Sunday lunch at a dockside location in a new restaurant run under the name of one of 'Yorkshire's finest', James Martin. It was a birthday treat and a real one. The Observer review was sniffy, a southerners putdown, prefaced with some revealing comments about what the writer thinks of the chef himself. But we enjoyed it along with several family groups, lots of oldie couples like us and a few posh young things. So here's how we found it.
It is odd that the entrance is through the casino - the tables are totally deserted at 1pm on a Sunday but it might be disconcerting if they were throbbing with life at night. Perhaps James (I do see him sometimes on Sat morning telly so I can call him that) reduced his financial risk by placing it here with an at hand audience. The decor is that dark type of smart, purple and black light shades etc, that signifies modern and cool but it was comfortable, the service excellent and the music only too loud as the customers began to thin out. Presumably they (he?) share that common and annoying assumption that a certain level of piped noise creates atmosphere. It has windows onto the waterside development at Clarence Dock in Leeds so you can watch the flat dwellers and the families going to the Armouries museum as well as your fellow diners.
The food was good. That important Yorkshire concept of a generous plate was magnificantly realised with the roast sirloin which was equivalent to two steaks, and meltingly delicious. It came with a huge yorkshire pud - the yorkshire pud cook in our house now wants to find out how to get that size. My trout was delicate with a garnish of wild garlic, asparagus and celeriac puree, but the fillets were rolled into little batons which to my eye looked odd and unnecessary. The tomato and chorizo risotto which I had for a starter tasted almost too strong at first but became yummy after a few mouthfuls, and the pea and cheddar tart was really light and good.
Puddings are his forte so even though we had to wait a while to manage it, we still had one. Pannacotta flavoured with basil and vodka, with strawberries on the side, was reportedly good but not interesting to me; my choice of the apple and honey custard tart was in the cause of research. The honey flavour dominated. When I try to copy this, I will go for a more pronounced apple hit as I am a fruit pud person, but I could have licked the plate and nearly did.
We groaned out loud after 3 courses and I had to have a nap when we got home. At night it is much more expensive but the Sunday lunch is reasonably priced. Happy days.
It is odd that the entrance is through the casino - the tables are totally deserted at 1pm on a Sunday but it might be disconcerting if they were throbbing with life at night. Perhaps James (I do see him sometimes on Sat morning telly so I can call him that) reduced his financial risk by placing it here with an at hand audience. The decor is that dark type of smart, purple and black light shades etc, that signifies modern and cool but it was comfortable, the service excellent and the music only too loud as the customers began to thin out. Presumably they (he?) share that common and annoying assumption that a certain level of piped noise creates atmosphere. It has windows onto the waterside development at Clarence Dock in Leeds so you can watch the flat dwellers and the families going to the Armouries museum as well as your fellow diners.
The food was good. That important Yorkshire concept of a generous plate was magnificantly realised with the roast sirloin which was equivalent to two steaks, and meltingly delicious. It came with a huge yorkshire pud - the yorkshire pud cook in our house now wants to find out how to get that size. My trout was delicate with a garnish of wild garlic, asparagus and celeriac puree, but the fillets were rolled into little batons which to my eye looked odd and unnecessary. The tomato and chorizo risotto which I had for a starter tasted almost too strong at first but became yummy after a few mouthfuls, and the pea and cheddar tart was really light and good.
Puddings are his forte so even though we had to wait a while to manage it, we still had one. Pannacotta flavoured with basil and vodka, with strawberries on the side, was reportedly good but not interesting to me; my choice of the apple and honey custard tart was in the cause of research. The honey flavour dominated. When I try to copy this, I will go for a more pronounced apple hit as I am a fruit pud person, but I could have licked the plate and nearly did.
We groaned out loud after 3 courses and I had to have a nap when we got home. At night it is much more expensive but the Sunday lunch is reasonably priced. Happy days.
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