The Magic Porridge Pot

This bright little food van stands in Albion street, just down from Boots. Unlike other stalls of the type, you wont find anything fried or greasy here. Owner Helen aims to serve healthy food, with the main offering being organic porridge. There is a long list of toppings, that includes fruit, honey and lovely home made compotes.

Although the porridge is served all day I decided as it was lunch time to try the home made vegetarian chilli with rice and a flap jack. The chilli was absolutely lovely, the portion wasn't huge for the £3 I paid, but is still comparable with getting a sandwich or a burger and was filling. The porridge is really good value at £2.50 for a huge pot.

Its definitely worth stopping off at this little stall, either for a healthy breakfast on the move, or a filling snack to keep you going whilst shopping. There are hot drinks, sandwiches and salads too.

The Magic Porridge Pot

*Healthy filling snack
*Generous toppings
*Convenient location

Albion Street
Leeds

Grub Excursion #12 Milton Keynes, Giraffe

Giraffe brand themselves as a 'World Food' restaurant. Most of their branches are in London and the south, although 3 branches have made it as far as Manchester.

Every time I am in the area I try to visit the Giraffe in Milton Keynes. The restaurant always has a fun bustling atmosphere and the family friendly policy means that there are always quite a few children there too. The restaurant also plays great international music.

As you might expect, the menu has dishes from all over the world. There are quite a few South American and Asian dishes as well as European foods. There is also a good proportion of vegetarian choices on the menu.

Liam had tiger prawns to start and I shared some olives and cheesy garlic bread with my Mum. The garlic bread was really good and really really garlicky.
For the main course, I had nachos from the starter menu as I wasn't that hungry, and Mum had the vegetable burrito which she said was absolutely delicious. Liam had his usual burger. The burgers have been really good in the past although this one was slightly overcooked and dry.The puddings were great, I had a waffle topped with a roasted banana and ice cream which was delicious.

The service was prompt and friendly, and the food was all pretty good. I also really like Giraffe for their breakfasts and smoothies. I always enjoy visiting Giraffe, and I hope they open one in Leeds soon!

Giraffe

*Good range of tasty dishes
*Family friendly
*Lively atmosphere

39 - 41 Silbury Arcade Centre
Milton Keynes
MK9 3AG
01908 392100

Website

Anthony's Piazza Cafe

After moving house 2 weeks ago, I was temporarily left without an internet connection at home. In search of free Wifi I ended up in the Corn Exchange, in the cafe area of Anthony's Piazza.

The cafe occupies a couple of the arches to the back of the main restaurant area, and has its own counter which displays a large cold salad selection. The small salad is £1.99, I think the large is £2.99 but I cant remember for sure. Either way, you get a reasonable sized plate that is then piled high with all manner of cold fish, pasta, cheese, rice and salad dishes.

I have found that the presentation normally goes a little askew, but I'm sure if you just stuck to 2 or 3 items instead of 'a little bit of everything' things would end up a bit neater. (Actually looking at the photos again, this thing looks like a complete wreck, but I assure you it tasted great!).

I also had a lovely iced ginger latte which was on the specials board and a gorgeous American style choc orange cupcake for £1.45.

All of the salad items I have tried have been lovely, well seasoned, fresh and light, just what is needed in this warm weather. The cake like all of Anthony's baked goods was divine.

The layout of the cafe in the arches means that you can find a cosy private corner to sit quietly and work or have a chat with a friend.

I spotted a couple of plug sockets around which could be used to charge a laptop but they couldn't be reached from every seat.

The cafe also serves sandwiches and soups. The prices look a little high at first but the portion sizes are generous, so it really is good value for money. Great for a working lunch or a stop off after shopping.

Anthony's Piazza Cafe

*Great salad bar
*Cosy seating
*Free Wifi

The Corn Exchange,
Call Lane,
LS1 7BR
0113 2470995
Website

Safran

This is another place that I walk past on a daily basis and have been desperate to try for ages. Sourrain reviewed the place on her blog in May which just galvanised my desire to go. I eventually got the chance to visit with Gev and Tom a couple of weeks ago.

This place had a refit a few months back and is now totally themed out with a huge murals on the walls, false stone work and pillars, and rush mats nailed to the ceiling. Its all slightly naff and home made but I love it.

We got a warm welcome from the waitress who showed us to our table. The restaurant wasn't terribly busy, but we noticed that we seemed to be the only customers not of middle eastern origin. I can only read this as a good sign that the food will be authentic (not that I could actually tell what non authentic Persian cuisine would be!)

The restaurant doesn't serve alcohol (I don't know if they would let you BYOB, it might be worth asking) so we decided to have a pot of Persian tea. The waitress bought over a tea pot and what looked like shot glasses. Noticing our slightly baffled expressions she asked 'you know how to drink our tea?' she proceeded to explain that you first put a sugar lump into your glass and then pour the hot tea on top. The tea was very strong (and sweet) and delicious.

