Auchentoshan tasting at Nation of Shopkeepers

I was invited along by Auchentoshan (ock-un-tosh-un), a single malt Scotch company to have a tasting of their range. They provided us with a few delicious refreshing cocktails of the 'Classic'  mixed with orange and ginger.

We were than sat down at the table while the expert from the company who talked us through the blends. Established in 1823 Auchentoshan is located near to Glasgow and is the only distillery of single malt to triple distill.

I am not a whisky expert but I can still tell the difference between something that is nice to sip and something that makes your face crumple when your drink it.

The classic was a bit harsh for me to drink straight but with the vanilla flavours from being matured in bourbon casks it went perfectly well mixed with ginger ale.

The 12 year old was obviously an improvement hand had noticeable honey notes.

The Three Wood like the name suggests has been matured in three different types of wood. After starting in the bourbon casks, it's moved to Oloroso sherry casks and then finished in Pedro Ximenez Sherry barrels. This was easily my favourite and as a non whisky drinker I would happily sit and sip this straight. The tasting notes suggest butterscotch, toffee, fruit and syrup. Lovely.

What has this got to do with Leeds? Not much really except that as I said, the event was hosted at Nation of Shopkeepers. I like Nation as a concept, the interior is cool and the bar is often more a destination, like today where along side the whisky tasting there were stalls and arty things going on.

Unfortunately I have on several occasions been disappointed by this place. Bar staff are often slow- even on a weekend night when the place is packed and they often seem more concerned with parading their ultra cool haircuts and ironic-chic second hand I mean vintage clothing to bother with things like giving a shit about thirsty customers.

Anyway Rachel and I arrived separately. When Rachel asked for the organiser Lucy she was told 'stand there, they will come and find you' and was left there to wait. When I asked for the same from someone who looked like he was in charge he replied brusquely 'who?' so I said 'Lucy, she is in charge of the whisky tasting'... 'WHO?...WHAT?' then someone from the Auchentoshan team overheard and intercepted with a polite greeting and a handshake.

As part of the deal the people from Auchenonsahn shouted us lunch at Nation.We decided on beef roast dinner that the menu claimed 'would shame your mother' priced at £8.95 each.

The meals arrived and Rachel's Yorkshire pudding looked sadly deflated. I did finish my dish because I was starving but it wasn't great. The meat varied from ok to tough and the roast potatoes were soggy on the outside and hard in the middle. Like I said, we didn't pay but if we had, we all agreed that we would have been aggrieved to part with £8.95 for it.

Its a shame that it all seems a bit complacent, they make their money because people like to go and hang out there but as a restaurant its poor and a bar its OK as long as someone else goes to get the drinks in so that you don't have to personally contend with the staff.

So in summary, Hooray to Auchentoshan, Boooo to Nation. Drink the whisky, but not in there.

Auchentoshan
Nation of Shopkeepers

Deli Central, Wakefield

I popped over to Wakefield last week to meet up with a friend for lunch and shopping.

She recommended we go to Deli Central. It was too windy to sit outside, which was a shame as there are plenty of seating looking over the pedestrianised area and fountain at the Bullring.

Inside the cafe, there are shelves packed with lovely deli goods such as jars of pickles and bottles of wine. The refrigerated counters run up the other side of the room. In there was a selection of salads, cakes and a fantastic array of cheeses.

We ordered a pot of tea and two portions of the homemade quiche, and then sat back and had a lovely chat and a cuppa while we waited. And waited. After 15 minutes we wondered what was taking so long and asked for our food.

The person at the till went to investigate. A very apologetic waitress came out to speak to us- she had forgotten to pass the order the kitchen. We then watched as she and another member of staff scurried away to the kitchen double time with the quiche. Our  meals came out a minute later.

The quiche itself was a really good home made home made job and the salads that came with it were varied with nice dressings.

When we got up to the pay, the man who looked to be the manager dashed over to the till and then without prompting apologised for the delay in food and offered to knock the price of the drinks off the bill as a gesture of good will. At £6.45 a portion (including salad) its not the cheapest, but you get what you pay for- and this was all freshly prepared, home made stuff.

So the meal was not ideal due to the delay but everyone makes mistakes and I was impressed at the way the waitress straight up confessed the mistake and then everyone pulled in together to get it fixed. It shows that the place has a great attitude towards customer service and as a result I would happily go back.

Deli Central
*Comfortable surroundings
*Great customer service
*Tasty light meals

20 Northgate
The Bull Ring
Wakefield
WF1 3AA

01924 365 102
Wakefield

Leeds House Cafe

This is a little cafe on the edge of the market square in the centre of Otley.

