Smokestack

Venue Review

Smokestack has been open a little while now, but it still feels like the secret isn’t quite out yet. Which, from a selfish point of view, is great. As we found out on our midweek visit, it’s a really good choice if you fancy a few relaxing drinks and a natter with friends. Wooden floors, bare-brick walls, funky soundtrack, Chesterfield sofa, that kind of thing. That’s not to say it doesn’t pack the punters in on a weekend, because it does - having seen the Haggis Horns on a recent visit, we can testify the upstairs bar is now something of a fixture on the city’s gig circuit - but it does the chilled-out lounge bar thing very well indeed.

There is an impressive drinks menu which includes no less than cocktails, from the classics to some more unusual options. We opted for a Colonel Lee’s Cooler and, as it turned out, the drink was a great match for the relaxed, bluesy surroundings. Lounging back on the suede seating, the sun beaming in through the blinds, the taste of bourbon, ginger ale and fresh lemon, it felt more Deep South than city centre Leeds. Sharp and refreshing, it’s a sophisticated cocktail - though at £ it probably should be. The delicately sliced fresh apple slices on top underlined the care that went into it though, and you couldn’t really fault it.

There’s a well-chosen wine list too, and my partner went for the Norton Malbec from Argentina. You can’t go far wrong with Argentinian Malbecs, and this one was nice and rustic with the classic leather-boots whiff to it - in a good way. We were helping ourselves to each other’s drinks, not wanting to miss out on either. By now, the funky music had switched to a bit of Bob Marley and we were more than happy to sit back and take our time.

Still, it remained fairly quiet in the bar. Whether it’s the boring old credit crunch kicking in, or just that there are so many great bars to choose from in the city, who knows. We’re fortunate as it is with the quality of our bars, but maybe they’ll have to pull out all the stops now to offer something that little bit different in these ‘tough times ahead’. But if you fancy a night spending your well-earned cash on one or two very nice drinks, listening to cool music and, well, to just forget your worries, Smokestack seems like a good choice.

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