Aglassto

Gev and I are always on the hunt for new foodie places to eat drink and be merry. This week we came up trumps when we stumbled across the new food and wine bar Aglassto- so new in fact, that the sign hadn't even been put up outside and the place still smelled of fresh paint.

The interior of the listed Georgian building is decorated in a stylish yet cosy way, making the most of the period features such as the lovely sash windows. 

Once settled at a table we were talked through the extensive wine list by a very enthusiastic staff member and even given some samples to try before we made our choices.

The food is more along the lines of snacks and light bites, basic but good quality ingredients such as continental cheeses and cured meats are served with bread and olives. 

I had anchovies with tapanade and Gev had Spanish cheese with finely sliced ham. Everything was completely delicious and served in a simple fashion. It all appeared so effortless, we were left wondering why the excellent quality seems such a novelty to us- 'there needs to be more of this in Leeds' was our conclusion!

A quick after work drink turned into almost 2 hours sat comfortably chatting.

The honest attempt to share an excellent selection of wines and foods in a relaxed, intimate environment means that although Aglassto is smart, it is not at all pretentious. The honesty continues with the prices, food plates start at around £5 which is more than fair considering the quality. We will definitely be back here soon.

Aglassto
*Excellent quality food
*Great wine list
*Relaxed, comfortable surroundings

18 Great George Street
Leeds
LS1 3DW

Website

La Luna, Halifax

Em and I went on a little Sunday afternoon jolly to Halifax to visit a vintage fair. Afterwards looking for something to eat we found La Luna. the menu boards looked interesting and the crowds of people inside promising.

The restaurant was packed inside with families, couples and groups of friends all enjoying a Sunday afternoon together. The menu was an eclectic mix of pastas, salads, burgers, tapas in the evenings and a varied selection of specials.

We ordered a couple of pasta dishes and garlic bread to share. Service was fairly prompt considering how busy the restaurant was and most of the staff were cheerful although a couple did seem a bit fed up and past caring which was disappointing.

Our food arrived in good time. We both agreed that our meals were not the finest we had ever had but they were perfectly tasty, the portions were a good size, the surroundings pleasant and the prices reasonable.

La Luna
*Comfortable and family friendly
*Broad range of dishes
*Reasonable prices

01422 363 755
13-15 Westgate
Halifax,
HX1 1DJ
Website

Manjit's Kitchen

I had been told by a few people about a 'secret take away' in the LS8 area where amazingly good vegetarian curries are lovingly made on a small scale in a domestic kitchen and then delivered to your home on a Friday and Saturday night. 

Curious to try for myself I looked up Manjit's kitchen on Twitter and then clicked through to their blog where I found a menu of just 3 main courses.

From reading the blog and twitter stream it is apparent that Manjit tries to source all of the veg for the curries from local allotments and farmers markets.

Orders can be placed by phone, email or through twitter and they deliver within 4 miles of LS8.

I placed an order on Saturday afternoon by email. I had booked for the meal to arrive at 6pm. It was a little late but the driver couldn't find my flat and was very apologetic when he did arrive.

I ordered Aloo Gobi, Tarka Daal, Onion Bhajis, chapatti and rice. I was also sent a free sample of mango kulfi from Indie Ices and a piece of Barfi which is an Indian sweet.

As you would expect from a home made curry, it was delicious, full of flavour but not over spiced. Being vegetarian the meal also was a lot healthier than the usual greasy Indian take away.

I took the left overs to work the next day and was met by a lot of jealous stares in the staff room.

I have always thought that Leeds lacks a decent Indian take away. Manjit's stress they are not a 'take away' as such, however they do home deliver curries for the same price as a take away but to a far superior standard. I will be ordering from them again- thanks to all those people who recommended them to me :)

Manjits Kitchen
*Delicious home made curries
*Locally sourced ingredients
*Reasonable prices

Website
Twitter : @manjitskitchen

Salvo's Salumeria

A few doors down from the main Salvo's restaurant in Headingley is the Salumeria, a little cafe/ deli shop.

Its quite small inside, the tables are squeezed in and the place feels quite cluttered and crowded (in a pleasingly relaxed, rustic way) as the side wall is a shelf displaying all sorts of premium Italian goodies such as pasta, biscuits and olive oil.

We ordered coffee and were told with great enthusiasm by the waiter about the available specials. I ordered the pasta bake special and Michelle chose the Tuscan bread soup. We were also persuaded to order bread and olives to nibble on while we waited for the food. Other options on the menu include pizza, sandwiches and salads.

The coffee was decent and the olives really good. We got provided with several huge chunks of bread which was nice but a bit overwhelming considering I had a big plate of pasta coming.