I was in a bit of a rush and told the lady at the counter this when I arrived and asked if I could place my order. She told us to sit down and someone would be over. After 5 minutes no one had arrived so I went back to the counter and asked again to order. The lady looked a tad peeved and said someone would be over to take the order so I did as I was told and sat back down.

The girl who came to take the order was much more polite and took the orders and bought the bill back over so we could pay straight away. She warned us that there could be a 20 min wait for the food which we accepted as by this time I was probably going to be late anyway.

The menu was all pretty simple toasties and sandwiches. All priced reasonably and all coming with a nice amount of salad and coleslaw.

I can only assume the presentation of the club toastie was in honour of the Rugby World Cup, as otherwise the skewers poking from the top would be ludicrous... and we weren't entirely sure what had taken 20 minutes to prepare.

Anyway, the food was all very nice and as I say priced quite reasonably (About £16 for the total bill). The location is nice with views over the market square. The buildings old character and charm is marred a bit by the 'trendy' interior but I wasn't too bothered by this.

All in all I have mixed feelings, as the food was cheap and cheerful and it was nice to sit with a drink and watch people go by, but the terse greeting and the long wait for what was a simple dish put a dampener on things a little.

Leeds House Cafe
*Simple cafe menu
*Pleasant surroundings
*Service needs improvement

Market Place,
Otley,
LS21 3AQ

The Fleece, Otley

This is one of a number of pubs that has been newly refurbished in Otley.

A 5 minute walk out of the centre of Otley, the effort to get there is worth it as the pub is modern but retains a comfortable country pub feel.

The menu is an interesting mix of British classics presented in tapas and sharing platter form.

We ordered at the bar and enjoyed a pint of the Wharfebank hand pulled ale as we waited for the food to arrive.

I ordered 'The Big Pig' which when it came consisted of 2 sausages, 2 rashers of bacon, pork belly and pork loin, crackling, apple sauce, stuffing and huge chunky chips (that were more the size of roast potatoes).Oh yep and some gravy too.

In all honesty this would have been more than sufficient for two to share for lunch or as a mega drinking snack between a table.

It was all pretty simple, the main feature of the dish being the decent quality of the meat used.

Liam had an impressive looking steak and ale pie, with home made pastry and green veg.

Both dishes were £9.95 each which are the most expensive dishes- lunch plates start at just £4. The food was simple but of such a good standard I want to go back to try all of the other things on the menu.

On the subject of recently refurbished pubs... The Bowling Green has been taken over by Weatherspoons, its standard of the chain- comfortable interior, nice toilets and a decent selection of ales at a good price. The Old Cock is old and quaint and cosy. They are a free house with 8 hand pumps that they use to showcase and champion ales from local micro breweries.

The Fleece
*Comfortable and modern
*Delicious food
*Good value tapas concept

Westgate,
Otley,
LS21 3DT

01943 465 034
Website

Yorkshire food and drink fair

Bit of a lazy post- this looks to be an interesting event on Tuesday, see the flyer and a cut and past from the press release!

"The Yorkshire Food & Drink Fair takes place in its second year at Leeds Met, a fantastic venue for a fun day out full of scrumptious tastings and an opportunity to buy some of the fantastic produce that Yorkshire has to offer.

What’s more, Mark Dale and his Circus of Food will be demonstrating throughout the day to show you how you can make some mouth-watering recipes with some of Yorkshire’s most talented chefs including Stephanie Moon from BBC’s Great British Menu 2011, Terry Quinn from Malham’s Lister Arms and Ashley McCarthy from Colton’s Ye Old Sun Inn.

If you love food and drink, you’ll love the Yorkshire Food & Drink Fair and entry is completely FREE!"

Pinche Pinche

This is a brand shiny new restaurant in Chapel Allerton, in the same location as the much loved (by me at least) Salsa Mexicana. Its the same owner/ chef as it happens. The menu has been streamlined and re jigged and now is focused towards Mexican street food- more like tapas if you will.

There is also a fantastic new tequila menu, something I know not much about but the staff were more than happy to describe the types of tequila on offer. This is not the type of tequila you chuck back with a bite of lime to finish- good tequila has as many nuances as a fine whisky and should be enjoyed in the same way- sipped and savoured from a specially shaped glass. All of the tequilas here are 100% blue agave (poor quality tequilas can be made with as little as 51% of this).

Dan and I decided that instead of choosing from the menu that owner Simon should just send out from the kitchen dishes that he thought that we should have.

