OUT AND ABOUT | BRANDON STREET MARKET - JULY

Running since earlier this year, Brandon Street Night Market has become established on the Leeds street food scene as a monthly event offering street food, craft beers, live art and music at Canal Mills.

On the last Friday of every month, the venue becomes a space for independent street food traders to showcase their food to new crowds. It's only a ten minute walk from the city centre, entrance is free and it runs from 5-12pm.

Last Friday there was Pizzafella, Afrikhokho, El Kantina and Afsaneh's Persian Kitchen. An interesting mix of talented traders.

First up we met the lovely Chris from Afrikhokho. Alongside selling his chocolate delights from his stall, he was also making his very own chocolate and let us have a try of the chocolate during the conching process. An 85% South African dark chocolate was in the making and it tasted intense, deep and rich. It was really interesting to here about the procedures of chocolate making and the passion that Chris puts into his product.

We also got to try his Beetroot and Mustard Cake (£2.50) and a slice of Pistachio and Chocolate Fudge (£1.50). Everything was reasonably priced between £1.50 and £3 which is the average fair you would pay for a cake in an independent cafe.

It was sweet before savoury on this occasion, but the winner for my money that night was Afsaneh's Persian Kitchen. With an interesting menu of Persian treats, I couldn't resist buying their Mezze (£5) which meant I could taste a bit of everything!

Run by Afsaneh Kaviani, her business came after her stint as a finalist on Masterchef in 2012. Operating on a street food level as well as a private chef for supper clubs and events, her food has been received very well.

With my Mezze in hand I ventured outside to find somewhere to eat it. Served with toasted bread was a selection of mezze items, including feta, herb salad, bulgar wheat, roasted aubergines and my absolute favourite, a dip made of tomato and aubergine (I think it was caled Mirza Ghasemi). It was a beautiful silky smokey paste that just made me go WOW. 

Great food and another great event for championing local independent street food traders.

Have you been to Brandon Street Night Market?

OUT AND ABOUT | THE WOODS

Last week I was invited to come and try Chapel Allerton's newest venue, The Woods.

Opening earlier this month, the three floor venue hosts a restaurant, bar and stage area for film screenings and live music. With the food being my main area of interest I had a look at the menu before accepting and was intrigued by what was on offer.

The menu is large, which for some can be off putting. However, the Woods specialises in dishes cooked using a wood fired oven, there are plenty of options for wood fired meats, fish and pizzas, with a section dedicated to vegetarian affair. They also serve brunch every weekend and a weekly Sunday lunch.

Arriving at around 7.30pm, the restaurant on the second floor was busy but not full. We got to choose a table and sat down. The waiters were eager to take our orders immediately but we sent them away twice before we even managed to get through the whole menu!

First up is wine. We went for a bottle of the house red, a French wine called Soubremont Domain Merlot Grenache (£12.00). This was served quickly, however it was not poured into our glasses or asked to be tasted but just meekly plonked on the table by the very shy waiter.

The wine was good. Perfect temperature, nice and well... I'm no wine conniseaur. It was certainly quaffable and that's always a good thing.

We set down to ordering our starters and our mains. I went for the Mini Cured Meat Board (£2.90) off the bar snacks/tapas menu whilst my friend ordered the Mozzarella, Tomato with Basil Leaves (£4.50) from the starters menu.

The Mini Cured Meat Board was indeed rather twee! Served on a small wooden platter was one slice of salami, one and a half slices of chorizo and a slice of prosciutto. These were drizzled with oil and a sprinkling of rock salt, but served lonesome with no bread. Considering that tapas is usually based around the concept of sharing, this wasn't exactly ideal. Luckily I was dining with a vegetarian.

The Mozzarella, Tomato with Basil Leaves also took us by surprise. We were expecting something along the lines of a Caprese salad with sliced fresh mozzarella, but what was served was a stack of chopped, skinned tomatoes with hard mozzarella cubes, a single basil leaf and a drizzle of infused oil. It was moulded and stacks on the plate, with a little bit of a collapse on arrival.

