Saengarun, Leeds

I've been getting into Thai food recently and we have often pondered visiting some of Leeds Thai restaurants but never actually been to them. I mentioned this on Twitter and @Artemisfoul1812 suggested a little place on Briggate called Saengarun with a very reasonable lunch menu, 2 courses for £9.





The decor is very basic and minimal with a few oriental images around the room, it's pretty much the opposite of the highly decorated rooms of some oriental and Asian restaurants.
We were given the menus to look through and I'm usually not one to stick to a set lunch menu when given the option of the full menu.

I opted for the Poh Teak to start, a Fisherman's soup with squid, mussels and king prawns.

The colour of the broth didn't look very appealing but what it lacked in appeal it more than made up in flavour. It started off with the most intense fish soup flavour combined with all the flavour of the lemongrass, coriander and lime followed by wave after wave of chilli heat. It was superb. The large pieces of seafood were also well cooked. Be warned this may be a touch hot for some as I thought my face was melting at one point, especially as you work down the bowl.

For my main I went for Gaeng Ped Yang, boneless duck in a coconut milk based red curry with pineapple and Thai basil.

After the starter I was not looking forward to this, faced with more heat after the inferno of the first dish, I was about ready to crawl under the table and wave the white flag. Fortunately this wasn't a hot curry, It was however, excellent, a beautiful vivid red curry with huge pieces of soft duck and a sauce with a great depth of flavour.

We didn't get any desserts because we were too stuffed.


Service was good, quick and efficient and we didn't have to wait long for our food. The final total came to £34 for a set lunch menu, 2 courses off the full menu, 2 beers and a coke. Excellent value

I would quite happily put this place as one of my top places to eat in Leeds simply because the food is epically good.

Ciao Bella, Leeds

On a pleasant Sunday evening and on the hunt for some food that wasn't a Sunday roast, we wandered down to Brewery Wharf and Ciao Bella on Dock Street.
The restaurant was fairly empty and with it being a nice evening we sat outside. We were given the menus and our drinks order taken.
For my starter I opted for a small portion of one of the pasta dishes; Penne all'Arrabiata - pepperoni garlic, chili in a olive oil and tomato sauce.

This was actually quite good, pasta wasn't over cooked and the sauce was vibrant with plenty of tomatoey garlic flavour alongside a very gentle chili heat.

The main however well that's a different story...

I went for Stincotto d'Agnello - shank of lamb, oven cooked with a roast garlic and savoury cabbage in a red wine reduction served with mashed potatoes.

Now the Lamb itself was nicely cooked and the mash was fairly reasonable, what I had a problem with was the sauce. To put it plainly it was weird. It tasted neither like a red wine reduction or of roast garlic, it had some flavour I cant really describe, a bit like a slightly artificial, slightly sweet flavour, it just didn't taste good. The dish needed a proper red wine sauce preferably with a mountain of rosemary. The cabbage was not good either, slightly overcooked and contributed nothing to the overall dish, a slightly steamed savoy cabbage with its vibrant green would have been a much better choice and added a  much needed dimension to the dish.

Service was not brilliant either, it was friendly and if the restaurant was busy we wouldn't have minded the speed of the service because it was very slow but like I said before the restaurant was fairly empty.

On a brighter note, the Italian craft beer, Gradisca, they had on was very nice. Hoppy, refreshing and lovely on a warm spring evening.


Ciao Bella
20 Dock Street,
Leeds.
0113 2469444

Wig & Pen, Sheffield

The Wig & Pen is the second restaurant from the owners of the Milestone, the Sheffield restaurant that narrowly missed out on the final of Ramsay's Best Restaurant.
Located on Campo Lane, this bustling Gastro Pub promises to stick to the Milestone ethos of serving fresh, local seasonal food from local suppliers so one Saturday evening we booked a table and went along to check it out.




We were shown to our table and given the menus to browse, being a Gastro pub a couple of Sheffield ales were on the bar which I happily went for.

We did plan on going for the excellent value 3 course pre theatre menu for £15 but the rather tempting sounding full menu drew us in and we went for that instead.