The main courses arrived fairly quickly. Michelle's soup was a huge chunk of bread sat in a broth which she said was delicious. My pasta was served in a satisfying pile containing chunks of sausage and boiled eggs, covered in tonnes of cheese and garnished with a really fresh looking side salad.

We managed in the end to resist ordering cake after our meal, but they did look really good.

Its not particularly cheap but I think it is good value, as the bill with a couple of drinks each and enough food for us to not really need tea that night came to just over a tenner each. Food is all home made and the owners make a great effort to source quality ingredients both locally and from Italy. Service was relaxed but friendly and attentive.

Salvo's Salumeria
*Family owned business
*Rustic Italian food
*Good quality

115 and 109 Otley Rd
Headingley
LS6 3PX.
(0113) 275 5017

Website

Brooklyn Bar and First Floor Grill

Brooklyn is a new bar on Call Lane that has been open for a few months now. The latest addition to the establishment is a restaurant 'First Floor Grill'.

I was invited by the manager for a free meal to try out the food.

As it was my birthday, the first stop was at the Brooklyn bar downstairs for celebratory cocktails. Its quite a small bar, but I think that makes it feel quite cosy. The décor is simple and classy, dark wood and bare brick, coupled with some retro party tunes it has a cool but fun atmosphere.

The classy theme extends to the restaurant upstairs with the addition of big comfy leather seats around large, generously spaced tables.

The menu is simple and concise. Starters are mostly fish based (from £5-£8) and the main course offering is steaks of various sizes and cuts, as well as a couple of supplementary chicken and fish dishes. Prices range from £11 up to £22.50 for the fillet steak. The menu states that ingredients are locally sourced.

I had the mussels to start with, which were served in a huge pan, with plenty of rich sauce and nice big chunks of warm bread. Other starters included tempura prawns which went down well and some scallops which unfortunately had a huge blob of wasabi concealed within he batter which caught my friend by surprise and rendered the batter for her inedible.Everyone ordered steak for the main course. I shared the Chateaubriand from the specials board. Although side orders were offered, it really was unnecessary as all of the steaks came served with onion rings, mushroom and tomato.

The presentation was excellent and all of the steaks were cooked nicely rare as ordered. My steak melted in the mouth and was delicious.Puddings are all made in house, including the ice cream. At £1 a scoop the flavours can be mixed and matched. I like the idea that if you are completely stuffed with steak but still want pudding you can just order one single scoop.

I had the cocktail parfait (£5). The flavours of the parfait are designed to replicate a cocktail- the one I had was 'Purple Rain' (apple and raspberry). It was light and fresh, and the presentation made me smile :)I appreciate it when a restaurant makes a real effort with puddings as in a lot of places I think they are stuck on as an afterthought.

I can't really comment on the service and ambiance, as the restaurant manager knew we were there for a review so of course we were really well looked after. The restaurant was sadly almost empty when we were there as its presence is not obvious from the street and clearly word has not got around that it is there yet.

Its not the cheapest restaurant, but I think the quality of the food we had was reflected in the price. The dishes were simple but well done, allowing the quality of the ingredients to do the work- there were no fancy gimmicks or silly garnishes, just good, satisfying food.

I liked the way that sauces and veg were included in the price of the steak. Not all places do this and I find that ordering side dishes can really bump up the bill in steak restaurants.

The wine list was again concise but varied. Many of the bottles were under £20.

If you want to try the First Floor Grill there is currently a voucher HERE for half price mains when you order a starter.

Brooklyn First Floor Grill
* Modern classy decor
*Quality, locally sourced ingredients
*Imaginative home made puddings

50 Call Lane
Leeds
LS1 6DT

0113 244 3932

Website

Harvey Nichols 4th Floor

For my birthday I was treated by my house mate to breakfast at Harvey Nichols.

The dining room is light and bright and has a relaxed cafe feel. There is a small balcony to sit on in warmer weather that looks out over Briggate.

The weekday breakfast is a usual selection of cooked breakfasts ranging from about £3 for toast and preserves to £10.50 for a full fry up.

Drinks orders were taken quickly, however the delivery of the drinks took some time but were worth the wait. The coffee was particularly good.

The food orders came soon after. Presentation was fantastic and I love the attention to detail such as the ketchup being served in little individual jars.

The bacon had a lovely sweet cure, the sausage was served in thin discs and the mushrooms and tomatoes were delicious.The portions were not the biggest, and although I thought my breakfast was enough, the boys complained that they weren't completely sated.

As it was my birthday I washed my meal down with a Bloody Mary, served in a tall glass with plenty of spice. Just what I needed.

Not the cheapest breakfast in town, but certainly very good value as the quality was exceptional.

