Sukhothai, Chapel Allerton

Occasion:                      Catch Up

Party Size:                    2

Overall Rating:              *** Very Good

Date Visited:                 January 2013
Price Per Person:           £15 Main plus Side

Sukhothai is a small chain of authentic Thai restaurants with 3 locations within Leeds, (Headingly, Chapel Allerton and City Centre) and another venue over in Harrogate. Our visit took us to the Chapel Allerton restaurant located on Regent Street.

Location wise this restaurant is in the centre of Chapel Allerton, so street parking is available nearby and there are plenty of bars a stones throw away for pre and post meal drinks.

This restaurant is a good sized venue for the location it’s not small and pokey - big enough that you should be able to get a table mid week without booking (if for 2). We visited on a Thursday night and although there were tables free, by 8.30pm the place was fully seated creating a bustling atmosphere.

This branch is a little dated now compared to their other restaurants; however it still retains charm and character. On arrival I was promptly greeted by a waitress who invited me to take a seat near the bar until my friend arrived.

The bar area is very small so you wouldn’t be able to have pre-meal drinks here, so expect to arrive and be seated direct at your table. Once my fellow foodie arrived we sat towards the top of the restaurant.

This place is nicely decorated, with dark furnishings, Thai Buddha’s, and carvings displayed along the walls, Each table had candlelight and the whole vibe of Sukhothai was warm and inviting – Sukhothai strikes a good balance between being relaxed and informal yet serving the quality of food that makes it feel special.

The waitresses dressed in traditional Thai robes were very attentive whilst giving you the privacy you need to catch up. We ordered some crackers to start which cost £2.50 and came with a sweet chilli dipping sauce. The crackers were a good portion, enough to share for a table of 4 as a pre meal snack. The crackers were crisp and had a kick and the sauce complimented them well.

We opted to order 2 main courses and sides to share so we wanted contrasting dishes. We therefore went for the Gai Yang priced at £11.95 – grilled chicken breast marinated in an oyster sauce, garlic, black pepper and lime leaves. This was served on a sizzling platter and came with a separate pot of special sauce which was like a soya sauce marinade with a gentle kick. The chicken was tender and surprisingly a good portion of 2 large thin breasts so was ideal for sharing. Underneath the chicken was a bed of stir-fry vegetables – really pleased with this dish, it had a good flavour and was light so went really well with the side dish of noodles priced at £3.25.

Our second main dish was the traditional Thai red curry -Gang Ped Chicken £9.50, this is made with coconut milk and bamboo shoots. The portion was good and the sauce was nicely flavoured I was surprised with the heat on this dish as I like things hot and I usually find red curries can be a bit tame, but this was really well balanced and went great with the coconut steamed rice priced at £3.25

Both of the side dishes were good portions and we didn’t mange to finish everything and that was without having starters!

Overall the portions are good, the food was fragrant, fresh and cooked well. The flavours were intense but balanced well with garlic, lemongrass and chilli. The vegetables were crisp and plentiful and the chicken tender. No complaints on this meal at all.

We also had added entertainment thrown in when a rather embarrassed lady had all the staff of the restaurant serenade her happy birthday complete with musical instruments and a cake with a rather fancy sparkler!

Sukhothai is well priced for the standard of food, but by no means cheap. You get what you pay for however, they do set menus, early bird menus and buffet options – all the details are available on their website so if you are on a budget then going off peak could save you some pennies.

A glass of red wine cost a reasonable £3.45 and was a decent quality for the house wine; they also had a good range of other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Sukhothai has featured in the Good Food Guide 6 times, they use fresh quality ingredients, the dishes are well presented and the flavour authentic which means Sukhothai is a winner for me. Every time I have visited this restaurant it has been consistent and a safe choice if you ever want to go for Thai cuisine. It’s charming, relaxed, authentic and the service is good. So for me the menu is priced well and I would recommend a visit as they have a vast choice of Thai dishes to suit all tastes.

http://www.sukhothai.co.uk/

The Old Mill, Brighouse

Occasion:                      Sunday Lunch

Party Size:                    2

Overall Rating:              ** Poor/Average

Date Visited:                 January 2013
Price Per Person:           £9-12

The Old Mill is a restaurant that sits alongside the Premier Inn on Wakefield Road, Brighouse. This Chef & Brewer chain claim to “serve freshly cooked, great value pub meals and drinks and our monthly changing food specials are created with skill and flair by our chefs”

The restaurant itself is easy to find with plenty of parking, from the outside it looks charming and has an inviting character.

