A Nation of Shopkeepers

Most people will know this place as the old Courtyard bar. It was taken over and given a complete facelift a few months ago and reopened, with not only a new name, but a new direction, ethos and target clientèle.

The interior is now arty and retro chic. There is art on the walls and in the windows, funny noises playing in the toilets and carefully arranged 'clutter' on the shelves behind the bar.

The beer selection has been improved and the prices increased, not beyond the realms of reasonable, but high enough to deter the scruffs. The crowd is young and trendy and I got the feeling that maybe my haircut and fashion sense was not nearly ironic enough for me to be in there.

We were greeted at the bar by.... well actually we weren't. We stood there for ages before being met with a miserable grunt from the bar tender. We got our drinks and sat down on the comfortable 70's style sofas to pick our food.

The menu has a range of sandwiches, traditional comfort foods and burgers. The prices are all quite reasonable with sandwiches starting at about £3.50 and burgers going up to about £8. We made our choices and then we waited.

And waited

And after half an hour my fish finger sandwich arrived, served with a small side portion of the signature fries. My meal was really tasty, the chips were lovely and there was a decent amount of food considering the price. Unfortunately some of the toasted sandwiches that my friends had were quite burnt.When our plates were cleared we were not asked 'how was your meal?' I suspect as the server knew what we might say.

I had a meal here just a week after the relaunch, and decided not to write a review as the food hadn't met my expectations then, but I wanted to give the place a fair chance to settle in.

Sadly I get the feeling that there is an air of complacency about things, the surroundings are spot on, the menu and ingredients used are good, but this all means nothing without enthusiastic staff striving to keep standards high. They need to pick up their game and give people a reason to go back and keep the place alive once all the scenesters have moved on to something new.

A nation of shopkeepers

*Trendy place to be seen
*Innovative, arty, interesting space
*Hit and miss on the food front

27 - 37 Cookridge Street,
Leeds,
LS2 3AG
Website

Read my review of the opening night on Culture Vulture

Bakery 164

Bakery 164 is a little sandwich shop situated on the Woodhouse Lane opposite the University. You would think it was like any other sandwich shop except for the fact that all of the bread here is baked freshly on the premises every day.

The sandwich choices are all ready made and waiting for you when you get to the shop making it very quick to grab something on a lunch break. There was a good variety of traditional and more alternative fillings, although as the sandwiches were pre made, you couldn't have any choice about the contents e.g. if you didn't like salad you would have to pick it out yourself. Prices were about on par with other sandwich shops (each item is priced depending on bread/ filling).

I'm also one who likes a bit of sauce/ relish/ pickle/ mayo on their sandwich, and even when I did make a choice including mayonnaise, there wasn't enough in it to stop the filling being dry (As Peter Kay once said... 'Has tha nowt moist???').

There was also a tempting selection of home made cakes, served in generous wedges. I chose a rocky road, which was rich and buttery.The sandwich itself was pretty tasty, and the fillings were generous, this one contained marinaded chicken, salad and bacon. The bread was particularly good, with the sandwich only being let down by a slight lack of mayo, but I suppose that is my personal preference.

Bakery 164
*Freshly made bread
*Wide selection of fillings
*Ready made for quick service

164 Woodhouse Lane
Leeds LS2 9HB
0113 245 8641
Website

Sam's Chop House

Sam's is one of a small chain of three Victorian themed restaurants. From the outside the building looks huge, but actually half of the interior is taken up by the bar area, meaning that the dining room is really quite modest. The décor is a modern take on Victoriana, with chandeliers, heavy curtains, and a large mirror and fireplace, it makes it feel smart and traditional.

The menu is priced towards the higher end of the market but as we went early we were able to take advantage of the express menu at £13.95 for 3 courses. The higher prices of the main menu are justified by the restaurant's claims that much of the food is sourced locally and home made. (This really shouldn't be something special or different, but sadly it is!).

The food is all traditional British. Its nice to see a this type of restaurant sticking by its guns and not panicking by throwing in a Caesar salad and a Thai green curry for trendy mass appeal.

For starters we both had the crispy corned beef hash cake (with home made corned beef) topped with a poached egg and a huge (bordering on excessive) blob of HP sauce. This was delicious and the poached egg was perfectly runny. The portion size was decent, but not too filling, although Liam could have eaten it twice (because it really was that yummy).

For my main course I had a roasted vegetable tart topped with salad and a huge slice of deep fried goats cheese. Any dish containing deep fried cheese is going to be a winner in my books, but I must say it is nice to see a restaurant bothering to be a bit creative with the often neglected vegetarian dishes.

Liam chose the burger, which was actually 2 mini burgers topped with chunky chips. Being a man Liam though this was silly and said he would have preferred one big burger. Being a girl I though this was sweet, and also gets around the problem of huge burgers disintegrating as you try to eat them. Liam chose to pay the £2 supplement for bacon and cheese on his burgers which he didn't think was worth it as the additional toppings were less than generous.

For dessert we both had sticky toffee pudding, which was a simple classic and complimented by the home made ice cream.

The service was pretty good, and the food came out quickly. It was obvious that the waiting staff had been trained to old fashioned standards which I liked (I much prefer 'sir' and 'madam' to 'babes' and 'hun').

The food was comforting and sparked nostalgia, whilst remaining quite modern and interesting. Sam's have proved that hearty and traditional does not have to mean dull and stodgy.

Sams Chop House
*Delicious traditional food
*Good value express menu
*Smart, comfortable surroundings

8 South Parade
Leeds
LS1 5QX

0113 204 2490
Website

The REAL McCoy

My grandma used to tell me that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, however it still is really annoying when it happens. I have recently been made aware of a blog post ripping off one of my own. It has now been taken down but the blog concerned contains a multitude of lovely food photos. If you write a food blog take a look and check none of your own stuff is there... the style of photos look too mismatched to all be from one person.

www.joyofood.wordpress.com

New Year- New Lunch?

