Quiet woman, Leek

This isn't in Yorkshire but was so good it deserves a mention. If you're ever in Staffordshire you should pop in!

I went for a quick lunch and the mushroom stroganoff for £7.95 was excellent. It was unbelievably generous with huge chunks of peppers, mushrooms, leeks and onions, you will not go hungry. It has a great sense of homeliness that so many pubs now lack.

We went when the Halloween decorations were up and so much detail had gone into them, it looked stunning.

Casa Mia, Leeds

Casa Mia is one of those restaurants that, because of it's prime location, everyone knows about. This doesn’t mean that everyone goes. Having asked all my food-loving friends no-one had actually visited. I saw a 40% off voucher on Voucher cloud and thought this sounded too good to resist.

Considering the location and how lovely it looks from outside, I was a little let down by the interior. I felt like I was in a cafe rather than a restaurant. I wouldn't mind this at all if I was paying cafe prices but when your paying up to £12 on a main you expect it to be a little finer. In fact, I have since found out that I was sat in the ‘deli’. On the second floor there is "a stunning a la carte restaurant in comfortable surroundings" (apparently). I don't know why they sat us in the coffee bar when they didn’t seem that busy; maybe it was the voucher...

The choice on the menu is stunning. I was tempted by so many dishes that it took me a good few minutes to decide. Here are the options we chose:

Starter
Meat platter - "An array of italian meat, mozzarella cheese, charcoaled grilled vegetables and more"

Mains
Squid Ink pasta - "Fresh homemade black ribbon pasta with mixed seafood, fish and shellfish"

Pork - "Yorkshire slow roast pork, served with sage, parmesan, creamy gnocchi, with crisp parma ham"

Dessert
Baked Alaska - "Homemade italian ice cream bomb with black cherries in middle on a bed of shortbread coated in merengue and baked. Served on fire"


Now, the starter. From the description were you thinking wooden board with a pile of delicious meats, bread, cheese and roast veg? I was. It was actually what I would describe as a meaty salad. It was huge, but mainly consisted of iceberg lettuce, then stuff thrown on top. They were very generous with the salamis, hams and chicken slices but they all reminded me of Morrisons sandwich selections more than fine Italian meats. There was also a tiny ball of mozzarella. A bit disappointing, especially for £8.95.

After the discouraging starter it turned out that my main was faultless. I had the pork and it was amazing. The meat was melt-in-the mouth and crispy at the same time, the gnocchi was in a delicious sauce and the parma ham was a great addition. I couldn't recommend this enough.

The pasta was alright. The pasta itself was very tasty and you could tell it was fresh but I felt they were being a little grudging. From the description of "mixed seafood, fish and shellfish" you would expect a bit more than a few sandwich prawns and mussels.

I never usually go for deserts as I'm always more temped to get some Ben and Jerry's on the way home for less money, but with 40% off I thought it was a good opportunity to try one. We decided to go for the Baked Alaska. Again, my main criticism is the tightness. When a desert costs £6.95 you expect it to be a bit bigger. However, it was very good. All the different elements of the dessert were perfect and they all worked feel together.

Their slogan is "Good people followed by consistently good food. You can't have one without the other!" Well, the food was hit and miss and the service wasn't excellent either. I overheard a girl on the table behind me complain that her main wasn't what she expected. Considering the waiter asked the question it was a bit rude when he didn't even respond, he just walked off.

I also saw one of the waiters with a big plastic tub spooning the "generic Italian red sauce" onto a calzone in front of the whole restaurant. I know this time saver has to happen but when you’re paying over a tenner for a calzone it's something you'd like to pretend doesn't.

The bill came to £61 before the voucher. I wouldn't spend this again. I even think the £45 we paid after the voucher was too much.

www.casamiaonline.com

Ciao Bella, Leeds

Hidden away on a little cobbled street in Brewery wharf, Ciao Bella is not an overly populated restaurant. The Dock street location provides a lovely setting for an Italian restaurant, and not a combination you would usually expect. The interior is just as charming, featuring stunning exposed brickwork within a large open plan space.

On arrival we were warmly welcomed by a charismatically witty man (seemingly the owner). He kept winding us up and cracking jokes throughout the evening. The service was excellent; they checked on us regularly and were very obliging to help us to choose our meals. Between the four of us we chose two meals from the extensive specials board and two from the main menu. One thing to note is the size of the calzone, it took two of us to finish it! It was very flavoursome and they skilfully avoided the horrible soggy dough you often get on badly baked Calzones.

The food was very traditionally Italian, homemade pasta with natural and fresh tomato sauces. Personally, I think I have become to prefer more British versions of Italian food, with thick creams and over-flavoring of herbs and spices, so the delicately flavoured sauce was perhaps a little too bland for my liking.

The best thing about Ciao Bella is the price. All Pizzas and pastas are between £8 to £10, Meat dishes are between £10 for chicken breast and £19 for a fillet steak. They are also one of the few non-chain restaurants that provide exceptionally good offers:

Special Lunch Menu

Pizza or pasta for £5.95 including a Soft Drink. A Small Glass of Wine for an extra £1. 
Available Mon-Sat 12pm-5pm


Early Bird Menu

1 Course £6.95
, 2 Courses £8.95 and 
3 Courses £10.95 from the set menu.
Available 12pm - 7.30pm.

Visit them and try out out one these amazing offers.

www.ciaobellarestaurantleeds.co.uk

Veal tagliatelle

Hansa’s - Leeds

Hansa’s Dabhi brought her Indian Vegetarian Cuisine to Leeds and Yorkshire in 1986 and is proud that the restaurant has not changed hands since. The menu is a delicate selection of Gujarati Vegetarian home-cooking, with touches of her East African upbringing. The state of Gujarat, an area about the size of England, is predominantly a Hindu state, so vegetarianism is a way of life. While she has modified her style of cooking to suit most palates, it really has a distinct and authentic Gujarati taste.