On to our mains. We both ordered pizza at the same time as we ordered the starters. We waited a total of fifty five minutes before our mains came and that was a good forty minutes after the starters, with our dirty plates removed just as the mains were served.

Arriving at our table were two 12" wood fired pizzas. I ordered the Smoked Mackerel, Cherry Tomatoes, Roasted Garlic and Basil (£7.90) - I ordered mine without cheese due to a mega cheese fest that had ensued that week. I also genuinely really like and in most cases prefer a pizza without cheese. The base was spot on, light but not soggy. This was a very nice pizza indeed and the interesting toppings were warmly welcomed as I have never had smoked mackerel on a pizza before.

The veggie got excited over the toppings that came on his pizza with Garlic Wild Mushrooms, Thyme, Artichoke, Lemon, Parsley and Pecorino Cheese (£7.90). As with mine, the base was crispy and light with a good crust. The flavours were all there and it made for a hearty feast at a good price.

We also ordered a Seasonal Leaf Salad (£2.50) on the side. This was also unfortunately forgotten and brought to the table after our mains were served.

We finished our mains and went straight to the pudding menu. Obviously we had to try the Chocolate Brownie with Vanilla Ice Cream (£3.50) and we opted to try their Vanilla Cheesecake (£3.50) too.

The puddings were hit and miss. First up was the cheesecake... the texture was rather unpleasant so we quickly left this and moved on to what was a winner! The brownie was warm, fudgey, dense and packed full of walnuts. Served with a scoop of proper vanilla ice cream and a toffee sauce this was very good indeed.

An overall interesting experience at The Woods. Service was not great but it also wasn't terrible. They have only been open a few weeks and as with all new venues and restaurants these are the toughest few to get things right.

I would be interested to return to see how the menu's differ as they change to reflect each season, as well as to see the service progress.

Have you been down to The Woods?

Disclaimer: I was invited to review this restaurant with a complimentary meal for myself and a guest, however all the views within this review are my own honest opinions.

OUT AND ABOUT | BBC GOOD FOOD SHOW SPRING 2014

Last Sunday I ventured over to the BBC Good Food Show Spring 2014 in Harrogate. Making its debut to the Yorkshire town, I was sent through a press pass as a Yorkshire-based food blogger to see what was on offer.

Arriving at the venue, the Harrogate International Centre, with foodie friend Diane, we got there at about 2pm - peak time! It was very busy indeed and a lot of feet treading/barging was going on (I had bruised feet to show!).

Working our way through each stall, there were a range of independent, artisan food and drink producers from all over the country. We soon noticed a major theme going on with every other stall devoted to either alcohol, cheese and chutney (all three great loves of mine!).

As we were just there browsing and because of the huge amount of producers on offer this post is more a selection of pictures to show you of what was on offer to sample and to buy. 

OUT AND ABOUT | TWISTED BURGER COMPANY

I am probably one of the last invited bloggers to re-visit Twisted Burger Company at its new residency at Aire Bar in Leeds. Invited at the beginning of the month to the press launch night, it was extremely busy, hyped and not a great chance to test the food so I was asked to come back to do a follow-up review.

I'm just going to say this now. I have honestly not eaten or ordered a burger in about four years.

I also find the 'lets stick everything greasy and crazy' burger phase which has been sweeping Leeds for a good year or two now extremely unappetising, overdone and unnecessary.

...so why did I accept this review? I genuinely wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Hopping over to a new city, Twisted Burger Company which is usually found in The Harley in Sheffield has now taken up a residency at the riverside basement haunt Aire Bar in Leeds. Bringing the same menu to Leeds, the burgers of giant proportions and of quirky combinations join the Leeds burger gang with the aim of going bigger and offering more beserk options than what the city already plays host to.

