Arts Cafe, Leeds city centre

I have blogged the Arts Cafe before here when we went for Sunday lunch. On a Saturday, they serve a lunch menu and you can also choose from the a la carte. Having had a look at the menu online, I was keen to give it a try. The chef has been in place since last March and comes from Hazelwood Castle. The menu still contains some of old favourites such as the Fish Plate, the Yorkshire Plate and the Arts Burger. But there were quite a few new options on there too, and it took some time to make up my mind!

Some of the new starters looked promising and I was particularly taken with the description of the smoked salmon and crayfish sushi nori. When it arrived, it was a generous portion of three sushi rolls, with some thinly sliced cucumber and wasabi crème fraiche. A bit of a change to the pickled ginger and wasabi that you usually get with sushi but it worked well and the plate was nicely put together.

My dining companion, Psycho Psu, ordered the Smoked Haddock Chowder with leeks, potato and spinach. It probably had a thicker consistency than she expected but had good flavour.

For main, I ordered the Arts club sandwich. Made with thick granary bread and a good mix of chicken, mayo, pancetta and lettuce, it was served with fries on the side. It is nice to be able to mix and match from the a la carte and lunch menu.

We went a bit mad on the puddings. Fig and lime bakewell tart with blackberry crème fraiche was a nice traditional pudding with a bit of a twist.

Orange cream posset with mulled winter fruits came with a cinnamon and walnut cookie. A little too much fruit and not enough posset, was our opinion. The cookie was great.

A cheese plate rounded off the meal. A good selection including Wensleydale with cranberry and brie, the cheese was accompanied by a nice choice of crackers and tasty chutney.

There are a fair few other things on the menu I would like to try so another visit should be on the cards soon. Once again, the Arts Cafe remains one of my favourite places to eat in Leeds.

Aglassto, Leeds city centre

After reading about it on Leeds Grub, I was determined to give Aglassto a try. It is quite difficult when you don’t work in Leeds city centre to keep up to date with the latest openings in the city. But due to this place seemingly focusing on wine, I couldn’t resist much longer.

On entering the bar, we were immediately welcomed by the barman, and invited to try some wines we were interested in. I had read online that they offered an English wine, produced in Kent, and so was quite interested to try it. Not to my taste, sadly, too fruity - a shame because I would really like to support the British wine making industry. Psycho Psu tried a Spanish white rioja, which I thought was lovely. So I ordered that. Psycho Psu was sorely tempted by the Sancerre by the glass on offer, so we were sorted.

Aglassto is a small bar, with rustic wood and a feature traditional fireplace. An old upright piano is the first thing you see when you walk in and I love the thought of people plonking themselves down and banging out at tune. Sadly my musical talents are limited to knowing the lyrics to the complete works of Abba (in English and in Spanish – go me!) but this is not going to cut the mustard in public!

We could quite happily have sat at the bar drinking wine all day. The barman was outstanding – he really knew his stuff and was a friendly bloke. In a discussion about music, I commented that the only new music I have really got into in the last five years was the Mumford and Sons album (due to great age, getting into any music post-1993 seems like such an effort these days!) Some minutes later, the lovely banjo and guitar of Mumford and Sons was playing in the bar. Now that is service!

Okay, so we didn’t have food – Aglassto does a range of tasting plates and sandwiches. Okay, this is a food blog and maybe I shouldn’t be mentioning my wine drinking sans food. But, bloody hell, Aglassto is good at what it does and is well worth a post. I will eat something next time.

Joseph Benjamin, Chester

A Saturday road trip over the Pennines meant that by noon I was sitting in a bar in Chester, drinking the first Pinot of the day and celebrating the 30th birthday of the GemBear. This is an important milestone (not the Pinot at noon, that can be quite normal for a Saturday). It is a milestone because I have spent far too long hanging around with a twenty something, when I am pushing forty. The GemBear has also achieved the milestone of finally getting a taste for wine (Pinot Grigio blush, of course) as opposed to the alcopop fizzy sugar water of her twenties.

So it was good news all round. It was even better news when we arrived at Joseph Benjamin, a restaurant and deli run by two brothers named Joe and Ben. We were a party of six and enjoyed a drink in the bar before being shown to our table.

The menus were short, but we all found something we liked. To start, I ordered garlic bread. It was quite a large portion and was probably more suited to a sharing plate than a starter for one. So I shared it!

A had hot smoked salmon with quail’s egg which he said was beautiful. N had a pheasant and chestnut salad which I took a photo of as I thought the presentation was excellent...

For main, I ordered the sausage and mash. There were four sausages served with a really creamy mash. The sausages were award-winning, from the butchers next door, and they were pretty tasty. A side of order of vegetables added a little health to the meal but the side order of chips was unnecessary as the mash was substantial.

A few dining companions had pudding and everyone had coffee. The chocolate brownie looked particularly tempting...

Service was pleasant and the server was happy to answer questions about the food.

The Cross Keys, Holbeck Urban Village, Leeds

After a few days of living like hermits, A and I decided to leave the house as the temperature was finally above zero and we felt like some dinner. The Cross Keys beckoned, so we booked a table for that evening.
We have had Sunday lunch here before so thought it would be interesting to try the evening menu. Turns out, it wasn’t just interesting, it was fantastic!

When we arrived, we were seated at a table in front of the wood burner – a crackling warm fire on a cold December night was just what was needed. We decided to share the duck liver pate for starter. Smooth and almost creamy, it was served with toast, shallot chutney and pea shoots.

