Town Hall Tavern

I went to the launch night of this newly refurbished Timothy Taylor's pub a few weeks ago and was impressed by the decoration and the look of the new classically British menu. We went back last night to try the food for ourselves.

The decor on the inside keeps the feel of an old fashioned pub but has a contemporary edge with modern floral fabrics on the cushions and lamps shaped like teapots!

For starters Em had the chicken liver parfait, which came with fresh apple and some rhubarb chutney. I had a ball shaped Whitby crab fish cake filled with brown shrimp. This came with a sweet pepper sauce and chorizo. The presentation was fantastic and the flavours great.

I ordered the black pudding hash, which came with an amazing fruity home made brown sauce a slice of crispy bacon and a super runny fried egg. The 'hash' was a slightly anticlimax as it was essentially black pudding mixed in with mash. It was nice but I suppose I compare all such dishes with the corned beef hash produced by Sam's chop house, and this sadly just didn't stand up.

Emma's pie was a total hit, huge, topped with super smooth mash and accompanied by a lovely rich gravy. Fantastic.

The chocolate tart pudding tasted like chocolate brownie in a sweet pastry case. It came with nougatine parfait which was a great compliment and the presentation again was excellent.

The bill with 2 drinks each (served in old man mugs) was £51 which was reduced by 20% as an opening offer for signing up for the loyalty card. Definitely more gastro pub than pub grub, but worth the extra cost as the quality is there.

Town Hall Tavern
*Traditional food with a modern twist
*Excellent presentation
*Real Ales

17 Westgate
Leeds LS1 2RA

0113 244 0765

Website

Ilkley Beer Society

Billed as an event to allow you to see the brewery and try the beer at source, Friday night was basically the proverbial piss up in a brewery. Thankfully unlike the cliché it was very well organised.

As well as a marquee in case of wet weather there were 2 bars, a raffle and a BBQ run by Lishmans butchers.

Beer was £2 a pint and you got to keep the branded glass. Something different to do on a Friday night. Well worth a visit if you like real ale and are interested in seeing where it comes from.
The next one is on the 15th July. Ilkley Brewery Website 

Read my behind the scenes look at Ilkley brewery here.

Patisserie Valerie

Due to a sad lack of anywhere independent in the city centre that does truly amazing patisserie products I thought I would try out Patisserie Valerie. Its a chain, and the guy on the till confessed that they cakes are delivered every 2 days from a production kitchen in Birmingham.

Nevertheless the place was rammed full (and its really small inside, tables packed in with only a narrow walkway) and the cakes looked gorgeous.

Its a bit more to sit in, but to take out fancy cake slices were about £3 each- so not cheap but everything screamed fancy/luxury/pampering from the staffs smart uniforms, being called 'Madam' by the man behind the till and the nice box and bag the cakes came in.

I had my cakes at home shared with a friend with a gossip and a bottle of wine. They were lovely.

As much as it pains me to say as it is a big chain, I would go back and enjoy a meal there because as it stands at the moment there isn't an independent in Leeds city centre that is able to compete.

Patisserie Valerie
*Fancy French style patisserie
*Lovely cakes
*Premium prices

50 Albion Street
Leeds,
LS1 6AD
0113 242 4739
Website

Market Stall of the Week: Present Times

This stall used to be in what is now the Jamie's food kitchen and has since moved to a smaller spot in the centre of the market just up from the pet stall.

There is no way to describe this outlet apart from... completely potty. Circus bookmark for 2p next to a Celtic design tie pin for a quid? Present times has it, as well as note books and diaries from about 10p, and probably most usefully a large selection of gift bags, normally starting around 50p which is much less than in the high street card shops.

I always look here first if I want a note book, marker pen, comedy fridge magnet or naff Christmas ornament... I genuinely love this stall!

Afternoon Tea at Anthonys Patisserie

For a birthday treat for my friend Sarah we visited the Anthony's Patisserie in the Victoria Quarter for afternoon tea. For £10.95 you get sandwiches, a scone, cake and fancies and a pot of tea.

The location is lovely under the cover of the stained glass roof of the Victoria Quarter. The big leather seats give everything a sense of luxury.