We started off with a plate of Olives and freshly made bread while deciding what we wanted.

I opted for the Pan Cooked Duck Heart with scallop, white onion puree and chorizo oil. the duck heart was a very pleasant experience, very tender with a subtle delicate meaty flavour perfectly accompanied by the creamy scallop.

For my main I went for the Wig and Pen mixed grill: Lamb cutlet with chicken mousse, home dried tomatoes, small fries, black pudding fritter, homemade sausage wrapped in leek, home cured bacon and mushrooms in a herb crust. this was a superb take on the traditional mixed grill whilst celebrating quality produce, I can't actually decide which bit I liked best.

For dessert i went for the Rhubarb and vanilla custard mousse, shortbread, rhubarb syrup, confit of rhubarb and rhubarb foam. This was very tasty and light, a delicious variety of rhubarb textures and flavours and an excellent demonstration of how one ingredient can be used in may ways.

Service was excellent, efficient, speedy and friendly.

Final bill came to £80 for two consisting 4 courses, drinks, and coffee.

Plumed Horse, Edinburgh

The Plumed Horse is a one star Michelin restaurant located on Leith Docks, Edinburgh. The restaurant is at the top of the street that is referred to as the Michelin Mile consisting of the Plumed Horse, Restaurant Martin Wishart and The Kitchin.

The restaurant itself is very cosy with a max of about 20 tables on two levels. We were warmly greeted and our jackets taken but we were however 20 minutes early (makes a change for us), the restaurant were very accommodating and informed us that it wouldn't be a problem but there would be a small delay in taking our order, which we were fine with. We were shown to our seats and given the menus to browse and very delicious canapes to enjoy.

We each opted for the 6 course tasting menu with coffee and petit fours at £65 per head.

Veloute of Cauliflower, Quail Egg, Chives

 Sauteed Fillet of Sea Bream, Hand Dived Scallop, Chickpea, Smoked Haddock & Crab Casserole, Saffron & Mild Curry Spices

Terrine of Woodpigeon & Foie Gras and Thyme Brioche.

 Loin of Venision, Clapshot, Shallot puree, Duchesse Potato and venison jus.

 

 This was the pre dessert and was like a little lemon meringue in a glass

 

Honey & Clotted Cream Parfait, Mulled Wine Poached Plums

Petit Fours 

As you can see from the pictures, all the food was beautiful and it tasted beautiful as well. I could talk about each dish but I don't want to bore you so I'll just do highlights. My personal favourite was the loin of venison, it was cooked to perfection, soft and juicy and I could have literally eaten that over and over. The richest dish was the fois gras and wood pigeon, this was the third course and as divine as it was especially with the beautiful brioche, I was glad there was a break between that course and the main because I was struggling after it. The fish dish was also superb, the soft sea bream combined with creaminess of scallop went very well with the delicate curry flavours of the sauce.

Service was excellent, informative, friendly and not overbearing. The restaurant does not turn its tables allowing for very calm and unrushed service. The meal overall including the coffee took a good 3 hours which just breezed by. 

Overall, excellent value for a Michelin tasting menu, the experience and service received. It stands up well next to its more well known neighbours.

50-54 Henderson St
Edinburgh, Midlothian EH6 6DE
0131 554 5556

PIN, Leeds

PIN is a new little bar on Dock Street just off Brewery Wharf. PIN is part of the Leeds Brewery empire which includes; Midnight Bell, Brewery Tap and the recent acquisition of Garden Gate.

PIN by their own definition is a contemporary cafe bar, nicely designed with an entire wall of mirrors which gives the impression that its larger than it actually is. It is quite a cosy place with a mixture of tables and sofas.

After seeing several great reviews about the quality of the food, we wandered along on a Monday lunchtime to check it out.
The place was quiet as you would expect on a Monday lunchtime and we warmly greeted with menus and asked if we would like a drink. I opted for Leeds Best out of the two hand pumps on the bar, the other was Leeds Pale. I hope they put another pump on with Midnight Bell or the latest Leeds Brewery seasonal.
For food I went for the classic PIN Burger which had been declared the best burger in Leeds by several people, the Other Half went for a Stilton and Mushroom Pie.

