Leeds recommendations?

Question

We're heading off for a weekend in the Yorkshire dales, with a stop in Leeds on the way. Any recommendations for a nice dinner in Leeds? Any budget/ ambience welcome -- we're happy to go high for something we're not likely to find done as well or as uniquely in London (where we're from), as this is our first visit here.

Answer

A friend once recommended Anthony's Restaurant on Boar Lane, but I haven't been. It does get high marks in the Good Food Guide. I think he also has another place called Anthony's Piazza.

Answer

There is a restaurant called Chaophraya I think there is one in Manchester and another in Leeds. Never been to the one on Leeds but the food is amazing. They employ chefs brought over from bangkok and it is subsidised by the thai government so you are getting the best food experience. Its not expensive either its a full dining experience you will most liekely need to book.

Answer

Thanks for all the recommendations. Unfortunately, limited time and our weekend schedule meant we couldn't take up some of the most interesting tips. We also decided to avoid South Asian food -- being from the region myself, I get very grumpy if it's not well done, so chose not to risk it this time.

We went to Anthony's in the Piazza for dinner -- located in a beautiful space, though the restaurant itself had a factory air to it. My husband had a starter of black pudding with a poached egg and on a fresh leaf salad with a mustard vinaigrette. He followed with a tuna nicoise and I had a chicken kiev (not enough butter to overcome the dryness of the chicken breast). The tuna was probably the best dish: a very well cooked piece of fish, moist and flavoursome. The grilled asparagus we had as a side was also excellent, nicely charred and beautifully seasoned.

We also took a couple of things to take away: two doughnuts (coffee and caramel) and two muffins (blueberry and sticky toffee -- the latter had won a Great Taste award). Unfortunately, they seem to keep baked items overnight; one each of the cakes was noticeably fresher, and on our way out we noticed the trays of muffins kept in a closed glass case, apparently for the next day. Good toffee and rich date flavour to the sticky toffee muffin, though a little too sweet for my taste. I would have liked the contrast you get from the cream or ice cream normally accompanying sticky toffee pudding; here, perhaps a sharp counterpoint would have have been nice. If I returned, I would ask the staff which cakes were freshly baked.

The next day, we went to the Arts Cafe for a quick lunch before catching our train back to London. I gather this is a long-standing Leeds institution: a casual cafe/ bar on Call Lane. The starter was salmon marinated in ginger and coriander. Very good fish, with excellent use of the coriander to lift up the other flavours, but could have done with more ginger and sharpness. The winner by far was a pea and feta spring roll main served with a sour cream dip. Very fresh, light and good flavour of peas, with the feta providing contrast. It was just the thing for a hot, sunny afternoon after a long walk by the canal.

Our stop in Leeds was on our way back to London from the very beautiful area around Malham. We stayed at the Lister Arms -- the less said about our room the better, but meals were solid and well cooked fare, served in obscenely large portions. Excellent fat chips, decent battered fish, adequate steak, very good local goat's cheese served in a salad. The cooked breakfast was also immense and almost exclusively flesh based -- Whitby kippers, a huge English breakfast with decent local sausages, etc, but packaged yoghurts and cereals. Not a pork eater myself, I stuck to boiled eggs with soldiers.

An afternoon was also spent in Skipton, where we had the fish and chips at Bizzie Lizzie's, apparently a very well known chippie. The chips were adequate, but the fish was superb. A delicious, well seasoned batter, very light and lacy; a firm, perfectly cooked and extremely fresh, flavoursome haddock inside. The best meal of the holiday, and eaten sitting on a sunny bench overlooking the canal running by. Though very fond of f&c I wouldn't consider myself an expert. This was, however, the best chip shop style fish and chips I've had (the best posh version being in Thurso.)

Answer

Has anyone eaten at James Martins restaurant in Leeds? What is it like?

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