Distrikt

I must say my first thoughts of what Distrikt might be like were not good- slightly er well what can I say, dodgy deliberately misspelled name and the obscure side street location did not draw me in.

All this aside I had heard a couple of good comments made about the place so I thought I would give it the benefit of the doubt and go for a meal.

Entering Distrikt is like going into a night club- as you descend the dimly lit steps to the basement bar you are greeted by multi coloured spotlights and the sound of thumping music drifting up the stairs.

The bar when you enter continues to imply the night club theme- with a DJ box in the corner and more of the multi colour lights. The music is quite loud- but just low enough to be able to hold a conversation over it, and looking at the posters there appears to be frequent live music evenings and party events.

We took a seat and were instantly greeted by a very pleasant member of staff who for the whole time served us at our table. This continental style table service is a rare treat, but makes going for a drink, or a meal much more pleasant.

We had been warned that we may have to sell a kidney to afford drinks at this place, and although cocktails were £6 each (not over and above anything you would pay on Call Lane) we got a bottle of Shiraz Viognier for £15 which I think is more than reasonable.

The food is a Middle Eastern/ Mediterranean inspired tapas. The menu is completely original we were told will change frequently to include seasonal foods.

We chose a seafood mezze plate at £4.50, which included 4 plump chilled mussels, 4 huge prawns, some smoked mackerel and pita bread with a delicious sweet red pepper dip.From the tapas menu we had the squid stuffed with saffron risotto,(£4) which I thought was quite nice but I couldn't decide if the sticky texture of the risotto was the best compliment for the squid.The monkfish with shallot puree and citrus fruit (£4) was an absolute triumph. The fish was beautifully cooked. The zing of the citrus was a wonderful surprise and was a great way to balance the thick, creamy shallot sauce. This was my favourite dish of the selection.

The mini Lebanese pizza (£4) was another tasty addition to the meal.
There is also a selection of clay pot dishes. We chose the lentil and chorizo stew (£5) which was packed with flavour and would be enough for a light lunch on its own.
Our favourite concept by far was the pudding tapas. We chose balsamic strawberries (£2) and liquorice infused figs (£1.50) both served with vanilla liqueur infused cream and the Lebanese doughnuts served with lemon syrup (£2). These were perfect little treats to round off the meal, and a perfect idea for people like us who can never decide what dessert they want!I was struggling to find a way to summarise this post, when I found this on their website:

'The initiative behind Distrikt came from the desire to bring a niche music market and everyone’s loves – food – with an undiscovered_underground twist.'

When you manage to find your way into Distrikt you will feel that you have stumbled upon something really secret and unique. Its a venue that will ultimately appeal to a younger trendy crowd, but the inspired menu is bound to appeal to foodies of all ages.
Distrikt

*Trendy basement bar
*Good value food
*Innovative tapas menu

7 Duncan Street
Leeds
LS1 6DQ

Website

Tancred Field Farm

Tancred Field Farm is another one of my Farmers Market favourites. As well as a range of fresh meat, they sell several varieties of sausages, made on the farm from their own pigs.

The sausages come in packs of 4 and you can mix and match 3 packs for £5. The quality of these sausages is excellent and well worth paying a little extra for.

If you cant wait for the Leeds farmers market, you can visit the farm itself, or Millies Fresh and Organic on Vicar Lane also stock some of their products.

Tancred Field Farm Website

Guest Blogging...

The Guardian have launched 3 new local blogs, based in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Leeds. I was very pleased when they asked me to write a small guest blog for the Leeds one. If you would like to read what I had to say, you will find the article HERE

Early Birds and Special Offers

Its been a while since my last round up, so here is an updated list of the best early bird and midweek deals. All these details are correct at time of writing, but please check with the restaurant as these kind of deals can change.

Please comment if you know of any others and I will add them to the list!

Sams Chop House: Hearty traditional food, in a great Victorian themed dining room. 13.95 for 3 courses Monday to Saturday, lunchtimes and early evenings Website Review

Kendells Bistro: Classic French bistro. The pre theatre menu is available Tuesday – Saturday 5.30 – 7.00 pm £21.95 for 3 courses and 1/2 bottle of wine Website Review

Brasserie 44: Another traditional restaurant with a classic menu. £22.50 for 3 courses and 1/2 bottle of wine every day from 5pm-7pm Website Review

River Plate: Great Argenine steak house, currently offering a 20% discount before 7pm. Website Review

Loch Fyne: 2 courses including a side order for £10 before 7pm Website Review

Sous Le Nez: French bistro style food. 3 courses and 1/2 bottle of wine £23.95 Mon-Thurs 6-7:30pm Fri&Sat 6-7pm Website

Salvos: Voted by The F Word as best Local Italian. 3 courses with coffee for £15.95 Mon-Fri before 7pm Website

Olive Tree: Greek restaurant, 3 locations through the city. 3 courses for £13.95 Mon-Sat 6-7pm, all day Sunday. Website Review

Mustard Pot: Traditional pub in Chapel A, 2 course for £13 and 3 courses for £16.50, Mon - Sat, 6pm - 7pm Website

Happy Mondays... (And some Tuesdays too)

Oracle: This trendy riverside bar is offering all of its menu at 1/2 price on Mondays Website

Slug and Lettuce: Half price food on a Monday Website

Box: Headingly Student bar, again half price food on Mondays (Tuesdays at Arc) Website

Diva Italiana: Family Italian in Pudsey for £15 on a Monday you will get a 5- 7 course pot luck menu. Website Review (Via Globe Troffers)

Azucar: Half price tapas on a Tuesday Website Review

Headingley Farmers Market

This is a little market held the second Saturday of each month, on the little patch of land outside the ARC bar on North Lane. For the size of the patch, there is a surprising amount of stalls selling a variety of fresh produce such as meats, fish, veg, baking and preserves.