When you enter there are 2 well upholstered armchairs and a table near the door that tempted me to take a perch! The venue has a mixture of carpet and wood floors, and the walls are neutrally painted with exposed brick. This is an old converted mill so has lots of charm and it’s warm with open fires dotted around. This is quite a big place with seating areas in every direction so you shouldn’t struggle to find a table but you can book in advance.

We arrived about 3pm and the rush for lunches had passed with only a few tables being left that were still dining. Looking at the menu the options were good offering an impressive selection of starters from Scallops and Black Pudding, Mussels and Bubble and Squeak. The mains included all the pub classics such as Fish and Chips, Lamb Shank, Pies, Burgers and Steaks. They also offer a 2 or 3 course set menu priced at £14.95 or £17.95. Being a Sunday we both opted to have the Sunday Lunch.

I opted for the £8.99 Roast Chicken, which was served on a lovely vintage plate. The portion was very good, half a roast chicken with nice crispy skin and all the trimmings. The chicken itself however, was very dry which was disappointing, the roast potatoes looked good, but they were heavy and dry and not fluffy. The Yorkshire pudding was a great size, but chewy, appeared reheated and dehydrated. The vegetables were undercooked, the broccoli in particular was near impossible to cut. The sage and onion stuffing was ok and the gravy was a nice consistency but not enough I had to ask for extra to try and replenish some moisture to the meal.

My friend is vegetarian and on the Sunday Roast menu there was only one vegetarian meal available priced £8.49 for the Nut Wellington. This arrived well presented and looked appetising, it was tasty even though a little dry. The vegetables again were not well cooked and the green beans were not even trimmed. This was not a horrible meal just nothing special.

The staff at the The Old Mill were presentable, friendly, attentive and efficient and the orders were served in good time so pleased with the level of service here.

In conclusion, I’m sorry to say but the chef’s at this particular Chef & Brewer do not have the skill or flair they claim. I was disappointed I paid nearly a tenner for a sub standard meal- it is not priced in line with the quality of food served. A more suitable price would be £4.99 as I have had better roasts at a budget Carvery. It’s not a place I’d rush back to for food however the restaurant is lovely, cosy, warm and ambient so worth visiting for drinks. In comparison to the Mustard Pot and Caleverley Arms reviewed earlier on in my blog for their Sunday lunches this place lags behind given they were all around the same price. The Old Mill gets a deserving poor score on the food but I’ll mark it with an average for the ambience and service.

http://www.chefandbrewer.com/pub/old-mill-brighouse/s6818/

Chaophraya, Leeds

Occasion:                      Celebration

Party Size:                    3

Overall Rating:              **** Excellent

Date Visited:                 January 2013
Price Per Person:           £20-£25ppn 2 courses approx

Chaophraya is an authentic Thai restaurant situated on Swinegate in Leeds city centre, less than a 5 min walk from the train station. If you are driving then there is a nearby Q-Parking facility where you will obtain a 10% discount if dining at Chaophraya.

This venue has recently been refurbished and extended to include a downstairs bar called Palm Sugar. On first appearances it is inviting from the outside and instantly looks very upmarket in fact borderline pretentious – the sort of place you would book in advance and not just rock up. The entrance is via their cocktail bar Palm Sugar situated on the ground floor.

