The Tetley - Leeds

 

 The Tetley was right across the street from our flat in Leeds and I took many pictures of it from our balcony. When we first arrived in Leeds, the building was undergoing a renovation and it opened at the end of November as a museum, art space, bar and restaurant. We finally ate there just days before leaving Leeds, we decided we owed it to the wonderful staff working there. We had visited once before and had a beer at the bar, while the manager explained the menu and beers to us. We decided to go back one afternoon to share a sandwich for a light snack.

 We sat on the bar side, a large open space with plenty of tables, and ordered at the bar. We decided to share the Drunken Grilled Cheese and Roasted Artichoke w/Sage Sandwich (5.50 pounds) and a side of Proper Chips for 3 pounds. The food was amazing, that grilled cheese would be pretty hard to top and the chips were crispy and hot. The staff was very good and very accommodating. The Tetley beers were good too!

They are located on Hunslet Rd. Leeds. LS10 1JQ 0113-320-2323
www.thetetley.org

O'Reillys - Amsterdam

On our last day in Amsterdam, we had been walking around with Jeff and Kyaw trying to decide where to eat. You know how that can be sometimes, 4 people with 4 opinions and low blood sugar. We came across this Irish pub and decided to give it a go. They were very busy on this Sunday afternoon with soccer and rugby playing on the many televisions. We found a table and were promptly greeted by our server, Rashelle. Dan and I ordered paninis (5.90 euro) with a side of fries (5.50) and the boys shared a Sunday roast beef (14.90).  Everyone but me drank water, I ordered a coke (2.20) and it was so good I ordered another for 2.20. The prices were a little high, but the food was good and fast. We were, after all, close to the big city square and that probably drove the prices.
I have no idea what happened to the pictures of the food, I always take them, but I might have filed them incorrectly.
They are located at Paleisstraat 103 1012 ZL Amsterdam   www.oreillys.com

It Bar and Food Joint - Leeds

 

 

Nice, big, messy, tasty, really good burgers from It Bar and Food Joint! Today, Dan and I had the chance to go to lunch and I have been bugging him about this place for a while. They followed me on Twitter and after checking out their menu I really wanted to try them out. Lucky for us, Mondays are 1/2 price food day, so we walked out paying less than 20 pounds for the meal. Good food and a bargain can't be beat!

When you walk in, you pick a table and order at the bar when you're ready. You also get a little bag of kettle corn to start with and I have been craving pop corn since we've been here, so another point for me. Today the young lady working the bar was very friendly and told us her favorite burgers were the Filthy Pig and the 8 Hours of Sloppy Joe, so that's what we ordered along with an Onion Tower. The Onion Tower was a stack of milk and spice marinated red onion slices, lightly floured and deep fried. These things were melt in your mouth brilliant! Dan had the Sloppy Joe burger and it was amazing. It was topped with 8 hour slow cooked chilli, cheese sauce, sour cream, lettuce and tomato. He loved it! I had the Filthy Pig and loved it too. It was topped with homemade BBQ pulled pork, coleslaw, streaky bacon, red onion, tomato and lettuce. Both burgers were a mouthful and we ended up knife and forking them. We asked to have them cooked medium-well and they came out perfectly.
Dan drank a diet coke, while I had an ice-cold Peroni. All that for under 20 pounds is unheard of here. Especially since the service and food were both outstanding.
You can find them at 57-59 New Briggate Leeds LS2 8JD  0113-246-9080
www.itbars.co.uk

The Royal McGregor - Edinburgh

 

 

On Sunday night in Edinburgh, Dan and I ate at the Royal McGregor. Our server at another place recommended it, so we thought we would give it a try. We arrived around 7 PM and were seated in the small pub. The service in this place was incredible, 2 women running the place and having a great time in the meanwhile. We listened to some festive Muppet carols, much to our servers disdain, but with much joy in my heart and some other good Holiday tunes.

 

 

I started with a pint of Stewart's Christmas Advent Ale (3.65) and Dan had a 1/2 pint of Tennents Lager. My cask ale was so good, that I had to order another. For dinner I ordered off the Specials Menu and had the Roast turkey (12.95). This was a plate o'food with veggies, cranberry sauce, sausages and a wonderful roast turkey. There was also something that slightly resembled haggis, which I tried, but could not handle the consistency. Dan ordered the Steak and Ale pie (10.50), which was amazing! The chunks of beef were cooked to tender perfection and the plate also came with a nice helping of potatoes and green beans.

For dessert I ordered the wonderful Sticky toffee pudding (4.75) that was warm, sweet and gooey. Dan ordered a Scotch Whiskey Flight (13.95) that came with four regional whiskeys, water and dark chocolate to eat between the different ones. The bartender gave him a lot of info on what he was drinking and I helped with a few drinks of my own.
Wonderful meal, wonderful service and really good food helped to make this a night to remember. I was feeling so good, that I felt I needed to do the touristy thing and pose in one of those red phone booths!!

