THE ADELPHI TOPS THE LOT
Venture over the historic Leeds Bridge, where in 1888 what is thought to be the world’s first moving picture was filmed and you will find another piece of the city’s colourful history.
Standing majestically on a corner, The Adelphi pub is a true testament to late Victorian architecture. Enter, what can only be termed as a portal of Victorian style and design and it becomes more and more evident just what a living piece of social history this place is.
The impressive staircase, picturesque wall tiles, brass and the long mahogany bar meet your eyes straight away. The lounges off the entrance hall – there are four ooze pure Victorian nostalgia and what’s more its all original.
There is a plethora of oak panelling, old tiled fire places, dark leather seats, polished brass and gilded mirrors in tandem with period pictures and adverts of the day. There’s even the old service bells behind the seats.
My colleague, a history buff ,had travelled all the way from Teesside on a cold and blustery day as even the Adelphi’s reputation for food and drink wrapped in historic surroundings had reached that far.
A blazing fire and an even warmer welcome greeted us. My colleague, a bit of an expert on brewing and beer, was impressed by the array of beers dispensed on the hand pumps and plumped for the Ilkley Brew, which came served at the right temperature and wasn’t too cold, a common mistake in some pubs my colleague informed me.
The seating bays make it a place where which-ever of the four rooms you choose you can enjoy privacy and there’s an outside beer garden area with a shelter and heaters that looks inviting for warmer weather.
The Adelphi menu wouldn’t look out of place in any up market restaurant and the intricate presentation of the food wouldn’t either – in fact presentation and choice are top class here.
For starters my colleague chose the pan-fried king prawns and chorizo on toasted sourdough. It was quite spicy with a more than adequate portion of prawns and the minced chorizo was complimented by the toasted sourdough bread.
My choice of grilled asparagus with heirloom tomatoes was a work of art in its presentation. The portion was large and the asparagus was expertly cooked with a delicious accompaniment of grain bread.
I decided to try something a little pub grub for my main course. But this was no ordinary pub grub but designer pub grub. The steak and cheddar pie with roasted roots came in a puff pastry case which was hot and very crispy and the crispy cheese topping just gave it that gourmet edge. The pie contained large pieces of steak and some root vegetables to give it a flavoursome kick. The roasted root vegetables, that accompanied my pie, were cooked to perfection and full of taste and my mash creamy and soft.
My colleague opted for the Guinea fowl breast stuffed with spinach and pecorino, with roasted butternut squash and grilled asparagus. The Guinea fowl was tender and just fell off the bones and came with a delicious gravy.
For a pub the Adelphi carries a great range of desserts. The Black Forrest Eton Mess is certainly to be recommended. It looked so good that I just didn’t want to eat it and was presentation a la extra-ordinaire. It tasted good too with pieces of black forest fruits, fresh strawberries and crispy meringue’
The British Cheese plate was my colleagues choice. This was a veritable meal in itself and ideal if you are having a couple of glasses of something with a friend as it is perfect for snacking. It had three choices of cheese, ample savoury biscuits, a tasty apple and fig chutney and a copious amount of grapes and celery.
The Adelphi is a great place to eat at with a fabulous ambiance and warm cosy atmosphere,whether it’s lunch with friends and family, a pre-theatre meal or a post-shopping pit stop for tea or a hearty evening meal. This place is pub grub at its best and far surpasses some of the city’s restaurants in presentation, quality and taste.
The Adelphi 3-5 Hunslet Road, Leeds 1
Food served from 12.00 to 9.00pm every day
Tel: 01132456377
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