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Chaophraya

In order to mark Thai new year this week (13-15th April) we were invited along to the restaurant for a free meal.

I really like Chaophraya and have visited a few times. For James this was his first visit, but he had high hopes as he has visited Thailand and knows what authentic Thai food can be like. 

The decor is quite classy, with plenty of original items such as statues and carvings placed around the restaurant. We were told that although the room still looks good it is due for an update when the restaurant expands to the ground floor later this year.

 For a starter James had one of his favourite dishes from travelling; the Tom Yum soup. It contained huge prawns and the broth had delicate and well balanced flavours.

I chose the Sea Bass Salad which was much more than a few lettuce leaves on a plate;  the dish came covered in a rich tamarind dressing, and crispy fried bits of lemongrass provided an interesting contrast to the texture of the soft fish.

I was initially quite alarmed to see that both starters came in at around £10 and this would have probably deterred me from ordering them, although as you can see these were much more than a basic soup and salad and for us ended up being the highlight of the meal.

For the main course I had the Grilled Peanut Chicken (£13.50) which seemed to be a large version of a satay chicken starter which was nice but a little bit average following my amazing starter.

James won on the main course front by ordering a Four Seasons Duck Curry (£10.95). The sauce was really rich and bursting with red curry and fruit flavours. We had to get rice as an extra at £3.50 a portion for the sticky rice, but to be honest one dish of this would have been enough between two at this point.

I was glad to see that my favourite dish of Deep Fried Ice Cream (£5.75) was still on the pudding menu. We shared this as really by now we were quite full. This pudding has no real finesse being served with whippy cream from a can but its fun and tasty and I love it.

The service as always was very attentive and polite, this in my experience always being the case in Chaophraya and not just for our benefit on this occasion.

With drinks added on we could have easily been looking at a bill of £70- £80. Its more than I usually pay but when your consider the delicious food, and lovely surroundings and service I think overall it represents good value.

As it is Thai New Year there are lots of offers and prizes available via the website including free meals, cooking lessons and flights to Thailand.

Chaophraya
*Excellent quality authentic food
*Expensive starters
*Lovely atmosphere and service

20A Blayds Court
Swinegate
LS1 4AG

Website

Giraffe

Giraffe is a chain restaurant that I actually really like. The food is an interesting mix of world food favourites such as falafel and curries, as well as burgers, steaks and salads etc

Most Giraffe restaurants are bright, colourful family friendly venues, but the Leeds version being in the middle of Greek street has been presented with a more grown up 'Bar and Grill' twist.

The décor is really nice, a palette of greens and brown with natural wood features on the walls. There is a great cocktail menu and main meals average around the £10 mark.

I chose a steak sandwich and Emma had a butternut squash and bean chili dish. Annoyingly my dish came out 5 minutes before Emma's which I hope is just down to teething problems as the restaurant only opened this week. The table service by contrast was very efficient and friendly.

My sandwich was really tasty with nice crispy chips and the butternut squash dish was really good. Its refreshing to see a vegetarian option that doesn't just consist of spinach and ricotta.

As it was opening week we took advantage of this 40% off voucher that can be used for the next couple of weeks.

Giraffe Bar and Grill
*Interesting varied menu
*Lovely decor and atmosphere
*Service issues hopefully just teething problems

6 Greek Street
Leeds
LS1 5RW
Website

Eastern Court Castleford

As far as I am aware Castleford is not know for its dining out scene and the presence of three all you can eat Chinese buffets in such as small town is probably a bit of a sad indicator of the level of things, nevertheless I like Chinese food and the buffet was just what we wanted on Sunday afternoon.

James informed me that Eastern Court was the best of the three. We were greeted at the door and seated by efficient staff who took our drinks orders while we set about choosing what to have first. The interior is basic and modern and quite functional.

It was all pretty standard, reasonable quality and good variety. There were a few items of note which will have to be filed in the 'so wrong its right fusion food' category... cheese and bacon spring rolls and sausage meat wontons! Ace.