We arrived early to enjoy a drink in the bar and were greeted immediately by a very friendly and professional duty manager. We opted to take a seat in a booth and ordered a bottle of Prosseco priced at a reasonable £23 per bottle. On Fridays the bar offers x2 glasses of Champagne between 4pm-8pm at a very affordable £11. The bar itself is very nice, upmarket and modern. Definitely the place you would visit for a drink if celebrating a special occasion or if you are wanting somewhere sophisticated, quiet and classy.  The décor is contemporary with white seating, dark tables, mirrors and subtle touches of Thai ornaments.

 

The bar area is open plan and merges in to the restaurant with seating areas towards the back and further tables up the stairs. The dining area downstairs did not look anything special so we were pleased that our advance booking had resulted in us being seated upstairs.

Upstairs the space looked to be smaller than before it was refurbished but that is down to the way designers have sectioned off areas to create a more private dining experience. Again the décor was modern, with dark furnishings, white Buddha’s and Elephant sculptures gracing the corners of the restaurant.

Chaophraya has definitely improved the dining experience and I really like the refurbished result however I think they have opted to tone down it’s cultural charm and focus on the contemporary  image. For me the former is much more important when going out for an authentic meal.

Chaorphraya have extensive menu options, an A la carte menu, 4 set menus ranging from £25-£40ppn and a lunchtime menu with offers such as 2 courses for £8.50 or a main and a drink for £8.50.

We opted to dine from the A la carte menu starting with an appetiser of Chicken Satay and Steamed Dumplings both priced at £7.95. For a starter this is expensive but Chaorphraya is renowned to be on the pricey side. We didn’t have to wait long for our first order and we were not disappointed, the presentation was beautiful and the portions were generous.

The Chicken Satay was served with a peanut sauce, toast, a relish and salad garnish. It was a dish big enough to share with 4 skewers of juicy chicken cooked perfectly and served with just the right amount of peanut sauce which was nicely flavoured and not too sweet. I was very impressed as sometimes this dish can be sickly but Charophraya got it spot on.

The Steamed Dumplings were presented in a lidded pot. Each dumpling was made with prawn, chicken and crab meat, served with garlic and soy sauce dip and a lovely light thin crisp on the side. There were approximately 5-6 wontons, each one was cooked beautifully and full of flavour, the sauce was excellent, very tasty and plenty to go round.

After round 1 we were excited on what the next courses had to offer and after only a short wait our mains were delivered.

My friend chose the traditional Red Thai King Prawn Curry priced at £11.95 and a side of Rice Noodles at £2.95. Having experienced the Red Thai curry twice before here I was always disappointed on the flavour, that it was too sweet and not spicy enough, but Charophraya seem to have revisited this dish and packed it full of the flavour and punch that I remember when being in Thailand myself so I was relieved and impressed they were generous with the prawns each of which were cooked perfectly and tasted divine.

Another friend ordered the Beef in Black Pepper Sauce priced at £10.95 and served with Egg Noodles at £3.55, this came on a sizzler plate and the beef was tender the sauce had plenty of flavour and there was a good amount fresh peppers to the dish.

The egg noodles were well cooked, a good portion and overall this was a really good tasting meal that would be a safe choice for any palate.

I decided to go for some street food, expecting this to be less refined and spicier than some of the other mains on offer. So I ordered the Spicy Fried Rice with Beef and Basil at £9.95. This dish comes topped with a fried egg! It was the chef’s recommendation so I had high hopes. When it was placed in front of me I was slightly disappointed compared to the other mains we had ordered. The presentation was standard the portion looked ok, but it did appear to be missing something like a sauce. Putting the fried egg to the side there didn’t seem to be noticeable strips of beef but once I broke in to the rice you could see the beef was almost ground and this flavour was obviously absorbed in to the rice to give an amazing taste. It was spicy, tasty, cooked well and I was really impressed, even the random egg complimented it well and I would definitely order again, it just goes to show… don’t judge a book by its cover! And at under a tenner this was a good value dish.

