Harvey Nichols Brasserie
107 – 111 Briggate, Leeds, LS1 6AZ, 0113 204 8888
harveynichols.com/restaurants/leeds/brasserie-leeds/
Venue: This is such a buzzy place. We visited at the weekend on a day when sunshine was pouring through the windows and all the diners seemed very happy to be whiling away their time in this sociable spot. We especially loved the chap who was joining with what seemed to be his daughter’s small ‘hen do’. He was in the spirit in his pink tiara sipping pink fizz. It's a venue where there’s a lot of cork-popping jollity.
Menu: The three-course winter dining menu at £30, included an Elyx Sour cocktail - a very tasty pink, berryish vodka-based sip, refreshingly nice at lunchtime. The menu features four or five choices for each of its three courses, covering all the bases whether meat, fish or veggie is your thing. They’re delicate portions, looking good on the plate and made with a deft hand. Starter of escabeche of sea bass was fresh, sharp and zingy with a perky smoked paprika aioli. My pal swooned over the charred smoked haddock with leek and potato in a wasabi fish broth.
A main of sea bream was beautifully cooked with crisp skin and gorgeous accompaniment of crispy onions, salsa verde and baby gem. Roasted pork fillet was nicely paired with lovely parmesan polenta, savoy cabbage and a rich wholegrain mustard sauce.
Big ticks for desserts. A Yorkshire-celebrating rhubarb and custard millefeuille with good balance of tart and sweetness with slithers of raw rhubarb and a punchy jelly. Sticky toffee pudding was meltingly good with dreamy caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream.
Verdict: Smart food, lively surroundings, excellent value.
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