The customer service was really good, when the staff accidentally cleared our half drunk drinks thinking we had vacated the table, the manager replaced the drinks without a fuss and our table was cleared frequently meaning that there were never dirty plates left lying about.

We had an enjoyable meal and with drinks the bill came to around £14 each. Also if you see the traditional Chinese speciality 'jammy dodger cheesecake' on the pudding buffet, get some, its amazing.


Eastern Court
*Cheap and cheerful
*Great service
*Reasonable food selection

Eastern Court Restaurant
Colorado Way
Glasshoughton
Castleford
WF10 4TA

Website

Bad Apples

This is a new bar aimed at being an upmarket alternative for the rock / metal scene.

If like me you go to rock clubs and bars, you will be used to sticky floors, toilet doors that don't lock and cheap drinks served without ceremony.

The interior is dark and gothic and the music is a great mix of old rock classics. We were really quite impressed. I marvelled at the toilets that came with seats still attached dispensers fully stocked with toilet paper. The walls were even freshly painted in matching colours.

We settled ourselves at the bar and ordered from the suitably themed drinks menu and there the dream of a decent grown up rock venue was shattered.

The cocktails were at the expected Call Lane prices but were amateurish in their construction- my drink reminded me of when living in halls of residence I used to mix coconut rum with pineapple juice in a fancy glass to make a 'sophisticated' tropical punch.                    

I have reached an age where I am willing to pay a fiver or more for a drink but it has to be worth the money.

All this bar needs is an experienced bar manager to rejig the drinks to inject a little bit of balance and finesse and bring it up to the standard of its Call Lane neighbours and this place will be for me a winner. Until that happens, go, enjoy, but stick to the beers and standard drinks list.

Bad Apples
*Great concept
*Fantastic music/ atmosphere
*Drinks need some improvement

7 Call Lane
Leeds
LS1 7DS

Website

Ciao Bella

Ciao Bella is another place that I pass on a regular basis but until last week I have never visited.

Like the name would suggest its a classic Italian style restaurant with a fairly traditional Italian style menu. The restaurant has a nice bare brick warehouse interior with modern fittings and furniture. 

At lunchtime as well as the standard and early bird menu, there was also the option of a special £5.95 lunch deal that includes a soft drink.

The choice was not huge and the dishes were all fairly basic. I chose a pasta with a creamy mushroom sauce and paid an additional £1 to upgrade my drink to a glass of wine. Paul chose a chicken dish from the early bird menu and we shared a garlic bread. 

The food came out nice and quickly and was a decent size portion. The service throughout was really quite attentive and efficient.

Like I said the dish was fairly basic but it was a pleasant meal and the total bill was less than £20. If you stick to the cheap deal a really good option for a working lunch.

Ciao Bella

*Cheap weekday lunches

*Nice interior

*Attentive service

20 Dock Street
Leeds
01132469444

Website

Dock Street Market

I have a bit of a confession to make- although I visited Dock Street frequently in the early days I don't think I have visited for almost a year now.

In that year a lot has happened, the configuration of the room has moved around with the bakery in its own purpose built space, a new bar and there is a lot more going on in terms of furniture and decorations.

We ordered at the counter and took a seat. The coffee is supplied by Bottega Milanese and there was a fantastic looking selection of cakes as well as savoury items. The bread is all baked in house.

It was quite busy when we went which gave the room a lovely buzz. As well as people chatting there was obviously work going on with people sat on the sofas with their lap tops. Looking around the room there was a shelf full of board games for customers to use and there were posters up on the wall advertising events.

I was really impressed and I am really glad to see that Dock Street Market has evolved in such a fantastic, relaxed, alternative social space and I will make sure I go back sooner this time!

Dock Street Market
*Alternative coffee bar venue
*Good range of food and drink
*Comfortable and relaxed


28 Dock Street
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS10 1JF


01132 455 388
Website