Seeing on other blogs a mixture of all singing all praising reviews and then some which were less than impressed, I could see an inconsistency emerging. Going with as an open a mind as one can, I went with my friend Liam (not a burger fiend but one who most definitely enjoys and knows a good burger) and we ventured down to Aire Bar after work on a Wednesday evening.

The menu at first glance is garish, bold and at times a little headache inducing. A bit overwhelmed by the menu we worked our way through slowly to make sure we both ordered exactly what we wanted.

I went for the Baby Got Guac burger (£6.50) one of two vegetarian burgers on offer which contained a Porcini and Button Mushroom Patty, Grilled Mushroom, Asian Slaw and Guacamole. The "no mayo, no cheese burger" appealed to me as I was not after something that could have a high possibility of busting some arteries in one sitting.

Arriving, my burger resembled an overflowing tower of Pisa. The bun was a nice consistency, hefty enough to wield the filling it contained but also soft and buttery in the mouth. The asian slaw was lovely, not too overpowering but had a nice crunch and filled out the burger well. The guacamole was smooth and creamy, usually a fan of a chunky guacamole this didn't bother me too much as it complimented all the flavours really well. A grilled portobello mushroom added a nice texture and chew.

The main man of the game however was of course the porcini and button mushroom patty... Piping hot, this was a dark, earthy and extremely powerful and flavourful beast. It's hearty meaty texture was also welcomed. I was very impressed by the strength of the flavour. For most it might be too overpowering, but as a vegetarian burger, for me it had a confidence and an air of 'oomph' which I think similar burgers in other places would lack.

Liam went for the Holy Cluck (£7.50) which was described on the menu as Double Chicken, Chorizo, American Cheese, Guacamole and Jalapeno Salsa. Arriving before us was again another impressive looking burger. 

On doing a little deconstruction, Liam was in fact rather a tad disappointed. What was this double chicken that lay before him? An unidentifiable mass of processed meat topped the burger. Certainly not what he had been expecting at all. Upon taste it was even more of a disappointment. Rubbery in texture and anonymous in any chicken way, Liam's closest resemblance was to a cheap 'chicken' takeaway burger or even a vegetarian 'fake meat' burger... in all honesty, for my recollection, it reminded me of a spam fritter (which I have unfortunately had the displeasure of trying).

I can actually tell you that this burger was made of 80% chicken thigh and 20% chicken livers to give it a bit of mojo. However the appearance AND the taste certainly did not make ones mojo jumpstart at any rate.

On to the sides! I went for the Harley House Fries (£2.75) which come as skin-on fries with cajun seasoning. On all their fries they have an option to upgrade to sweet potato fries for an extra £2 and I decided to go for this so the portion would have been £4.75 in total.

These were bloomin' FANTASTIC. I have thought hard and strong about this and I can truthfully say these are the best fries to have ever found their fatal plight in my mouth. They were fluffy, crisp, golden, rugged, well-seasoned and addictively moreish. Everything fries aspire to be but usually fall short at on one level or another. The portion sizes were indeed made for sharing. A huge basket piled high of these wonderous creations even two of us struggled to get through. These were great and I would definitely go back just to have more chips...

Liam went for the Crack 'N' Cheese (£3.75) as his side which is essentially Macaroni Cheese with Bacon Bits and Diced Jalapenos. Disappointment round #2 for Liam - ding ding (the poor sod)!

Rather than any macaroni cheese we were both familiar to, this was more of a pasta in a white sauce job. For starters the pasta was overcooked and then the sauce on the pasta had only the faintest taste of cheese. 

Macaroni cheese to us is also a pasta bake of sorts - pasta part-cooked then added to a sauce and baked in an oven to be served up in crispy glutenous wedges. But that was not the state of affairs here. The bacon bits added a bit of a texture and jalapenos made for a new and interesting take on the dish. Edible and filling, Liam devoured this, but again it left much to be desired. 

On to pudding. Both pretty full we had a good breather. On to the puddings we then went.

I ordered the Brownies with Ice Cream (£3.25) and Liam went for the Rocky Road Dessert Pot (£4.25).

