It’s easy to understand why Bill’s has lost non of its popularity as being one of the favourite eating places for the business community, ladies who lunch, couples wanting to enjoy a romantic meal, those gossipy girly nights out or family celebrations.

Housed in the 18^th century home of the famous Leeds surgeon, William Hey,  who was one of the founders of the Leeds General Infirmary, this Georgian town house has a certain charm about it . A listed building a blue plaque, on its outside wall,  proudly celebrates this piece of the city’s history.

The montage of grasses and flowers around the doorway are a nod to the time in the 1700’s when a large flower garden surrounded  the house and horse drawn carriages clip-clopped along Albion Place.

Step inside and the atmosphere is welcoming and friendly and the décor is tastefully simplistic and rustic that fits ideally with the building’s history. Inside Bill’s has a spacious feel about it with its mood lighting, tastefully choreographed tables and intimate booths.

Bill’s menu has moved with the times and changing eating habits but it still firmly retains its identity whether for brunch, lunch, afternoon tea or dinner.

For starters we both chose from the small plates menu and we couldn’t have made a better choice. If there were Oscars for starters then these two particular ones would be front runners.

I chose the Wedge Salad and not only was the presentation amazing but the salad was too. It consisted of a crispy Iceberg wedge coated in a basil dressing. Each layer of the lettuce was interspersed with apple, walnut and chives and the whole dish was sprinkled with vegan feta. The flavour of the dressing complimented the lettuce, cheese and other accompaniments beautifully.

My partner, who travels the world in his profession, remarked that he hadn’t tasted a dish like the King Prawn, Avocado and Mango Cocktail for a very long time. The mango, chilli and lime salsa was exceptional, the prawns succulent and the cocktail sauce flavoursome and smooth.

It was a Bill’s Classic Burger that tempted me for my main course.  I always ask for it as they used to call it ‘naked’ that means without the bun so I wouldn’t feel guilty having fries with it. My beef patty was smooth and tasty with tomato, lettuce, red onions and the Bill’s secret sauce – the perfect match for their burgers.

The 8oz Chargrilled 21 day aged pave rump steak was my partner’s choice. It was tender and succulent and the peppercorn sauce had a real zing to it. Served with garlic butter and a roast tomato, dressed pea shoots and rosemary salted fries, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, this was   was perfection on a plate.

Sweets at Bill’s are a must and I strayed away from my all time favourite Bill’s Flowerpot and chose the Eton Colada Sundae. This was my heaven in a dish and could well have come from the angel’s kitchen. Lovingly presented in a pineapple style dish it was a new take on Eton Mess and a very successful one.

The fresh pineapple gave it a tang whilst the ice cream, coconut and meringue was ingenious mixed into the dessert which was topped off with whipped cream and maraschino cherry.

My partner decided to revive childhood memories with the Summer Fruit Pudding that his mother often made for alfresco dining. He could not have been more thrilled with the offering. Layered with sponge fingers and chocolate mousse and with copious amounts of fruit this certainly delighted.

One of the few remaining boutique restaurants in the city Bill’s is still as popular as it was when it opened. The reason? It has a good choice of quality reasonably priced food on its menu whatever time of day you visit, a great ambience and efficient and friendly staff who really do care about their customers.

Bill’s 1 Albion Place, Leeds LS1 6JL. Menu: bills-website.co.uk

See also website for special offers including their seasonal  2 course set menu served Monday to Friday

Open: Sunday: 9.00am-10.pm; Mon/Tues/Wed 8.am – 10 pm; Thurs/Frid/Sat 8.am-11pm.