First up we shared Tostadas, crispy corn tortillas, one topped with Ceviche (fish 'cooked' by being marinaded in citrus juices) and the other with Nopales- cactus leaf. I have had a version of the civeche before from the old menu- light and delicate and complimented by the fresh herbs and citrus juices. The cactus leaf had a tangy flavour from being marinaded in lime juice and had a firm but juicy texture a little bit like roasted peppers- absolutely delicious and worth a consideration if you like to try new things.

We then tried two varieties of street tacos. These are served in traditional soft tortillas (as opposed to the crisp taco shells which are an American invention) We had the Carne Asada (£4.50) Char-grilled steak in a chili marinade and the Cameron (£5.50) King prawns sautéed with chipotle and lime juice topped with mango salsa. The steak was still a bit on the rare side and really tender. The mango salsa was a fantastic compliment to the plump prawns.

We were then served slow cooked belly ribs (Costillas) (£6.00) in an orange and roasted tomato marinade and served with tomatillo rib sauce. The sauce was delicious but sadly didn't permeate that far into the meat, however the slow cooking meant that the meat was melt in the mouth tender. 

A dish of guacamole followed with tortillas. This was a refreshing interlude before we went on to try the wild card dish of Mole Poblano (£8.00) consisting of poached chicken breast with a mole sauce made from chiles, nuts and a hint of Mexican chocolate. This was served with toasted sesame seeds and topped with sliced radishes and coriander served with refried black beans.

The black beans were fantastic, however the sauce was not to my liking, I think because the flavour of the toasted sesame seeds (which I don't really like) was overpowering the more subtle savory chocolate sauce.

For pudding we had a light bite option of churros- fried pieces of donut like batter, served with a fantastic toffee sauce. Great with hot chocolate and great if like us you want something sweet to end the meal but cant face anything too substantial.

I washed all of this down with a couple of tequila cocktails (£6 each) and a measure of the sipping tequila to finish.

The bill for all this feast for 2 including drinks was £65. We were totally stuffed after this six course banquet- it wouldn't be necessary to order this much for a normal meal, Dan and I just got over excited!

As part of the new look, there has been a total redecoration inside. Contrasting citrus hues on the walls and textiles bring a fresh modern look to the restaurant, and the relocation of the bar to the back of the room means that a lot more light is coming in through the window now.

If you liked Salsa Mexicana before, you will love Pinche Pinche, and if for what ever reason you weren't a fan of Salsa Mex, I think you need to give Pinche Pinche the benefit of the doubt and go to take a look at the fresh decor and revised menu.

*Bight and modern
*Fresh, authentic Mexican street food
*Great Tequila menu

116a Harrogate Road
Chapel Allerton
Leeds
LS7 4NY

0113 2681110

Website

Cattle Grid

Post first published 04/07/2011

This restaurant has only just opened last week. A small mainly London based chain until now, the selling point of this restaurant is good steak, sourced directly from suppliers to cut down on price. Prices are honest, there are no hidden cover/ service charges (more of a problem in London I guess) and they are family friendly by the look of the children's menu and changing table in the loos.

I wanted to have a steak because that is what the restaurant is known for however I saw the burgers and I couldn't resist. I went for the brie and caramelised onion topping and had to order chips separately (but they come included if you get a steak).

The food came out quickly. The burger was huge, the cocktail stick holding it together had got lost in the bun, loads of nice salad and loads of cheese.

The twice fried skin on fries were good and crispy. I was slightly disappointed at first with the burger as it was well cooked and I really like rare meat but as soon as I tasted it my doubts were dispelled- the meat was really tasty and juicy and I realised that this was a really flippin good burger.

The bill with chips and a coke was £12.95. I think that was a fair price. As for the steaks, they only sell one size in each cut- 10oz. With chips included they are very competitively priced in comparison with the other steak houses in the vicinity.

No reinventing of the wheel here, just a basic done well at a good price.

Cattle Grid
*Tasty food
*Competitive prices
*Laid back environment.

Unit 1,
Waterloo House,
Assembly Street,
LS2 7DE

0113 242 1872 ‎

Website

*UPDATED 07/09/2011* Last night I was lucky enough to go along with Culture Vultures for a free blogger dinner at Cattle Grid.

As I had already done this recent review I felt a bit 'off duty' and didn't pay as much attention as others who were going for the first time.

We shared the regular and piri piri ribs for a starter which I can honestly say were the best I have ever had and my steak was great although there were mixed reviews on this.

Here are some other accounts of the night that give a more rounded view.

Just for the record, I think the chips must have been done in batches as my chips were crispy in comparison to others on the table.

Dave from Northern Food 
Penny from Bronchia