 

The restaurant is located at 154 High Street Edinburgh EH1 1QS 0131-225-7064

 

www.royalmcgregor.co.uk

London Wall Bar & Kitchen - London

 

 

Last Friday, we took a 2 1/2 train ride from Leeds to London. We arrived at King's Cross Station at 5 PM and took a taxi to our hotel. We were staying at the London City Suites near the Barbican. Not knowing anything about London, that's what I chose. It was okay because it was very close to a tube station and the hotel was very nice. We decided to find the restaurant that I had chosen for dinner. Should be easy, it's located in the Barbican. Easy did not happen. We got lost walking around in the Barbican. It's a massive building complex and the restaurant was not really located in it. We finally used GPS and found it right next to the London Museum. We had 7:15 reservations, but we decided since we were there we would eat early.

 

The restaurant was a nice, small, modern place with large glass walls and simple tables. We were greeted by a very nice waitress, who explained the menu to us and also what were some good choices. We needed beer, so Dan ordered a pint of Stella and I had a pint of Heineken. We love the fact that in England, the beer you order comes in the glass representing the label.

 

 

 

For dinner, Dan ordered the Fish and Chips for 13 pounds. It was beer battered haddock, with chips, tartar sauce and a wonderful pea puree. Dan loved his dish. I ordered the Rib of Beef  and Bone Marrow Burger for 12 pounds. The waitress suggested some English cheddar and I said yes. The burger was served on a brioche bun, with lettuce, tomato and garlic mayo, along with chips and those really funky English dill pickles. The burger was great and so was the service. I highly recommend this place. They are located at 150 London Wall London EC2Y 5HN 02076007340. The web address is  londonwallbarandkitchen.com

 

After dinner, we took the tube to Piccadilly Square and walked over to  China Town, Covent Garden and Leicester Square to take in the sites. It was very crowded, much more so than Times Square, but fun. We saw all kinds of people and beautiful buildings. Once it started raining we decided to hop in the tube and go back to the hotel. The tube system is very easy to use and the signs in the city make it easy to from one spot to the next. They really know how to take care of tourists here.





Revolution - Leeds Call Lane

We decided to try a different place for dinner last night. I happened upon this place in one of my walks. It's located on a street with about 6 other restaurants that are all within easy walking distance to our apartment, so we will try some of the others as well. We walked in and stood at what looked like a hostess station and after a few minutes a waitress asked us what we were wanting. We told her we came for dinner and she told us to take a seat anywhere. You never know for sure what the protocol is in an English restaurant and we felt a little stupid. The waitress then came to the table and asked what we wanted to drink. Dan asked what beers were on tap and she listed 3 and said that was it. There were at least 8 different taps if not more, but this was looking like a typical English-I'm too busy for you-waitress. She said she would be right back. A few minutes later she returned and Dan told her he would have a Stella. I said I would like a Guinness, even though that was not one of the beers she mentioned.
After she brought the beers, she asked what we would be ordering. Dan decided to chose from the small plates menu. You could order 3 for 13 pounds and he had his eye on few. He asked the waitress for a recommendation and she told him it was a new menu. He went with hummus, chicken satay and sweet potato fries with vodka salsa and sour cream. The sweet potatoes were awesome, some of the best I've ever eaten and the vodka salsa was very good. The hummus was very good too. The chicken satay was a little dry and the peanut sauce was a little funky. I ordered the Rosemary Chicken Salad for 8.95 pounds. It consisted of fresh rosemary chicken with Roquito peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and bean sprouts on a bed of pea shoots, red chard and baby gem lettuce and topped with tzatziki and balsamic pearls. The salad was really good, but the chicken had no flavor at all. I don't know where the rosemary part came from, maybe she cooked the chicken.
The beers were priced well at 3.80 pounds a draw and the  food was also a good price. By the end of the meal our waitress decided to be friendly, she must have been busy earlier or distracted. The waitresses here make minimum wage and you tip 10% if you feel the service is good. If I was a waitress here and had a table with Americans, I would bust my butt to give them good service. We are known to tip well and minimum wage is still minimum wage. I guess I just don't understand the service thing here at all.
They are located at 48 Call Lane Leeds LS1 6DT 0113 243 2778 www.revolution-bars.co.uk/leedscalllane

The Palace Nicholson's Pub - Leeds

A couple of Sundays ago, Dan and I decided to try Nicholson's Pub at the Palace for a traditional Sunday roast. It's just a short walk from our apartment, located right next to Leeds Minster. This was one of my favorite meals in Leeds. Not because the food was great, it was good, but the atmosphere and the service was what you expect in a traditional English pub. The palace was built around 1741 as the home of a timber merchant. The rooms are lovely and the bar is amazing. You order your food at the bar and they bring it out when it's ready. The bartender was a friendly Irish fellow, who tried explaining the way the pulls worked on the cask ales. We had a little trouble understanding his English, but were amazed at his knowledge. He gave us tastes of

different ales and I chose this wonderful Great Western Edwin's Ruby Porter. A full bodied, bitter stout that was ruby in color with a chocolate taste.

For dinner I chose the Tender top rump of beef roast for 9 pounds .95. Dan ordered the Half roast of Shropshire chicken for 8 pounds .95. They were both served with honey glazed parsnips, carrots, green beans, roast potatoes, gravy and Yorkshire pudding. The food was really good, my only complaint would be that the veggies needed seasoning, but that was easily remedied with salt and pepper.

