Last night we got to eat at the fantastic La Grillade in Leeds. I’d been there out of the random blue last November to take some photos of Alan Bennett (Photo Set | Blog Post). I remember thinking at the time, as I floated around snapping, that it looked like an exceptional eatery.
Eirene’s birthday provided the suitable excuse for us to head off to Leeds on the train. For somewhere that proffers to cater for the Leeds Elite, it’s actually a very down to earth establishment with a focus on premium French cuisine. After starts of Parfait De Foie for Eirene and prawns grilled in Gruyère for me and the selection of a formidable merlot we shared a rack of the most delicate venison cutlets imaginable. Food heaven. Every dish that came out looked incredibly edible. Yum yum nom nom. Given that it was a celebration, we went the whole nine yards and had desserts. Eirene wen’t for a Poire Bell-Helene as she was intrigued to see how it was done ‘properly’. She now knows and I hope she attempts the emulation. I opted for the cheese board and was presented with an exceptional choice. The waitress guided me through the selection with a perfected balance of knowledge and heresay. As a result, I now have a new favourite cheese and it’s name is Tomme De Savoie. Our 9 yards turned into a 10 then 11 yards with liqueurs and coffee. Espresso. Pronounced it properly – omitting the (pet hate) ‘X’ that oh so many people insist in putting into the pronunciation.
A short walk back to the trains station, afording me just enough time to tweet “La Grillade – c’est magnifique!” and before we knew it, we were back in Harrogate. We’ve not ‘popped across to Leeds for a meal’ before – we’d hardly considered it an option and given that we’ve got so many great restaurants in Harrogate, it’s not something we really ‘need’ to do – but I’m glad we did. A night time train journey adventure to go and eat made it feel all the more special. Will put it on the ‘to do again list’ for sure.
Totally recommended place for a treat of an eat. A bit on the pricey side – arguably matched or superseded by the quality of what you get. Oui Oui, Bon Bon.