Some of the stalls I recognised from the Leeds farmers market, but most were different. There was also a choir singing in the centre of the market which was a nice touch, and making it more of an interesting day out.

One of the stalls that was there was the Otley Country Markets stall. Country Markets is a not for profits organisation which enables home producers to sell items locally and co-operatively, directly to the public. On this stall there was a great selection of home made cakes, chutneys and jams. I got some lovely home made macaroons, which were as good (but much cheaper) as any I had bought from any fancy patisserie.(Picture thanks to @bakelady59 who also made the macaroons!)I also got this beautiful white chocolate and ganache cake from Cutting Cake Patisserie who are one of my perennial farmers market favourites.


Headingly Farmers Market Website

If you are interested in buying or selling wonderful home made produce, you should check out We Love Homemade Produce


Headingley Farmers Market
2nd Sat of the Month
9am - 12.30pm
Rose Garden
North Lane
Headingly

Jaldi Jaldi

Translating to Quickly Quickly! This is a new fast food innovation from the curry kings at Mumtaz. I visited the branch at the Leeds Uni Union.

Its a simple concept, Mumtaz cook their famous curries at a central location and then deliver them daily to the Jaldi Jaldi stores. There is a good range of dishes, both (halal) meat and vegetable, some mild and some hotter.

For £3.95 you get to choose any dish with rice, which is then reheated in one of the microwaves stacked behind the counter. (I particularly liked the way veggie dishes had their own ovens, keeping the meat and veg completely separate). You get a fair sized portion, its not huge but enough for lunch and its a comparable price with other take always. As you would expect with Mumtaz the food was of a good quality and beautifully spiced.

The stall also sells a range of Mumtaz own brand drinks and products to take home.
It seems that there are plans to open several Jaldi Jaldi outlets. I have already seen branches appear in Headingly and Chapel A. It's an interesting innovation and a tasty and potentially quite healthy alternative lunch option.

Jaldi Jaldi

*Tasty, quality curries
*Good choice of dishes
*Something different for a (quick) lunch

Leeds University Union
Lifton Place
Leeds
LS2 9JT

Calls Landing

Calls Landing is a tiny little bar by the river on the Calls. Like a lot of the venues on that stretch, Calls Landing has left the beams and bricks of the former warehouse it lives in exposed. The furniture is 70's inspired tan leather and there are funky prints on the walls.

The old warehouse windows look out over the water and let in a good amount of light, but by night the bar is cosy and candle lit. For warmer days there is also the option to sit outside on the decking area looking over the river. The atmosphere is effortlessly cool, but with not the slightest hit of pretension.

The menu has recently relaunched with the simple theme of stew and oysters. We found 3 choices of stew today on the chalk board, a Moroccan chickpea one, a spiced pork and almond option, and a classic Irish beef. Gev had the Moroccan stew, and I had the pork. I'm ashamed to say I wasn't brave enough to try an oyster.

As the stews were ready prepared, they were served to us immediately after ordering. The huge dishes came with a couple of chunks of bread and a cheese and salad garnish. The speed of service means that this would be a good option for a time limited lunch break as you know you are not going to be hanging around for your food.The stews were hearty and filling, mine had plenty of chunks of pork in it and the flavours were good. We thought they were excellent value at just £5.50 each. If you want a lighter option/ filling snack you can for £3 get a chunk of bread with a ladle full of stew to top it. A good value, warming meal, perfect for a cold winters day!

Calls Landing
*Small cosy bar
*Simple menu done well
*Lovely waterside location

36-38 The Calls,
LS2 7EW
0113 242 5299

Website

Ha Ha Bar and Grill

I popped in here today for a bit of lunch today with a friend after shopping. We decided on Ha Ha because we thought it would be a cheap chain bar type of place. We were wrong, well not completely- it is a chain bar, but it aint cheap.

The lunch menu starts as advertised at £6 but goes up to £7.50. On the main menu most of the dishes are the wrong side of a tenner. I chose the nachos (£7.95) and Em had the chicken burger (£7.50) from the lunch menu which came with chips.

The food was really tasty. Rather than being the usual out a packet corn type tortilla chips, these nachos were cooked pieces of tortilla wrap and then covered in the usual cheese/salsa etc. We thought this was a nice tasty alternative. Em said her burger was very good.The staff were friendly and helpful and the food came out quick.

Ha ha is a trendy type bar, and it is decorated as such, with all the usual clean lines and dark wood. What is nice about Ha Ha is the choice of environment, as in the summer there is a large seating area out on Millennium square, and there is also an area in the covered courtyard of the Electric Press.
In summary, Ha Ha is a pleasant enough venue, but it does feel a bit soulless and bland. As for the food, it was very nice, but the menu was quite unoriginal and I feel you could probably get something similar for much less cost elsewhere (such as the Slug and Lettuce, who are owned by the same people).

Ha Ha Bar and Grill
*Trendy chain bar
*Tasty food
*Expensive

Electric Press

Leeds
LS2 3AD

0113 244 8835

Website