The burger didn't disappoint. A huge meaty, herby, well seasoned, slightly pink burger served with glorious homemade chips, salad and a lovely jalapeno relish which added just the right level of heat to the burger, all washed down with a well kept ale.

The final bill for two came to £24 (with drinks), good value for the quality of the food served.

Highly recommend a visit

Silversmiths, Sheffield

Silversmiths Restaurant is located on Arundel street near the main entrance of Sheffield Hallam University. Launched in 2008, the restaurant prides itself on using  100% Yorkshire suppliers of which 70% are based in Sheffield. The restaurant as also won several awards recently including the White Rose Awards - Best Yorkshire Restaurant and the EatSheffield Awards - Best British Restaurant and Best Local Produce Menu.



I think that is more than enough reasons for a visit so off we went on a wintry evening.

The restaurant is a long room with a well stocked bar along one side, the restaurant is decorated in a modern style with plenty of black red and silver giving it a trendy bar feel.

We were warmly greeted and offered a choice of aperitifs including a nice sounding Winter Pimms cocktail but we opted for a glass of wine instead. we were given the Christmas evening menu to look through.
For my starter i opted for Braised English rabbit with Henderson's red onion reduction on toasted croutons and Roast Rump of Yorkshire beef with hand cut chips, roasted tomatoes and horseradish cream with a side order of carrots for my main.

Rabbit

My starter was really good, having never had rabbit in this form before I was pleasantly surprised by it's deep flavour alongside the tang of the onion reduction. The whole dish was simply presented but full of flavour. My main was equally good, the beef was juicy and tender and my request for chive mashed potatoes instead of chip was willingly met.

Beef

For my dessert I opted for Dark Chocolate and Pear Tart with Champagne and Raspberry Jelly. This was one of the nicest tarts I have tried, incredibly rich with crisp pastry and a layer of pear running through the centre this and the addition of a little shot of champagne jelly made a very pleasing end to the meal.

Chocolate and Pear Tart

In terms of service, Silversmiths is exceptional. very knowledgeable and helpful staff, our jackets were hung up for us as we arrived and brought to our table as we left and I literally cannot find anything of fault in the service we received.

Overall for 3 course meal, wine and coffee for two came to £60, very good value for the level of food and service we received and I will definitely be making a repeat visit.


Silversmiths
111 Arundel Street,
Sheffield,
S1 2NT
0114 270 6160

Aagrahs, Leeds

Last week I was invited to birthday meal at Aagrahs in Leeds so I battled my way from Sheffield through the horrendous weather to join the celebrations and hopefully enjoy a decent curry.

Aagrahs is an Indian restaurant located near the West Yorkshire playhouse in Leeds. It is a small chain of restaurants with a vast collection of awards including a lifetime achievement award for the owner and executive chef.
On arrival we were invited to wait in a small seating area while our table was being prepared. Our drinks orders were taken and menus were handed out. The menu is quite extensive with all the usual suspects and a page of chef specialties. After a short wait we were shown to our table. We opted for the usual poppadoms and pickle tray, I was disappointed that lime pickle was not present on the tray but a spicy chili sauce soon made up for it. We decided to skip a starter which was a shame because I was looking forward to trying a spiced sea bass dish but then in hindsight it was probably a good idea that this course was skipped.

Lamb Pasanda

For my main I went for Lamb Pasanda - lamb cooked with garlic, ginger, yogurt, onions, chilli's, poppy seeds and select spices. I ordered pilau rice alongside. It was really delicious, a lovely blend of flavours with a slight chili burn that seemed to increase throughout the meal, cue the Mango Lassi. The rice was light, fluffy and perfectly cooked. The portions were quite large and I was very stuffed at the end.


Service was good, efficient but not intrusive.

I had to leave early so didn't catch the final bill but expect around £20 a head if you get starters etc.

