Leeds Loves Food

Me, the sunshine and my chicken

This weekend I spent a very sticky Sunday afternoon at millennium square, checking out the Leeds Loves Food festival.

Every restaurant in the city you could think of had a stand there, so choosing lunch was tricky. Having the little one in tow did save me from an afternoon sat outside the stand hosted by champagne bar, Epernay. Not a bad thing for my waistline or my wallet.

Nonetheless, we had a lovely afternoon checking out the food the city has to offer. For my lunch I decided on some delicious Korean chicken skewers from Chino Latino’s bbq, a Pan Asian delight served in a fabulous oriental tray. A lovely detail. And for my main course, a safe, by scrummy slice of authentic Italian pizza from Casa Mia, all rounded off with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.

Whilst we ate, we watched a demonstration on the main stage from Gaucho on different cuts of beef. Very amusing given that this was demonstrated on a bloke!

A must visit again next year.

Vineatily, Leeds

A wine dispenser? Why have I never heard of this before?

I was delighted today to be introduced to one of Leeds’ newest eateries, Vineatily. In a quiet corner of town overlooking a pretty part of the canal, this Italian bar and deli, which happens to be very close to my office, is set to become my new local.

Run by some very fabulous Italian gentleman who’s English is delightfully broken, the food is 100% home-made and the wine list is extensive.

The menu ranges from homemade lasagna and paninis, to grills and desserts, whilst in a corner of the shop, the gents sell their authentic Italian sauces and snacks. The deli even boasts a wine dispenser (something which I’ll be investigating to have installed in my own home!) Just credit a special card at the bar and fill up as  many times as you like from a range of Italian wines. Brilliant.

I tried the classico panini for lunch – simple but delicious cured meat and mozzarella. Yum. And with cocktails starting from £5.50, you’ll be able to find me there most Fridays after work.

Visit Vineatily at Granary Wharf in Leeds.

Authentically Italian

My Marbella Menu

La Sala, Puerto Banus (picture courtesy of La Sala)

There aren’t many jobs that come with a surprise trip to Marbella for the end of year party, but luckily for me, I have one! My sleepy colleagues and I arrived at the office at 5.30am, the cat finally let out of the bag after a short bus journey to Leeds Bradford airport where boarding passes were handout out by the world’s best boss.

Arriving in Puerto Banus just in time for lunch, the afternoon was jam-packed with a bit of work but mostly play, before heading back to the hotel to get read for a night on the town. After our only celeb spot of the trip (a bit of cringe worthy but very fun hob nobbing with Strictly dancer James Jordan) we arrived at restaurant, La Sala.

The table booked for a laid-back 10.30pm, we arrived early to enjoy drinks on the terrace where the outdoor heaters took the edge off the evening chill. A couple of bottles of Sauvignon and a few cold beers later, the 14 of us were shown to our table to enjoy a beautiful three-course dinner. The restaurant was bustling, clearly a popular hot spot, with live music being enjoyed by a mixture of locals and tourists in the bar area, although I do think we were the only party dancing at the table…

Spoilt for choice from a mouth-watering set menu, I opted for; deep-fried Camembert, grilled sea bream with lime risotto and asparagus, followed by a selection of home-made ice cream. Knowing the amount of drinking that was on the cards after said meal, I wanted to keep my choices as light as possible. Dinner was really incredible and I clearly played it well given the amount of wine that was consumed during the hours that followed (no nap required) however, I had super food envy at my neighbour’s spinach and ricotta tortellini with pine nuts. When she was full I ceased the opportunity to tuck in, it was so rich and creamy I could have finished the whole bowl but resisted. An option for next time for sure.

Dinner done we finished the evening nightclub Seven. An Arabian-inspired club with great music and generous measures of spirits. Both venues come highly recommended and made for a great whistle-stop tour of this popular destination. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to nurse my headache…

Fab friends

Cakes and Camembert at Kirkstall Deli Market

The beautiful Kirkstall Abbey was the setting for my lunch of many courses today as I paid my first visit to Kirkstall Deli Market. Taking place on the last Saturday of every month, the market brings together the best local food producers around, showcasing everything from bison burgers to home-brewed beer. Today, the abbey hosted some familiar faces from the Leeds foodie scene such as Salts Deli and some new names too.