I love Anthony's brand and I had an amazing meal at the main restaurant the other week, however it frustrates me that sometimes standards are allowed to slip at the other establishments, and the commitment to the idea of a luxury brand isn't quite there.

In the case of Patisserie it was that the little plastic box used to carry the cutlery was really grubby and the teapot was chipped and stained around the lid and the spout.

Also all of the food was served on a single plate rather than a serving dish/ cake stand and the tea cups were huge coffee mugs, which detracted from the ceremony of things a little.

Its these little attentions to detail that are so easy to fix, and they annoyed me because if it had not been for these glitches I would have had a perfect experience.

The service was fine and the food was lovely! Soft little finger sandwiches had a variety of traditional fillings, the scone was still warm and there was a good variety of home made cakes and biscuits. There was plenty of food and we *almost* didn't finish!

The total bill with an extra pot of tea and service already added was £26.51. Not bad for a treat, shame it wasn't delightfully perfect!

Anthony's Patisserie
*Lovely afternoon tea
*Glam surroundings
*Slight lack of attention to detail

37 Queen Victoria Street,
Victoria Quarter,
LS1 6BD

0113 2444 222
Website

Laynes Espresso

Hooorah, there is another new independent coffee shop in Leeds- Laynes Espresso. Its conveniently located on Station St (near to the train station).

The coffee is at the moment single estate Ethiopian coffee sourced directly from the grower (although this will change periodically as each harvest runs out and new beans sourced). The owner Dave explained that by sourcing his coffee in this way he is able to pay a fair price directly to the farmers.

The coffee I tried had an amazingly rich deep flavour, really unique. It will be a shame when this runs out but I am excited to see what the next batch of coffee is like.

The interior is smart and minimalist. There is a small amount of seating at the moment which is due to increase slightly in the near future.

Food includes porridge in the morning and sandwich choices which change daily. Another bonus is that the shop is open every day, 7am-7pm on weekdays. Worth checking out anyway but if you are a coffee geek, you will love this place.

Laynes Espresso
*Premium single estate coffees
*Great location and opening hours
*Small amount of seating available

16 New Station St
Leeds,
LS1 5DL

07828 823 189

Website

Market Stall of the Week: Bennett's Butchers

Bennett's is quite a new contender in the butchery steaks stakes, set on its own near to the top of fish row.

They make their own sausages which are really good, they sell huge Desperate Dan sized steaks and the customer service is ace.

Prices are as good as, if a little better than the supermarket but there is much more choice (they even sell pigs heads if you like that kind of thing).

Anthony's Restaurant

It is for good reason that Anthony's is regarded as one of the top restaurants in Leeds. Well known for being part of the 'Molecular Gastronomy' school of cooking- this was never going to be a regular restaurant experience.

I have wanted to eat here since before starting this blog and I am so fortunate to have finally been able to go.

The feeling in the restaurant was serene due to the simple, sophisticated decor and the team of unobtrusive staff who choreographed the experience from start to finish. They had a wonderful trick of appearing just at the right moment with the answer to our questions seemingly before we had even asked, and they were able to discuss the menu and wine choices with obvious knowledge.

We of course went for the tasting menu. Seven courses with portions apparently half that of the standard dishes, although after about 4 courses we were already feeling full.

This post has taken ages to write as I have been away and working so unfortunately I have forgotten all of the minute details of each dish so sorry if some of the descriptions are a bit brief. 

The amuse bouche was a mushroom veloute served with a straw, drank from a little bottle. The way it was served was novel and we pondered as we got to the bottom whether it was appropriate to slurp the dregs through our straws in such an establishment. As for flavour, it tasted like a really really good home made mushroom soup.Maybe a little OTT and unnecessary but a fun start to the meal all the same.

This was accompanied by a mini loaf of bread and a selection of flavoured butters- a novel way to serve such a staple. 

The first of the three starters was the signature dish of white onion risotto with Parmesan air and espresso. There was a strong onion taste in the risotto which was light and creamy and the foam was amazingly cheesy. The coffee wasn't apparent at first but once it was all stirred in together the coffee blended in and made a really surprising compliment to the dish.This was one of my favourites to the meal, and I love the way the foam resisted collapse even once it had been stirred in to the rest of the dish.