We opted for the mixed starter platter which came with a huge fresh flat bread, a selection of salad, olives, kebab meat and the most amazing, creamy hummus.

We decided to share the main course too, having the Persian Mix dish that came served rather conveniently with 3 portions of rice. The mix consisted of grilled chicken and lamb and some lovely ripe tomatoes and roasted onions. It was more than enough for the three of us, especially after the monster starter.

I decided that I still had room to squeeze a pudding into so I ordered some cake which like everything else was fab.

The whole bill came to about 30 quid, a complete bargain considering the amount of food we had. The portions were huge, the meat subtly spiced and beautifully cooked, and the salad fresh and crisp. The hummus alone made the meal worth while. This is a wonderful restaurant, well worth a visit.

Safran

*Authentic Persian cuisine
*Excellent value
*Warm, friendly hospitality

81 Kirkgate
LS2 7DJ

0113 244 4496

Roundhay Fox

This popular pub opposite Tropical World in Roundhay Park is the perfect spot to have a drink after an afternoon of sunbathing in the park.

I was feeling summery so had a Pimms which was served piled high with the imperative fruit and sprigs of mint.

There is not much of a garden just a long thin patio across the front of the pub and a low level wall that people sit along. The inside of the pub is cosy and comfortable like the other Vintage Inns pubs I have visited in Dore and Ilkley.

The menu was standard pub grub. I had a lovely bowl of mushroom soup for £2.95 and Liam had a large serving of fish and chips for £7.25.

The food was tasty and good value. This is a great pub, its only down side being its tremendous popularity meaning on a fine day the pub gets seriously busy.

Roundhay Fox

*Good value food
*Great location
*Can be very, very busy.

Princes Avenue,
Roundhay,
LS8 2EP
01132 693352

Website

The Lakeside Cafe

We spent a sunny Sunday a couple of weeks ago relaxing in Roundhay park. We decided to try The Lakeside Cafe for lunch. Liam used to work here as a teenager, and has told me anecdotes about how it used to have a very leaky roof!

The restaurant was given a new lease of life (and probably a new roof) when the building was refurbished and reopened in 2005 but then was closed again a couple of years later after a fire. The Lakeside cafe has been up and running in its current state for about a year.

According to Liam it has gone much more upmarket since his time, as have the prices. A couple of sandwiches, a cream scone, 2 glasses of lemonade and a packet of crisps came to a rather steep £15, which probably explained why on a gloriously sunny day when the park was heaving the cafe was not even half full.

We took a seat outside, on the terrace that overlooks the lake. Our sandwiches were brought out to us a couple of minutes later.

The sandwiches were nice but nothing out of the ordinary and I struggled to justify the fiver I had spent on mine. Maybe we were paying for the lovely view. (I wouldn't mind the price so much if there was table service, but you have to line up at the counter to order).
Liam said his scone was delicious, I didn't have a cake despite the tempting display, I really didn’t feel I could justify spending any more money. The highlight of the meal for me were the crisps, Yorkshire crisps. Crunchy, crispy and with a delicious flavour. Well worth looking out for.

The Lakeside Cafe is in a lovely location with a lovely view, the cakes look delicious and the sandwiches were nice, but I felt it was all a little overpriced. With a little bit more planning, the same amount of money could be spent in a deli to buy the ingredients for a wonderful picnic.

The Lakeside Café

*Overpriced average food
*Nice looking cakes
*Lovely lake views

Waterloo Lake
Roundhay Park,
Leeds
LS8 2JL
0113 265 7338

Out of the Woods

A couple of weeks ago I was invited down to Out of the Woods in Holbeck Urban Village, to review a limited edition smoothie for Culture Vulture. While I was there I stopped for breakfast.

The food is much more healthy and wholesome than your average cafe, there are no bacon butties to be had here (much to Liam's disappointment). We both had a freshly made smoothie and I had porridge made with organic milk and served with maple syrup and blueberries.

The porridge was lovely and creamy, made properly in a pan, and reasonably priced at £1.50 a bowl. The smoothies start from £2.25 each. The inside of the cafe was a bit like being in a tree house with little toy squirrels looking at you whilst you eat!

Out of the woods is definitely worth checking out if you are down in the Urban Village and looking for something slightly different, there is also a delicious looking range of sandwiches and salads for lunch.

If like Liam you think that breakfast means bacon, beans and ketchup try the Davids street cafe a few doors down, its a modern cafe with all the traditional values.

Out of the Woods

*Cafe with a difference
*Tasty wholesome food
*Lovely staff

113 Water Lane,
Leeds,
LS11 5WD,
0113 2448123

Website

Blogiversary!

Leeds Grub is one year old today! Thank you to everyone who has read the blog and for all the comments and contributions. Keep reading and most of all keep eating and enjoying food (That is what I plan to do anyway).