Both puddings were served in a matter of minutes. My brownies came out on a hot plate (from what I could tell they were fresh out the microwave) with two scoops of vanilla ice cream.

The brownies unfortunately were not like any brownies I have ever tasted. They reminded me of the chocolate traybake puddings you might have once had with your school dinner. Liam's description summed it up nicely with him wondering which packet mix they were from. A disappointment for both of us.

The rocky road dessert pot was described on the menu as brownies, cream and chocolate. The chocolate was the only component of the traditional rocky road that I recognised. The dessert came in a chilled glass topped with a generous layer of whipped cream and a glace cherry.

Too much cream for my liking. After finally a lot of scraping we both got into the dessert itself to find a dessert which I can only describe as a cold cookie dough/mousse. There was no crunch or rocky road texture to it. The odd cherry popped up here and there but there was nothing rocky road about it in the slightest. It was too sweet for me but Liam appeared to enjoy it. An interesting dessert indeed.

So we've got a pretty mixed review here. All in all not a bad experience but an odd one to say the least.

I'm still not a burger convert and probably wouldn't find myself out ordering a burger any time soon... but saying that, these guys have also produced the best fries I have eaten to date.

I am still as confused over the whole ordeal as I was when I first entered... but then again, maybe burgers are just something I will never understand?

Disclaimer: I was invited to review this restaurant with a complimentary meal for myself and a guest, however all the views within this review are my own honest opinions.

OUT AND ABOUT | BLACKHOUSE, THE GRILL ON THE SQUARE

It occurred to me when I received an invite from the team behind Blackhouse to visit their Leeds branch 'The Grill on the Square' that I had in fact never ordered a steak in a restaurant before. Mainly because of a reason... the price.

I am a BIG steak fan. Every three weeks or so I treat myself to a sirloin or rump (whatever looks best quality down Butcher's Row) from Leeds Kirkgate market and get my griddle pan a'sizzling. Two minutes each side, precisely measured with a countdown timer on my phone.

As a student I would usually treat myself to a steak from one of the local pubs, cheap and maybe not so cheerful but it did the deed in terms of providing that much-needed dose of iron that students tend to lack. But yes... steak in a restaurant was about to become a new experience for me.

After a long drive back up to Leeds following a short stint back home down South, I took Papa Wood as my guest to Blackhouse. Arriving on a Monday evening at 6pm, the restaurant was relatively empty and quiet but had a nice ambience to it. Some people were just enjoying drinks after work at the bar, whilst others were sitting down to enjoy a meal or some cocktails.

We took our seat at a table by the window and ordered wine. Red of course (I only drink white to be polite) we both went for the house French red, La Serre Merlot priced at £5 for a small glass.

The wine was served and the temperature was perfect. Not cold, slightly warm and exactly the temperature a red wine should be. I have never had a glass of red served where it has not been too cold before so this was a pleasant surprise indeed.

We had ordered some starters, I went for the Scottish Mussels in Cider and Chorizo (£7) and my Pa went for the Crispy Calamari with Lemon Mayonnaise (£6). Both arrived in good time, just over 10 minutes from order to table.

First up, my mussels came served in a shallow dish with a lid for the shells and a water bowl with hot water for what would become inevitably messy fingers.

The mussels were juicy and plump. They tasted fresh and clean with not a bit of grit in sight. The mussels were bathing in a shallow layer of cider stock, accompanied with two crisp tostada's on the side. When crumbled into the mussels they added an almost crouton-like texture to the dish. The chorizo was not overpowering or too salty and there was plenty of it to go about. The cider added a nice depth to the dish without it being too rich like its popular white wine and cream counterpart.

With seafood being the continual theme, Papa Wood's calamari came with the tentacles on. They had kindly asked him on ordering if he would like them to remove the tentacles but we don't do things by half in this family!

The calamari was fresh and coated in a light and crispy batter with a a rather decadent lemon mayo to add a bit of oomph. This was snaffled up almost instantly and received a firm nod of approval.