Aagrahs
St. Peters Sq
Leeds,
West Yorkshire
LS9 8AH
0113 245 5667

Salsa Mexicana, Leeds

It's a rare thing a good Mexican restaurant. Most that do exist, and there isn't that many compared to other cuisines, are not very good. so it was a pleasure to finally get round to visiting Salsa Mexicana in Chapel Allerton, Leeds.
The restaurant was fairly quiet when we arrived and we were pleasantly greeted and shown to a table. The restaurant itself was nicely decorated, stone floors and wooden tables with Mexican memorabilia around the small room.
We decided to opt for a sharing starter, a large plate of nachos with beef and chorizo. The tortilla chips were made in-house and came with jalapenos, salsa, guacamole, nacho cheese sauce and sour cream. The beef was quite juicy and tender. The menu states that a large portion serves 2 - 4 people......word of warning, if there are two of you and you haven't eaten for a week then by all means get the large otherwise I would advise against it. The portion was huge and took a lot of effort to eat it, the fact it was delicious did help things but it's not good if there is a main course on its way.

Nachos

Burrito bowl, Mole Poblano

I like to try new things every now and again and I was looking for a Mexican dish different from the usual fajitas, enchiladas etc so I opted for the Mole Poblano dish - chicken breast with a sauce of chili's, herbs and spices with a hint of Mexican chocolate, served with rice and grilled plantain.
It was really tasty, soft juicy chicken and the sauce was delicately balanced with a lovely bitter chocolate undertone.
The Other Half ordered a burrito bowl filled with vegetables and chicken and also a side of two spicy corn on the cobs.
Due to the monumental starter we couldn't finish the main course but the staff willingly boxed it up to take away and it made a tasty breakfast the next day.
Service was very good, we found out that they were understaffed so its credit to the two table staff that they managed to keep things running smoothly.

Total for two people: £30, really good value for the quality and quantity of food.

Go visit for authentic tasty Mexican food

Salsa Mexicana
116A Harrogate Road
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS7 4NY

Distrikt, Leeds

I have wanted to visit Distrikt for awhile, so after reading reasonably good reviews about the food and hearing about the unusual design for an eating establishment we went along.
Distrikt is located on Duncan Street down a small alley, in which for some reason, tables and chairs appear during the day and evening. It wouldn't be my choice to eat or drink there but I'm assuming its for the smokers. The entrance is similar to entering a club and the restaurant, if you can call it that, is located underground. The club theme continues at the bottom of the staircase with quite a dark room with a well stocked bar, tables and booths which we eventually moved to when one emptied.
We were quickly greeted by a pleasant member of staff who provided us with the menus, while browsing we ordered cocktails which were on a 2-4-1 offer. I ordered a Mojito and the Other Half ordered a Cosmopolitan, now either the waitress got very confused or the offer didn't allow two different ones to be ordered because two Mojitos and two cosmopolitans arrived which amused but hey its 2-4-1 so we drank them anyway.
The food is Tapas style with Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and British influences, we decided to pick five and a meat sharing platter.

Smoked mackerel brandade with pita crisp.
Harrissa chicken wings with lime aioli.
Sticky caraway short ribs.
Rare beef, foraged salad and horseradish.
Meat and cheese platter.
Mussels in wheat beer

Ribs and Mussels

Mackerel and Chicken Wings

Beef

Meat and Cheese Platter

The food was very good, we chose to get the dishes as they were made instead of all at once, which I think is probably the best way because we could enjoy each dish individually. My particular favourite was the rare beef, soft and tender and perfectly cooked.
Afterwards we ordered some of the tapas puddings.
BBQ banana with Jack Daniels, chocolate and toffee
Summer fruit crumble

Crumble and JD Banana

The puddings were also very good, the crumble in particular was very fresh with crunchy crumble and huge pieces of fruit in a sauce that wasn't too sweet or too sour.
Service was slightly haphazard but good, the waitress completely forgot to return to take our pudding orders but was very apologetic when she realised, she was also very informative about the dishes and exactly how much food we were ordering.
The final bill came to £31 (minus the cocktails). Excellent value for the quality and amount of food we received.

