OUT AND ABOUT | LAYNES ESPRESSO SUNDAY BRUNCH #2 AT BELGRAVE MUSIC HALL

Sunday's are the perfect days for brunch, but living on my own means that it is a rarity that I ever cook anything spectacular for myself, and this includes the delight of Sunday brunch.

So what a treat it is for me to go out for brunch at one of my favourite haunts in Leeds, Belgrave Music Hall, thanks to their caffeine-fuelled residents Laynes Espresso.

Returning for my second Laynes Espresso Sunday Brunch experience (see my post on my first here), I met with my friend Sarah who has joined me the previous month and we made ourselves comfy in the Belgrave.

After our last experience where demand was completely off the rails and the service very slow, we were informed that there would be a table service to help speed things along this time.

We casted our eyes up and down the menu and after a lot of 'umming' and 'ahhing' I settled for the sweet option with the French Toast and Sarah went for the Gin Cured Salmon.

Despite the table service, we still ended up waiting quite a while for our food to come, however we were happy to natter away and drink tea in the mean time. When the food did arrive, boy were we happy!

My French Toast was composed of brioche, caramelised baanana, espresso mascarpone and nut brittle. It was an absolute masterpiece and felt VERY naughty. A really lovely combination of flavours and textures where every mouthful was a delight to eat.

It was gigantic in size compared to some of other brunch dishes we saw, however I was more than happy to oblige to clear my plate...

Sarah had the Gin Cured Salmon dish which was served on volkenbrot rye toast with cucumber, grapefruit, yoghurt and a poached egg.

This would have been my dish of choice if I had gone down the savoury route, however I had already had a dish quite similar to this that week.

A great success for Laynes Espresso with another superb brunch. Slogging away in the kitchen to serve us hungry souls were Carl Fleischer from Laynes and Dan and Jim from The Grub & Grog Shop.

A fine collaboration of talent right there and a big thank you to them.

If you still havn't had a chance to catch the Laynes Espresso Sunday Brunch then the next one will be held on Sunday 23 March at Belgrave Music Hall.

An extra hint is that Laynes will be serving their fabulous French Toast at the Belgrave Street Feast III this Saturday so GO GO GO!

OUT AND ABOUT | LAYNES ESPRESSO SUNDAY BRUNCH AT BELGRAVE MUSIC HALL

The team over at Laynes Espresso expanded to take over a new spot at the up and coming Belgrave Music Hall last Monday.

Offering £1 coffee's all week they have hit it off big time and are well on their way to becoming the next top dog independent establishment joining the Belgrave Music Hall (current vendors include Dough Boys Pizza, Fu-Schnickens and Patty Smith's).

Photo: Laynes Espresso

Returning today with their second brunch service, I visited with intrigue and excitement after unfortunately missing their first brunch service in December.

Teased by being able to preview the menu a good week in advance, I still hadn't made my mind up as to what I wanted off the menu.

A menu created by the inventive Carl Fleischer from Laynes, we were spoilt for choice with six options on offer:

Shakshuka 

Baked Eggs | Tomato & Pepper Ragout | Feta | Yoghurt | Sourdough 

Black Pudding 

Poached Eggs | Pea Puree | Apple | Sourdough Crisp 

Fritters 

Sweet Corn Fritters | Poached Eggs | Avocado | Chilli Relish

Smashed Avocado 

Feta | Sumac | Pistachio | Rye Toast 

Welsh Rarebit

Leek Rarebit | Poached Eggs | Laynes Spiced Relish | Sourdough 

French Toast

Brioche | Banana | Vanilla Mascarpone |Walnut 

Placing our orders we were also enticed by the delightful looking millionaire's shortbread and lamington's on offer as well as the usual Laynes Espresso top quality coffee.

Ordering my food and opting for a tea (I am sorry!), I was given a card as order #47 and we waited for our brunch as the Belgrave filled up. We were rather astounded by how busy it was but also extremely happy for the independents who were doing so well from the event.

Taking our seats, we were sat just across from the open-hatch kitchen where Carl was joined by Dan and Jim from The Grub and Grog Shop. Being a massive food perve and loving to watch people cook I was in my element...

I opted for the Sweet Corn Fritters which were DIVINE. Two fritters accompanied by two perfectly poached eggs, a creamy avocado puree and a tangy chilli relish all topped with watercress. Really tasty and honest feel-good food that has left me wanting to become a weekend brunch-aholic.

I was with two friends who went for the Shakshuka and Welsh Rarebit who were also thoroughly impressed.

Sunday Brunch service will now be available from Laynes Espresso at Belgrave Music Hall every first and third Sunday of the month from 12-4pm - although the earlier you arrive the better!

A definite visit for anyone who enjoys good quality real food. I am a brunch convert.