Finally I want to comment on the service. The bar-staff were very efficient the Thai waitresses were very polite, dressed beautifully and were constantly checking that our glasses were topped up and everything was ok with the meal. I really hope Chaophraya continue to focus on the finer details of their culture and don’t fall to the trap of many chains and dilute their Thai charm in preference for the swanky image. We all want to experience authenticity throughout when enjoying Thai cuisine.

I cannot fault the quality of the service or the food. This meal delivered in every way for our celebration and left me wanting to return to sample more of their delights. It is a bit pricey but then you get what you pay for. Highly recommend for those wanting a treat, or dining out for a special occasion. If you are on a budget then the lunch time menu would be worth sampling at £8.50.

http://chaophraya.co.uk/venues/chaophraya-leeds/

Aagrah, Leeds City Centre

Occasion:                      Catch up

Party Size:                    2

Overall Rating:              **** Very Good

Date Visited:                 December 2012
Price Per Person:           £15ppn 2 courses approx

The Aagrah is a chain of restaurants specialising in Indian/Kashmiri cuisine with at least 5 dotted around West Yorkshire. I have been to the Chapel Allerton, Café Aagrah and Mid-Point venues and have not always found them to be consistent so this review will specifically focus on the Leeds City restaurant located on St Peters Square.

Ideally situated near to the West Yorkshire Playhouse and opposite The Wardrobe bar This is a great venue to have a pre or post theatre meal and still go on for drinks across the road.

The restaurant itself is quite large with a separate bar area, a main dining area and a separate room available for private hire. The furnishings are modern and classy with dark furniture, crystal chandeliers and high back chairs. This place is contemporary, classy and at the same time has a relaxed ambience. An ideal place to go with friends, work colleagues, a date or even for a celebration.

On arrival the manager is always the first to welcome you through the door, although he always dresses in a sharp suit he is very polite and friendly so don’t think this place is pretentious as it isn’t. Once seated you have a waiter for the evening and what I really like about this place is every time I have been I get the same guy in his chef whites’ wheel out the courses. He is always chatty and remembers a face. It makes the place feel like a local curry house but with the finishing touches of a restaurant.

Food wise there is an extensive choice at this Aagrah, with a buffet option priced at £12.95 on Mondays and Thursdays and a set menu available from £18ppn for a starter, main course and side dish. If you are ordering off the A la Carte menu then starters range from £2.50-£5.00, Main Courses from £6.50-£12.50 and sides average £2.50 for Rice/Nan etc. Aagrah have a great vegetarian menu with over 22 main dishes priced from £6.00. If you don’t like Indian cuisine then Aagrah do fantastic homemade chips and a small selection of British classics such as Scampi and Chicken priced at approx £9.

On my visit we ordered from the A la Carte menu a Chicken Achar and the Balti Keema Chilli to share, both dishes we requested to be “hot” and both were served with extra green chillies being added.

The Chicken Achar is priced at £8.50 and this is a great dish that is fresh and nicely spiced it is made with yoghurt giving it a light yet full flavour with a great lime tang, we really enjoyed this dish and there was plenty of chicken and the sauce was a good consistency.

The Balti Keema Chilli priced at £8.20 was our other dish of choice this is a very rich main and has a strong flavour from the mince meat. It is quite spicy as the lamb seems to absorb the spices/chilli well. Consistency wise this is quite thick and less saucy but goes well with chapattis. It is quite a salty dish but if you share it with the Chicken Achar it works really well as the freshness of the Achar cuts through the deep flavour of the Keema.

We ordered boiled rice at £2.40 and 2 chapattis at £0.90 to compliment our mains. The chapattis were a good size, fresh and served warm. The boiled rice was a generous portion and cooked perfectly - very fluffy! We also had a side dish of pink lentils called Dall Tarka priced at £3.50, again enough to share, nicely flavoured and a good texture.

Portions wise there were plenty for 2 healthy appetites and if you are going to have extra sides (like we did) then there would be enough for a take out box.

Service wise the Aagrah are pitched perfect; they have a very friendly team that are welcoming and efficient. Everything runs like clockwork at this site, you never seem to be waiting long for drinks, main courses or the bill.