Despite wishing I’d arrived as soon as the doors opened to ensure a parking space (carnage) I was in foodie heaven. After a few laps of the stalls and some cheeky free samples, I polished off a starter of an Indian onion, coriander and rice roll, then tucked into the main event, a juicy, flavoursome venison burger, courtesy of  Round Green Farm. Packing the boy off to work with an Oreo cookie chocolate brownie, I went home with friends to get out of the blustery conditions and enjoyed tea and cakes, purchased from the very friendly ladies at Number 37 cafe. Those passionate bakers are certainly not shy with their portions!

Not one to know when to stop, a few more courses were also purchased, so the eating carried on well into the evening. In fact, I write this having just polished off an awesome fish pie, created by new take away fine dining experts, the Secret Kitchen. The Mediterranean Yorkshire fish pie contained succulent seafood and a generous helping of mushrooms and spinach, topped with ploenta and parmesan. Although the presentation wasn’t top notch and no cooking instructions were enclosed, I didn’t care. It was amazing.

And tomorrow, we have vension sausages for breakfast, followed by a selection of cheeses from Cryer and Stott Cheesemongers. Gym on Monday…?

Piling on the pounds in lovely surroundings.

The boy’s birthday at Blackhouse Leeds

Blackhouse’s the Grill on the Square in Leeds was where we chose to celebrate the boy’s recent thirty-something birthday. Not one to make a fuss, the evening was an intimate affair with just the two of us enjoying a three-course feast last Sunday.

I don’t mean to gush but it was no doubt one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time. The birthday began with a baked Camembert (calories don’t count when you’re celebrating, everyone knows that.) Served with toasts and celery sticks for dunking, it was warm, delicious and creamy. Hell, it even made the celery taste good! Whilst I tucked in the boy enjoyed Thai fish cakes which I know were tasty as he didn’t offer to share.

For the main event I ordered ‘posh surf and turf’, a succulent, smoky sirloin served with scallops, crayfish and prawns – three of my favourite things together on one plate. Yum. The accompanying chips, although served in a slightly cheesy mini version of a basket from a deep fat fryer, were awesome. The boy tucked into a kobe burger as recommended by a close friend, a great choice. We washed the main courses down with a lovely bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and felt full, smug and happy.

Tempted by the pudding menu we both fancied the winter berry crumble with honey and ginger ice cream. Placing our order with the friendly waiter he informed us that the dessert was “quite big” and we may be better sharing. To this, the boy replied; “thank you, but look at me, I clearly don’t share puddings, we’ll take two” in a Joey-esque fashion. Unsurprisingly, we weren’t up to the challenge and I left some crumble.

A fantastic meal -well worth a visit. This is making me soooo hungry, I’m off to make some dinner…..

Happy birthday to the boy (picture courtesy of Blackhouse)

Food and four-legged friends

Reading the Guardian’s Word of Mouth blog today compelled me to pen my first post about our new cat, Jasmine. Determined not to become a crazy cat lady I’ll not gush too much about her but it’s safe to say, I love her. She is fab.

Despite Jasmine’s fabulousness and my newfound Dr Dolittle-like talents, I do agree with The Guardian’s comments about the inappropriateness of animals in restaurants. Country pubs, fair enough but restaurants, absolutely not. Granted it’s mainly a phenomenon encountered abroad but nonetheless, three’s a crowd when it comes to a long anticipated romantic meal out, especially when the third has four legs.

My fondness of Jasmine means I forgive her for squeaking up as us whilst we sit at our own dinner table, the cat expecting a feline-sized portion of whatever we may be enjoying. If her dog-like begging goes on for long enough, hell, she usually gets her own way, but if a stranger’s pet does this in a restaurant I am not quite so willing to share.

But, as I read further into the Guardian’s post, I was introduced to a phenomenon far more disturbing than a restaurant owner’s pesky pet…the cat cafes of Japan. Forgive my naivety, but I have never before heard of these freaky places where loners (this is my own opinion and may not be factually correct) go to cuddle a random cat whilst enjoying a cup of coffee. Have a read of this BBC article that makes the cats in these places sound like high-class call girls: “There were seven customers, mostly single men….” err…

This finding has however, put my crazy cat lady worries into perspective.

Jasmine has a bit of a problem with the flash on my phone.