For main, I ordered the salmon fillet, cooked beautifully with a crispy skin. Served with parsley mash and creamed winter greens, all the flavours complemented each other perfectly.

A had the slow-cooked duck leg with sweet root vegetable puree and a port sauce. Chunky chips were a lovely side dish.

Both main courses were well presented, full of flavour and it seems that real thought has been put into the Winter Menu. Other mains on offer included Rabbit casserole and Venison. We will definitely go again!

I ordered a pudding of Pear and Almond Tart, which came with a whisky custard. The tart had a pastry case filled with sponge cake. I have made something similar at home. Of course, this was better!

Drinks were Pinot Grigio for me, and real ale for A. The service was friendly and efficient. I really feel you couldn’t ask for a better meal out in Leeds.

Piazza by Anthony, Leeds

I have visited the Piazza several times in the past, but have also been turned away due to a lack of tables a few times. A had never been, and after a couple of glasses of Prosecco in Veritas, we decided to make our way down to the Corn Exchange and give it a whirl for a late lunch.

We were asked if we had a reservation when we arrived. It was a Wednesday lunch and we had only just decided to eat there, so a definite no was the answer. The waiter looked a little alarmed, and then said she would set a table up for us. Thirty seconds later, another waiter turned up and said he would take us straight to a table. Eh? So we followed him and were quickly seated.

The menu is fairly long and varied. It looked like it had changed since my last visit so I gave it my full attention. We decided to share the charcuterie platter to start, followed by lamb cutlets. I ordered a glass of my favourite white Pinot Grigio, and settled in for a pleasant lunch.

The charcuterie platter was a mix of meats, cheese, olives, coleslaw and bread – a good combination.

For main, the lamb cutlets came with a crushed potato and pea mix – my favourite part of the meal, in fact. The cutlets were served pink, although A commented that one of his definitely had a raw element to it.

I had asked for another glass of Pinot when the starter was cleared away, but it didn’t appear. Mains were served and still no wine. So I asked a passing waiter if it was on its way. It wasn’t. Then it was but it was a glass of blush. So that went away and then the white Pinot arrived. I don’t mind the odd service error in a restaurant – it is not life and death. No one is removing a kidney or landing a plane. But I have to say I have noticed a bit of a shambolic feature to the service in the Piazza before. At the end of our meal, it was a long time before our plates were cleared away and partly for this reason, we couldn’t be bothered with a pudding. In fact, we didn’t even wait for the bill and went to the till to pay, as we felt we had been left way too long.

Despite this, it was nice to get out and about after the Christmas break. Apart from the Pinot incident, I would recommend Piazza for a pleasant environment and good food at reasonable prices. Although the lamb was slightly too pink, I have had great meals here before.

New Mason's Arms, Oulton

As it was my sister’s birthday and as the whole family were on holiday / not at school / retired, we were taken out to the New Mason’s Arms pub today in Oulton. (With the exception of A, who is none of the above!).

This is a nice traditional pub that provides a good bar food menu. Mum and Dad had booked, so we arrived to a table set up with Christmas crackers and festive napkins. Some fabulous looking prawn cocktails kept whizzing past to other diners, but we decided to stick with a main course only. (I am in the habit of falling asleep if I eat too much at lunch).

I ordered lasagne which came with a side salad and chips. The lasagne was good, clearly home made with generous beef mince and a just-right cheesy sauce. The chips were the star of this meal, however. Chunky and home fried. Wonderful.

The rest of the family ordered a variety of traditional pub lunches. A hearty plateful was duly delivered and we were all very full by the end of it. R had treacle pudding with custard for pudding which again, was a generous portion.

The place was busy for Tuesday lunchtime in the suburbs, but as holiday season had started, it seemed that everyone was treating themselves to a hot pub lunch in a traditional and pleasant environment.

Roundhay Fox, Roundhay, Leeds

We visited the Roundhay Fox today for Sunday lunch. A sign greeted us at the bar to say they were low on choice of beer due to the weather. I am guessing they haven’t been able to take deliveries because they had run out of white Pinot Grigio too, so I ordered a rose and A had the only beer on offer – Tetleys.

We have had Sunday lunch here before, and it was very good. They have an extensive menu and the place is packed out. Lots of families seem to dine here – I am guessing following a brisk walk around the park. We missed out on the walk bit, however, dumped the car outside and went straight in.

For starters, we ordered tempura chicken with a sesame dip to share. It was great – a lovely crisp batter and the dip was just the right level of sweetness.

For main, we both had the Roast Beef. We had to wait a while for it, the service was rather slow, perhaps due to the number of diners. When it arrived, we were offered a range of sauces and A chose some horseradish. I just like it with gravy (and the Fox gravy is high quality!)

The roast potatoes and vegetables were great. The parsnips appeared to have been slightly battered and fried, also good if you are into parsnips (it’s the one vegetable I have never got on with). The Yorkshire pudding was ok. The beef, sadly, was tough and gristly – I left a fair bit of it. This is a real shame as the last time I had the Sunday roast it was great. Perhaps just an off day and a lack of deliveries affected the quality.

The total bill came to just over £30. Fair price for what we had.

The Roundhay Fox has a nice outdoor area, which is great in the summer. It is all currently covered in a thick layer of snow (like everything else in Leeds!) Today, they had a log fire burning in the pub, which is great with the current temperatures and I should imagine a welcoming sight for the hardy walkers of Roundhay Park.