For a chain this restaurant seems to maintain its charm and I think is embedded in the ethos of the owner Mohammed Sabir MBE, who continues to run this as a family business with each outlet manager being a family member, so the passion runs through the business. I personally find this particular branch to be the most consistent on delivering quality of food and service so it is definitely one of my favourite curry houses in the Leeds city centre and for me they deserve to have won the British Curry Awards.

Other dishes I recommend trying here are the: Mangalore, Hyderabadi and the Goan Machli (Monkfish)

If you want to visit in the New Year then Aagrah have up to 25% off - just visit the website for more details:

http://www.aagrah.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=1&Itemid=16

http://aagrah.com/

The Mustard Pot, Chapel Allerton

Occasion:                      Sunday Lunch

Party Size:                    2

Overall Rating:              *** Average

Date Visited:                 December 2012
Price Per Person:           £10.00

The Mustard Pot in Chapel Allerton is well known for its charm and quality of food. This traditional pub can be found on Stainbeck Lane and has ample car parking spaces. It is ideally located for those who want to start off their evening locally in Chapel Allerton or for those wanting to drive out to a nice pub for lunch.

The pub itself is quite small and it does get busy so on a Sunday I would therefore suggest to book a table or expect to wait up to an hour to be seated.

When you walk through the door you are immediately walking in to tables to either side of you with dining customers. First impressions were good as this place is cosy and informal an ideal venue to catch up with friends, family or even suitable for a relaxed date. The décor is bang on trend with exposed brick walls, solid wood flooring and cream and green walls with rustic touches throughout. Straight ahead is a bar which again is fairly small but is well stocked with real ales, wines, spirits and a very good selection of soft drinks.

The team of workers here were young, friendly and attentive and that was consistent from the duty manager through to the waitress and bar tenders.

We didn’t book on this occasion but we only had to wait just over half an hour at 1pm. The bar area is very pleasant and relaxed so we were happy to have a drink and felt very comfortable chatting on a high stool at the bar before being shown to a table.

When we were seated I must admit I was initially disappointed with the menu. The only choice on a Sunday is Sunday lunches and a couple of specials e.g. Risotto and Seabass. Unless you specifically want a Sunday roast then the options are limited. However, mid week the menu does offer a little more choice with the focus being around pub classics such as Bangers and Mash, Fish and Chips and Rump of Lamb and prices for mains ranging from £9-£16.

The prices for the Sunday Roasts were average for what you would expect to pay for a good quality lunch starting from £9 for the Nut Roast to £11.50 for Lamb. Specials were £12-15 per main course.

I went for the Roast Chicken priced at £10, at the time of ordering I asked if the chicken was on the bone and assured it wasn’t so for it to arrive on the bone was a shame as I would have ordered something else. However, the chicken was well cooked, the skin was crispy and the chicken was juicy. This was a large portion of meat and the serving of the side vegetables was plenty for 2. I think this roast missed the vital ingredient to accompany any roast chicken and that was stuffing – which was a disappointing.

My friend ordered the Roast Beef priced at £11 and again the amount of beef served was very good and it was cooked perfectly – medium rare. The gravy was rich and tasty and there was plenty on the plate. Both meals were served with steamed vegetables, (green cabbage, carrots and broccoli medley) which was a bit inconsistent; some of the veg was cooked perfectly whereas the broccoli was almost impossible to cut through – very under done. The creamed leeks were gorgeous in a very rich, creamy sauce and the Yorkshire pudding was a good size. The roast potatoes were ok, not quite crispy or fluffy enough for my liking, so nothing special.

We didn’t manage to finish all of our meal so serving wise this was good value for money.

Overall I think this was a nice tasting Sunday Roast but disappointed with the overall consistency and the small touches, given that The Mustard Pot claim to “offer award winning food”– I wouldn’t go that far! However, the setting is relaxed and this place has a great ambience with good service.

http://themustardpot.com/