Another one of my favourite dishes was the pan seared scallop with chorizo and a tomato jelly. The flavours and textures all combined together into a rich, spicy, meaty broth. The tomato jelly melted on the tongue in a burst of flavour. Amazing.

The next dish was orzo in black squid ink with a huge prawn cracker like crisp. The flavours in this dish reminded me of the traditional cuttlefish  I had eaten on my recent trip to Venice. Quite simple in terms of flavour compared to the previous courses, but very striking in its presentation.

Monkfish cheeks were served with a creamy sauce and butter beans and I think almonds. Much more subtle than the previous dishes, it was enjoyable but not a highlight. We also found that the firmness of the fish sadly bordered on tough.

Pork served five ways was fantastic and came with a mini cider poached apple. Each of the different elements was cooked perfectly and really demonstrated how different cuts of meat can vary in flavour and texture.

I have to be honest completely forgotten what this first pudding contained, but I think it was a spiced sponge with I think a white chocolate sauce... I do remember that is was really good and that I scraped the bowl.

Pudding number two was chocolate brownie with a parfait and fudge chunks. It tasted as good as it looked and the multiple combinations of chocolate flavours and nuts just got better and better the more I had.

Coffee and petits fours rounded off the meal.The truffle and poppy seed ones were amazing, really delicate and unusual compared to their other sweeter, more traditional companions.

As for cost, the tasting menu is £65 a head without wine, and the coffees were extra, we had a glass of white wine and a pudding wine each. I don't know what the total bill was as Rebecca treated me to this most amazing and enjoyable of mid week lunches- for which I am forever indebted to her!

Anthony's Restaurant
*Premier food with a premier price
*Fantastic tasting menu
*Great service

19 Boar Lane,
Leeds,
LS1 6EA

0113 2455922
Website

Grub Excursion #24 Bridlington: Captain Scott's Cafe

This week Emma and I went on a bit of a road trip to the coast. After going puffin spotting at Bempton Cliffs we drove into Bridlington to look for some lunch. As it was quite windy we decided to find somewhere we could sit inside to eat.

We stumbled across this chippy with signs for a cafe upstairs. What we found was a charming cafe stuck in a time warp. The fixtures are fittings are so old that they could now be considered 'retro chic'.

We had a quick look at the menu but all we wanted was fish and chips. For £5.75  you can get fish and chips with bread and butter and a pot of tea. We decided to pay an extra 75p each for beans/ peas bringing the total bill to a whole £13!

Food was served quickly, the waitresses were friendly. It was shabby but clean and most of all dirt cheap. Bellies full and giddy with nostalgia we went off and bought Mr Whippy 99's from the kiosk on the sea front (just a quid with flake, sprinkles and sauce... not many places where you can still get that) and then had a flutter on the 2p machines in the arcade.

Captain Scott's
*Classic fish and chip cafe
*Very cheap
*Very shabby and retro

14 Prince Street
Bridlington,
YO15 2NW
01262 672 764

Krispy Kreme in Leeds

There has been a lot of talk about this and I have noticed people are already searching the blog for it so for the benefit of those people I can announce that there WILL be a new Krispy Kreme store opening in Leeds this summer.

The store will be at the Centre 27 business park (near IKEA at Birstall) and will open on Tuesday 5th of July.

I only usually eat doughnuts at the seaside and I had never tried Krispy Kreme before, so the company sent me a few to  try. The colours and varieties all looked fun and interesting. They were very very sweet and some of the flavours a tad synthetic but overall I enjoyed them. Probably not worth a special trip out to Birstall, but if you are already there shopping, good for a cheeky treat!

Box Pizza Discount

Box Pizza are offering all Leeds Grub readers a 10% discount if you mention that you read the blog when ordering. If you don't know, box pizza is a take away that offers restaurant style pizzas, made with quality ingredients, delivered to your door. There is quite an old review here but I have ordered recently and it is still good!