Has the New Years resolution to eat healthier/ not get takeaways / take lunch boxes to work gone down the drain yet? Thought so. Instead of scrapping it altogether, why not alter your resolution to trying something different and supporting local businesses?

Below I have looked at some takeaway lunch options from the major chains and found their equivalents from the local independents.

Not only are local independents much better in terms of quality and service, you might be surprised by some of the prices.

Pies and pasties:
At local bakery chain Ainsleys you will find a pork pie for 80p and a sausage roll for £1 (although today it was discounted to 75p). Millies Fresh and Organic on Vicar Lane do hand made (using locally reared meat) pork pies for 99p and sausage rolls for £1.10. Its got to be worth the few pence extra for the superior quality and flavour.

Total bill: Ainsleys= £1.80 Millies= £2.09 (Independent is 29p more expensive)

Manly Meals:
A BK double whopper meal comes in at £5.59. If you cross over the road to Wokon on Lower Briggate you will get a meal of a huge tub of noodles (cooked fresh right in front of you with home made sauce), spring rolls and a drink for £6.69. The great thing about Wokon is that the portions are huge, so you wont be left feeling hungry 30 minutes later and if you choose the right options healthier too.

total bill: Burger King= £5.59 Wokon= £6.69 (Independent is £1.10 more expensive)

Supreme Sandwiches:
Subway 6" steak and cheese £3.69 thats not including any extras/upgrades/extra cheese/ toasting or any other complications (funny smell from the store however is complimentary). Pickles and Potter in Thornton's arcade do their Award Winning Beef £3.90 made with fresh bread, beautifully rare roasted beef, your choice of gourmet cheese and locally produced chutneys. Yum.

Total Bill: Subway= £3.69 Pickles & Potter= £3.90 (Independent 21p more expensive)

Italian Job:
Caffe Nero: Cappuccino £2 and Mozzarella, Basil and Pesto Panini £3.40. Bottega Milanese on the Calls: Cappuccino £1.65 (made by a real Italian guy who really knows and cares about his coffee) Caprese Panini (Buffalo mozzarella, basil, vine tomatoes, olive oil and the most delicious fresh bread) £2.95.

Total Bill: Caffe Nero= £5.40 Bottega Milanese= £4.60 (Independent 80p cheaper!)


Caffeine Fix:
Starbucks mocha: £2.3o (there was a massive queue in this place too, and don't you find all those options baffling?) Opposite in the VQ mocha: £2.15 (cheaper if you work in the VQ) made by highly trained baristas with high quality coffee... and no huge queue!

Total Bill: Starbucks £2.30 Opposite £2.15 (Independent 15p cheaper)


Chain Total £18.78 vs Independent Total £19.43

That is a difference of just 65p overall!

Remember that part of what makes Leeds unique from other cities is the people and their individual shops/restaurants/cafes/businesses. The more we support these enterprises the more unique and special Leeds will become. Try something different, I'm sure you will be more than pleasantly surprised!

Lillians sandwich bar

Lillians is a little cheap and cheerful sandwich shop in Thornton's arcade. There is a pretty standard selection of breakfast items, sandwiches and jacket potatoes. There is also a broad selection of snacks such as crisps chocolate and drinks.

Being a small independent, you are almost guaranteed service with a smile instead of the glares and grunts you get from the staff at chain sandwich shops.

There is nothing new or original about this place but it is in a convenient location, open early on a morning and has good deals such as a large tea/coffee and a bacon sandwich for £2.50.

Lillians Sandwich Bar
*Cheap and cheerful
*Convenient location
*Service with a smile

21 Thorntons Arcade
Leeds
LS1 6LQ
0113 2438803

La Bottega Milanese

La Bottega Milanese is a brand new authentic Italian espresso bar located on the Calls. Its a tiny little place, basically just a kiosk with a counter and a couple of stools to sit on at the side. It is a little haven of immaculate Italian style and class.

The coffee is smooth and sweet and served the traditional way. No gimmicks, no syrups or fancy options... just a damn good cup of Italian style coffee.

They also have a small menus of paninis and salads. I had the classico panini made with Parma ham, cheese and olive oil. This panini had to be the best I have ever tasted. The bread was beautifully fresh and the ham delicious. Absolute perfection.

The coffee was £1.65. Espressos start from just £1 a shot and the panini was £2.85 which is more than reasonable as it was a good size and the quality superb.

This place is right on the money, a simple idea presented with total passion and to a exceptional standard.

La Bottega Milanese

*Authentic Italian espresso bar
*Delicious coffee and paninis
*Good value for money

32 The Calls Leeds
Leeds
LS2 7EW

Website

La Strega

This little greasy spoon cafe is hidden in a backstreet behind Debenhams, you wouldnt even know it was there unless you went to look for it. Its only a tiny place with a counter, and a few bench seats. Its all fairly basic in terms of décor, as is the menu - mainly fry ups and sandwiches.

If you work in the city centre you can take advantage of their lunch deal of £3 for any sandwich and a drink. For this I got a bottle of orange juice and a bacon and egg butty which I think is a pretty good deal. Even without this offer, the prices are really reasonable, and the food tasty.

Another bonus is that due to their off piste location (sorry if your reading this in July, but its been snowing all week) there rarely seems to be a queue which is great if you have limited time for your lunch break.

They also serve the ever trendier blended chocolate bar milkshakes for much less than the trendy milkshake shops.

La Strega

*Classic greasy spoon cafe
*£3 lunch deal
*No frills tasty food

La Strega
6 Fish Street
Leeds
LS1 6DB
0113-245 7252