Next up is the headline act! Yes we both went for steak... with chips. I had a little discussion about this too as all the steaks are served with either a portion of chips, mash potato or a baked potato and whilst all three are obviously great variations of the potato in their own right, I could still not really envisage eating a steak with a jacket or a portion of mash!

I was told that their beef is sourced from local Yorkshire producers. It is prided on being of a premium quality and is aged for 28 days to ensure tenderness and flavour.

Papa Wood went for the Ribeye Steak (£17.95), a hefty hunk of juicy meat cooked medium rare and served with a little mini fryer basket full of home-cut chips and watercress on the side. This steak was indeed juicy and extremely succulent. Served as he had asked for, it came medium-rare. I had a sneaky strip and it was indeed succulent and tender. It had a melting texture in the mouth due to the marbling of the fat through the meat.

I went for the Rump Steak (£17.95), which was also cooked medium-rare. My steak was juicy, slightly firmer but was also tender to the taste. As a leaner cut, it was not as supple as the ribeye steak but it had good flavour throughout and was pink and oozing juice all the way through. A very fine steak indeed.

My absolute MUST for a steak is a good serving of horseradish. I know horseradish is a marmite-type love/hate condiment but for me it is the absolute making of a good steak. In my eyes too only the hot chunky versions will do, not like the creamy mild slop you find in a Wetherspoons.

I asked the waitress for some horseradish and HURRAH she brought over two shining little pots of hot chunky horseradish which just made my steak sing to an even finer tune.

We were both sold on the chips. Hand-cut skin-on potatoes which were soft and fluffy on the inside with a good crisp jacket on the outside. With a steak I want simple sides. A bit of greenery usually does the trick with some fresh salad leaves or even some steamed green veg.

A healthy one at heart, we shared side dishes of a Mixed Herb and Leaf Salad (£3.75) and a portion of Roasted Sprouts (£3.50) - however as sprouts were out of season we were offered baby cabbage instead. I was impressed to see a commitment to using seasonal vegetables where possible.

To accompany my steak I also had a second glass of red wine, this time going for a Spanish wine, the Borsao Garnacha at £5.50 for a large glass. This was slightly colder than my previous glass but it was well bodied in taste and went down very smoothly with the steak.

To finish we had a coffee each, Espresso (£2.25) for me and a Macchiato (£2.25) for who I think the staff were now wondering whether was my actual Pa or just a sugar Daddy I had brought along for the ride.

Glancing over the dessert menu we were both eyeing up the interesting looking apple pie which came with a Lancashire cheese crust and custard but alas we could not find the room for such a heavy dessert. Instead we shared an Affogato (£4.50) which came as a ristretto, a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a shot of Amaretto. This wasn't something I would usually order but I was intrigued to see how it was served. It was a bit of a DIY job and a nice light offering from the dessert menu. I did however then pour the whole Amaretto shot on without knowing how strong it would be and after a few mouthfuls we couldn't eat anymore.

This meal would have came to a total of £82.25. A similar price to the total of the bill for the meal I had at The Alchemist a few weeks back (see post here) which for me seemed shocking considering the poor quality of the food and service.

It's also interesting to me and something that I think I should note that both The Alchemist and Blackhouse are run by the same restaurant operator.

However, in the case of Blackhouse, the standard of the restaurant, the service and the high quality of the food on offer was on a different scale altogether. For two starters, two mains, two sides, one dessert, three glasses of wine and two coffees this was a very reasonable price (although still not one I would usually be able to afford!).

Whilst this is not your average restaurant to visit on a regular basis, Blackhouse would be one that I would be happy to recommend to someone to visit for a special occasion or for a celebratory meal.

The service and the quality of the food were both very good and the atmosphere on that evening that we went was welcoming and relaxed.

Disclaimer: I was invited to review this restaurant with a complimentary meal for myself and a guest, however all the views within this review are my own honest opinions.