I visited Hansa’s for the second time this weekend. The first time I went in a party of 12, and we shared a large selection of the menu. It was delicious. The emphasis at Hansa's is on sharing and experimenting, but in a group of two I didn’t have that luxury and had to choose just one.

I cracked under the pressure and decided to go with a Thali. This was a good choice as it was a mini feast consisting of 2 shaks (curries), puri, pilau rice, daal, farsan, shrikhand, papad and a glass of sweet lassi. The star of the dish was surprisingly the sweet lassi. It wasn’t as thick as lassi’s I’ve had before and it was flavored beautifully, I could have had it ten times over. The aubergine curry that came with it was delicious too. It was a really thick vegetable sauce with hearty chucks of aubergine and peas, lovely.

We also decided to be a bit adventurous and get a main, a Bhinda ni Kadhi. ‘Bhinda’ is translated as Okra and ‘Kadhi’ is a savory yoghurt sauce. It sounded like my dream curry as it featured my new found favorite vegetable, Okra. However, It was a little disappointing. It was really tasty, and had great flavors but it was just ‘okra in yoghurt sauce’. I know this is exactly how it was described in the menu but wish there was just something else going on, like a few peas or bits of aubergine.

The real show stopper was the starter. We tried the Khasta Kachori. It was a such a unique Gujarati dish. I loved how the crispy texture of the puri complimented the spicy chickpeas and potato mixture inside. The variety of flavors was amazing; it was served with a tangy tamarind and onion chutney garnish and topped with fresh coriander and pomegranate seeds. It was really special. It really has a distinct and authentic Gujarati taste.

“There are no set rules on how to eat but I eat with my fingers” Hansas

Look at their menu or find out more:
www.hansasrestaurant.com

Smoked Haddock with Asparagus and Red Cabbage

I bought all my ingredients from the lovely Kirkgate Market but you will be able to get these from almost all supermarkets.

For 4 people

16 x Asparagus

6 x Sweet potatoes

1 x Red cabbage

1 x Smoked Haddock

Mumtaz, Leeds

Mumtaz Khan Akbar, is well-known in Yorkshire, as one of the counties richest men, with a personal wealth of £25 million. The Mumtaz chain is huge, owning two restaurants, an array of supermarket products and the take-away chain, Jaldi Jaldi. I wasn’t sure what to expect from the new Clarence dock restaurant, as I’ve never visited such a renowned Indian restaurant before. Even the Queen and Mr Cameron have eaten here! 

Compared to most other Indian restaurants, this is like going to Jamie's over Bella Italia. You get less food with more flavour, better ingredients but at a higher price. So, if you're after a stodgy curry after a night on tiles, this isn't for you. After 30 years of having a beer with his curry, my dad was shocked to discover they didn’t serve alcohol. There was even talk of paying for the popadoms and leaving, but we stuck it out.

We had the Karahi Gosht and Chilli Paneer and they were excellent. Now, I'm a fan of spicy food, but I asked for medium strength and it was more than enough heat. If you're not used to a spicy dish, I'd advice you ask for mild. A cheesy chilli curry is not something that I would go for but the large chunks of flavoured paneer in a thick chilli sauce was delicious. 

After our meal the head waitress, who was very accommodating, offered me a box of Indian desserts to take away. I had the pleasure of picking four different semolina treats from the counter and they were presented in a gorgeous box. Again, I never usually go for Indian desserts, as I'm usually so full, but I kept these for the next day. I thought they were delicious and the carrot and date one was great. However, two of my flatmates tried them and said they tasted like sandy rice-pudding so the semolina treats are something for you to decide yourself!

Bill for two curries with Poppadoms, Mango Lassi, Nann bread, Rice and Semolina treats = Around £38

Students get 15% off, so don't forget to show your NUS.

www.mumtaz.co.uk

CoGonis, Scarborough

This year, we decided to go up the road to Scarborough for our winter break. Little did we know that the mid-february weekend we chose was to be the heaviest snowfall of the whole winter. After a stroll on the beach, which left us with a loss of feeling in both our fingers and toes, we decided to cheer ourselves up with a posh meal.

Best thing we ever did.

This restaurant is something quite special. Unlike most others in its price range it gets the balance between portion size and flavours bang on. You really can't go hungry, and you won't be disappointed. We had the Seafood Linguine and the Rack of lamb, and were blown away by the quality. It feels like so much care and attention has gone into each dish that you forget that there are other people in the restaurant too. Even the staff were great. There was no feeling of: "I'm just asking you if you've had a nice day so I might get a tip out of you, even though I feel like shit and just want to go home" (As a past waitress, I've been there...) These people were genuinely warm and friendly.

So, I was afraid we might end up with pretenious little portions, but these hearty meals kept us warm through the blizzard on the walk home.

Book a table now!

www.cogonis.com