Harvey Nichols 4th Floor Cafe
*Exceptional Quality
*High end prices
*Nice atmosphere and views

107-111 Briggate
Leeds
LS1 6AZ
0113 204 8888

Website

The Wellington

For a long time Ian from Retirement Rocks has been telling me about a pub called the Wellington on the Wetherby Road where on a weekday you can get a carvery dinner for a mere £3.50! Despite the bargain price I have never managed to go until Ian treated me to lunch there this week.

The price has actually gone up and now its a whole £3.69! Even on a weekday it was busy so we found a table and waited a little while with our drinks while the queue went down. We then took our tickets and queued up for the food.

The carvery is pretty standard with a choice of beef, gammon and turkey, 2 types of potato, veg, stuffing and Yorkshire puddings.

I asked for 'a bit of everything' and was served a large portion of each of the 3 meats and then helped myself to the veg.The meal was nothing gourmet but everything was a pretty decent standard. I was surprised that the beef and gammon were really tender. The turkey was a little dry, but that was easily rectified with a big splash of gravy.

For the price it was a good value meal, big portion, comfortable surrounding and excellent company!

The Wellington

*Traditional carvery
*Big portions
*Bargain price

The Wellington
Wetherby Road
Leeds
LS17 8LZ

0113 2651991

Website

Red Hot Buffet

Red hot is a new all you can eat 'world buffet' that has opened in what used to be life/nu bar on the Headrow in the Light building.

The street level entrance is designed to look like an airport check in desk, you then go down stairs past airport style chairs and finally through corridor which is built to look like the inside of a plane!

After the grand entrance you find a large dining room with red and black oriental style decoration.We were shown to a table and our drink orders were taken. We then headed up to the buffet area to get our food.

The buffet area is seriously smart, there numerous stations around the room each with a different style of cuisine presented in imaginative and interesting ways, including prawns on an ice sculpture! Along the back of the room there are several cooking stations where chefs will make to order pasta, tex mex and stir fry dishes.The decor is so lavish it reminded me a bit of the Harrods food hall!

After 2 laps of the room to case out all of the different dishes I decided on a mix of sushi and Chinese for my starters. I also had some tacos and a bit of pizza. For the main course I had some pasta cooked to order. Emma had mostly curry dishes.

The star of the show for me was the puddings (plus I am a pudding fiend hence all the pudding photos!). There is an ice cream station with at least a dozen flavours to choose from and jars full of sprinkles and toppings. There is also fresh fruit, chocolate fondue and all manner of bite sized cakes, brownies, cheesecakes and jellies.The service was attentive to the point of being a little intrusive as several different members of staff roving the dining room came to the table to check if we were ok and to remove plates- sometimes before I had even finished my last mouth full. I am pleased that the staff were keen, but maybe this could be toned down, or staff allocated individual areas of the dining room to attend to.

For the evening buffet the price is £12.99. The share of a bottle of wine meant that the total bill came to £20 a head.

Like I have said before about this kind of international buffet- the food is never going to be top notch, or an outstanding representation of a particular type of cuisine but everything was of a decent standard and tasty. I like to view this kind of restaurant as a 'food theme park' where you can get excited about the novelty and theatre of seeing dishes created in front of you and trying lots of different things.

Great for a large group or an occasion such as a birthday when you want to have a bit of fun.

Red Hot Buffet

*Imaginative and glamorous décor
*Vast choice of dishes
*Overly enthusiastic service

The Light
44-48 The Headrow
Leeds
LS1 8TL
Tel: 0113 244 0400
Website

The Celebrity Cookbook

I came across The Celebrity Cookbook when I visited the World Curry Festival on Millennium Square last month.

The book is a collection of recipes and personal stories that have been submitted by celebrities including the PM David Cameron, Gary Lineker, Lorraine Kelly and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The profits will go to the Princes Trust who provide support for young people with getting work and training.

There is an element of local interest too, as the recipes were all cooked and tested by students from Leeds Thomas Danby college. The finished dishes were then photographed to illustrate the book.

I know it is still a wee bit early for thinking about Christmas shopping, but I was asked by the people behind the book to feature it on the blog as a Christmas present idea.

Here is a bit of the press release:

"The book has been masterminded and produced by a team of nine corporate fundraisers from leading marketing services provider Communisis, as part of The Princes Trusts’ Million Makers Challenge.

Million Makers see companies competing nationwide to raise money for The Prince’s Trust, by creating and producing exciting products with a mass appeal. Teams run their own ‘mini-enterprises’ during the challenge, with the aim of making as much profit as possible for The Trust, from an initial investment of just £1,500.

A-list celebrities from film, TV, music and sport, have joined forces for The Celebrity Cookbook, a collection of top recipes and personal stories about why they chose them."

I have had a look through the book- its something a little different, the photography is great and its for a very worthwhile cause.

Order a copy from www.thecelebritycookbook.co.uk