This will be a Sunday regular on the Sundays that we are here. They are located at Kirkgate, Leeds, LS2 7DJ  0113-2445882.

Don't Tell Titus...Bar & Restaurant - Saltaire

Saltaire is a village along the River Aire. It was founded by Titus Salt as a planned community built around his mill. He wanted a community for his employees that was unpolluted and less crowded than larger mill towns. He built the workers homes, shops, and church and each home had water, gas lighting, outdoor space and several rooms. Because of his town planning, surely a model for the rest of the world, and the fact that Saltaire is one of the best preserved nineteenth century model villages, it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. The village was started in 1851 and building continued until 1853.

Titus did not allow drinking establishments in Saltaire, hence the name of the restaurant Don't Tell Titus... We took the 10 minute train ride from Leeds to Saltaire on our first Sunday here and had brunch. It's a nice large pub and pretty indicative of what you would think an English pub would look like. They were fairly busy, but we were able to snag a table by the window facing the bar.

I could not decide what to order and finally settled on the Titus Club (6pounds25p). I also ordered chips (3pounds 25p) and when the waitress brought my meal, it had a side of Doritos. I was very sad until another waitress showed up with a proper bowl of crispy, creamy potato wedges with a wonderful garlic mayo on the side. Thank goodness for the chips because the sandwich was not great. The description called for chicken breast, bacon, mixed leaves, guacamole and mayo on toasted bread. Their idea of bacon here, I realized, is not the same as home. Here it's more of an uncured ham that has a kind of funky flavor. Once I removed it the sandwich was okay. Dan ordered better. He got the eggs Benedict (4pounds 95p)with ham. It was a large portion and very good. He also ordered a side of hash browns and was not charged for those. He drank water and I had a half pint of Thatchers cider (1pound 60p).

 I would definitely come back here. There were many other thing on the menu that I wanted to try and it is only a train ride away.

6 Victoria Road Saltaire BD18 3LA 01274-595633  www.donttelltitus.co.uk

Ciao Bella - Leeds

Even in a new city, with lots of new choices, the age old question "what do you want for dinner?" is followed up by "I don't know, what do you want?".  After looking on the Internet and checking reviews against the distance to walk, we decided on Ciao Bella, an Italian place a short walking distance from our apartment. Not a bad choice! We arrived at 7:15 and we're surprised to find out that we were still in time for the early bird special, which ends at 7:30! Awesome! It seems to be the norm in the local Italian restaurants. So, for 11 pounds 95, you get a large choice from a three course menu ,or you can choose 1 or 2 items for less. We went for the 3 course and they were full courses, no skimping here.

The owner came to the table to take orders, it seems that he did this for everyone. When I asked what the soup special was, he had to repeat himself twice and we neither one ever understood what he said. Needless to say, I did not order the soup. Dan ordered the Caprese salad, that had lots of fresh mozzarella and tomatoes in a basil dressing. The tomatoes weren't the best ,since they are out of season, but still good. I had the bruschetta, one was a tomato topping the other roasted peppers and both were very good. We both ordered pizzas, Dan mushroom and ham, me salami. Both were good, thin and crispy covered in a light sauce and cheese topping.

Both of us had pint glasses of Peroni, which were served in pint sized Peroni glasses and ice cold! Needless to say, the walk home was a little unstable. When Dan asked the owner what the dessert special was he answered "foodge cake". Again he said this twice, Dan ordered it anyway and was pleasantly surprised by the wonderful fudge cake that came to the table. I ordered the Italian ice creams, which consisted of a scoop of chocolate, vanilla and strawberry covered in a strawberry sauce. Overall it was a good experience. The waitresses that actually serviced the tables were a little nonexistent and had to be called over for everything. We will go back though. They are located at 20 Dock Street Leeds LS10 1JF 0113-246-9444 www.ciaobellarestaurant.co.uk

The Alchemist - Leeds

That, my friends, is Big Al's Porn Star. It's a drink from The Alchemist, a bar/restaurant where Lee and Laura took us after Dinner Wednesday night. It's located at the Trinity Leeds Shopping center on the 1st level. The center is a large, open air/roofed mall in the shopping district of Leeds. The bartenders at this place were pretty amazing and the bar menu is something to see. The bar itself is a large and  copper covered as you can see in the picture. The place was crowded and noisy on this late Wednesday night.
The drink is  made up of pineapple foam, Grey Goose vodka, Passoa, fresh Passion Fruit,  popping candy (like pop rocks, that continue to pop throughout the entire drink) and a beaker of Prosecco that you add to the mix. Awesome drink and I'm sure dangerous, because it did not taste alcoholic at all. Lee and Laura both drank Dry Iced Teas. A drink containing Green Mark Russian Vodka, Bacardi, Beefeater Gin and Cointreau mixed with lemon juice, sugar and soda water that served in a teapot with dry ice. You then pour that mixture over iced Coca Cola foam! It looked good. We will definitely return.  www.thealchemist.uk.com