Food Review The Wardrobe
Ben Johnson takes a taster of the new foods on offer at Leeds' jazziest hot spot
Food Review: The Wardrobe
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Anyone doubting the arty credentials of Leeds’ St. Peter’s Square should get their head checked, fool. There has been a little revolution going on down there for some time now, and it’s not just the West Yorkshire Playhouse and the accompanying Yorkshire Dance studios that attract the thesps: the area is also home to that great guardian of media impartiality, the BBC, and the Leeds College of Music who, when they’re not jazzing out or laying down some killer beats, are frequenting and playing in The Wardrobe across the road - perhaps the coolest club that isn’t in New Orleans.
They’ve just launched a new cocktail selection, perfect for those late night dance sessions. And alongside a club downstairs playing the coolest live grooves, this place is party central. So where does three-course, tea-light and handkerchief posh nosh fit into all this? Well, quite snugly, if you must know.
The restaurant fits the environment perfectly - not too elite to be considered stuffy, but appropriately laidback enough to give it a slightly cosmopolitan, worldly aesthetic, with wooden chairs, floorboards and white washed walls which resemble a beatnik art studio, while the food (courtesy of a new menu) is a fine example on how to transform traditional pub grub into something really quite unique. Choose from lunch food, bar food and a discounted pre-theatre menu (valid until 7pm) which has the pre-theatre crowds queuing at the door. We arrive late on a Saturday and quickly dive into a selection of bread (£1.50), waited on by attentive, pleasant staff. Starters range from yummy goats cheese gnocchi (£5.75), and a special’s board which outlines the soup and tart of the day. But our mains arrive with little delay. Mine, a succulent rib eye steak with peppercorn sauce (£13.50), cooked rare with chips, mushroom and tomato, and a delightful chicken dish, stuffed with peppered mushrooms, topped with bacon and a number of roast potatoes (£11.25). Both dishes are a great twist on what many pubs would consider ordinary and routine, and the details on their eco-friendly menu are reassuring: their chicken is “farm assured”, while the beef has been aged for 21 days. It’s important to know these things.
Out of all the sweets on the dessert menu, we’d like to recommend the meringues (£4.50), light and flaky with strawberries and cream - a perfect summer treat. Stay a little longer and the band comes on, and all the bohemian types who like their music to swing crawl out of the woodwork and have a right old knees up. Very few venues in Leeds can comprehensively straddle the bar/club/restaurant vibe as well as The Wardrobe - it somehow manages to succeed in all aspects.
Posted on Wednesday 15th April 2009
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