Distrikt
7 Duncan Street,
Leeds,
LS1 6DQ
0113 243 3674

Calls Landing, Leeds

On the hunt for food on a sunny afternoon, we decided to head to The Calls Landing to try it out. located on the riverside, the pub/restaurant is rather quite spacious. It advertises itself as a stew and oyster kitchen and so on the menu, which was a chalkboard inside, were 3 stews and oyster selections. I was told that the kitchen was being refitted so this was all they were able to make. I was disappointed no to find any decent ales on offer especially with the prominence of the Theakstons logo, the bar had the usual suspects on and a not to shabby bottle selection, I settled for a pint of the Black Stuff.
We each opted for the chilli over a vegetarian Butternut squash stew and a intriguing Cowboy stew of Cumberland sausage and baked beans and sat outside in their small riverside beer garden. Service was speedy, I would have been annoyed if it wasn't considering stews do not take much effort to serve. The dishes themselves were very nicely presented, a large bowl of flavoursome chilli with the right amount of spice giving it a slight burn, it was very good. It was topped off with shavings of Cheddar, sour cream and rocket leaves and served with very soft white bread. I would have preferred a carbohydrate to go with it (other than bread) such as rice or a jacket potato but it was quite filling without it.

Chilli

The final bill (paid upon ordering) was £13 (not including drinks). Reasonable value for lunch and quite tasty chilli.

Calls Landing
36-38 The Calls
Leeds,
LS2 7EW

Jamie's Italian, Leeds

On a pleasant bank holiday evening, me and the Other Half decided to go somewhere new for a meal, we had a couple of ideas in mind but being a bank holiday they were shut. After wandering round town pondering our options we noticed that Jamie's Italian was open and lacked the usual epic queue outside so we thought we might as well give it ago. I had read some quite negative reviews about the place but went in with an open mind anyway.
On arrival we were told there would be about a twenty minute wait and were invited to the bar to wait, we ordered a 500ml cafare of wine each at just under £10 per carafe, I thought this was reasonable value considering the wine prices of some places.
After a short while we were shown to our seat and greeted by our very friendly waitress who informed us that certain items such as the burger had sold out (this was 8 o clock) fortunately these were not dishes we planned on ordering. We ordered the Meat Antipasti plank for two consisting of; Meats - fennel salami, pistachio mortadella, Schiacciata piccante, Cheese - buffalo mozzarella and pecorino. Pickles - green chillies, gata olives and green capers and a crunchy salad of shaved root veg with chili, mint and lemon.The starter was quite impressive served on an plank of wood balanced on two tins of Italian tomatoes, the meats were very good especially combined with the creaminess of the mozzarella and the tang of the lemon and mint salad.

Antipasti Plank

 For our mains we ordered the parpadelle meatballs and the mushroom panzerotti. There was quite a wait between the starter and the main but the waitress apologised for our wait and promised our food would arrive shortly which it did. Each dish was made with fresh pasta but I wasn't especially convinced by my choice (meatballs). I was expecting a rich tomato dish or a very herby dish and received neither, the meatballs were nothing special either, however the mushroom dish was very flavoursome and I wished I had ordered that dish. (as an avid meat eater its a rare occasion when I wish that I had ordered a veggie option instead of a meat option). We declined a dessert and I opted to sample their coffee, I was given the option of hot or cold milk with my americano, ( i like my coffee black but it is nice to be given this temperature option if i didn't) the coffee was strong and well made and a good end to the meal.

Parpadelle Meatballs

The final bill came to around the £35 mark (minus the wine) which we thought was good value considering the name above the door.

I would recommend a visit to this place but I wouldn't recommend the meatball pasta dish, try it for yourself but go early because I have walked past this place many a time at around half 7 - 8 and witnessed a very large queue out of the door due to their 'no reservations' policy.

Jamie's Italian Website
35 Park Row,
Leeds,
West Yorkshire
LS1 5JL
0113 322 5400