £1 each (down from £1.65). I got a strawberry and cream one for Liam, and a lemon meringue one for me. The sponge was quite sweet, with a light lemon scented cream, topped with a little meringue. Liam demolished his so I take that as a thumbs up! These cupcakes looked beautiful, not the most exciting in terms of flavour, but very nice and elegant!
Cupcakes By Charley
Farmers Markets Website

I then headed to the Artsmix market in the Loft. Its just over the road from the market (behind the co-op). This market used to be called Mosaic, and used to be outside. Its much better now at its inside venue as it is less weather dependent, and has more space. There is food and drink available, and there are lovely things to buy, original artwork, hand made clothing and accessories, loads of lovely jewellery, and beautiful ornaments and other decorative items.There was also live music and an art exhibition, which makes it a lovely place to walk around, enjoy the atmosphere and absorb the culture, and maybe pick up a few nice things for the house or an original gift! The market is at the Leeds venue on the first Sunday of every month, and is always a little different each time... there will be 'Spectacular Salsa' at the May market. www.artsmix.co.uk

I then went up into the city centre where I picked up a freshly made smoothie from the Kaju trailer on Commercial St. They are a little bit pricey at £2.80 a hit, but they are made from fresh fruit and low fat yoghurt, are absolutely delicious and packed full of vitamins!


Whilst I was in town, I also spotted my favourite busker Tristan Mackay (www.myspace.com/thebedroomorchestra) he is a brilliant singer, and always has a large crowd stood around listening to him. He is doing a gig on 28th April at the Brudenell Social Club if you are interested.

Leeds city centre is lovely on a Sunday, the shops are much quieter than Saturday and there are often loads of buskers, which I think really lifts the mood! Best of all, the council has decided to overturn its plan to start charging for parking on Sundays (not that I actually have a car to park, but that info may be helpful for some of you).

Bagel Nash

Due to the number of outlets dotted across the city centre, I presumed that Bagel Nash was a large chain on par with Cafe Nero or Pret, but I was surprised to find out that this place actually started in Moortown, and now has expanded to 12 branches, 7 of which are in Leeds.

We visited the one in Thornton's arcade, which is decorated in their trade mark orange hews, with a lovely exposed brick wall along one side. It reminded me a bit of the bagel shops I visited when I was in New York.

We ordered a large mocha (with cream), a cinnamon latte, a blueberry muffin and a cinnamon and raisin bagel. The coffees were lovely and served in huge mugs.

The baked items were nice and fresh, the muffin had a really interesting crunchy crust on top and contained loads of fruit. The bagel had a lovely dense texture, and although I would have liked a few more raisins, it was delicious when toasted and buttered.

There was a great selection of filled bagels, the ones that other people were being served looked really appetising, stacked with fillings.

Bagel Nash seem proud of their heritage as a family business (there is a poster proclaiming this on the wall of the cafe) and proud of their products. The bagels are baked in a process that takes 24 hours, using only natural ingredients and no nasty fats or additives.

The bagels are low fat (unless you then ask for them to be covered in butter- oops) and there are plenty of healthy options for bagel fillings, and freshly made smoothies if you don't want coffee.

The coffee is really good value, a large Americano is only £1.90 which is excellent considering that all the coffee is organic and fair trade. The muffin was £1.75 and the bagels range from £2.50 to £3.95 to eat in (about 50p less if you take away).

If you want the service and quality that can be delivered by a small business, but cant tare yourself away from the convenient chain shops, try Bagel Nash, it's the best of both.

Bagel Nash
*Delicious Bagels
*Ideal for lunch
*Good value coffee

8 Thornton's Arcade
Leeds
LS1 6LQ
2458989
(other branches: The Light, Moortown corner, train station, St Paul's St, Victoria Quarter, White Rose centre, York, Huddersfield, Manchester, London).

Bagel Nash Website Here