Unusual brunch at Ox Club in Leeds

A friend recently asked if I wanted to try Ox Club at Headrow House in Leeds for brunch, and after having browsed the menu online, it didn't take me long to take her up on her offer.

Despite being a bit on the pricy side, Ox Club is very well-known for their amazing steaks, and the brunch menu promised exciting combinations that I hadn't even heard of before. Therefore, I decided that it was definitely going to be worth every penny.

I opted for the smoked avocado and poached egg on sourdough bread, with something called za'atar, sumac oil, and oven roasted tomatoes.
I was even greedy enough to add a side of well-done streaky bacon, which worked as the cherry on top, and was the perfect finishing touch to this dish.

The restaurant itself was decorated in a very simple way, playing on the fact that it was a steakhouse grill. The napkins were like kitchen towels, the tables and chairs were of simple wood and metal, and there were bags of charcoal decorating the corners. Very hipster, like so many on trend places at the moment, but it does really work for this type of restaurant.

Introducing a new food and cocktail menu at Roxy Ball Room

Do you like good, simple food and fun games?

I mean, who doesn't?!

Roxy Ball Room opened up in Leeds a while back and is the go-to place when you want some casual fun with friends in the form of pool, ping pong, mini golf, or even beer pong. They just updated their food and drinks menu, and invited me to trial it all along with some fellow Leeds bloggers.

 When we arrived and had downed our first drink (a fresh and delicious Bellini) they set up an absolute feast for us.
We couldn't believe our eyes!

 There were pesto chicken and parma ham burgers, beef burgers a few different pizzas, mac & cheese balls, onion rings, garlic dough balls, and accompanying dips. 

Basically, classic party food with a twist - just perfect when you're out for a laugh with friends, either for a night out or a quiet(ish) game session.

 I had to try a little bit of almost everything, but my favourite was the pesto chicken burger topped with crispy parma ham.
It was super tasty!

 When we had munched on several goodies, it was time to test the new cocktail menu. 

Hello, yes please! 

Roxy Ball Room has been really creative with their new menu, and they were serving drinks such as 'A perfect serve', 'A right racket', and 'Match point'.

The first one mentioned consists of Amaretto, Chambord liqueur, cranberry and lemon juice, fresh raspberries and rosemary - it was like heaven!

I love it when bars use fresh herbs in drinks - it really takes the drink to the next level.

A few drinks later, and a couple of games of pool, and we were pretty satisfied with our evening.

I'm a big fan of playing pool, so Roxy Ball Room is really a place for me.

Thank you so much for inviting me to this new menu lunch event of yours!

The Leeds restaurant that is like an exclusive club for steak lovers

If you've been to Leeds then you will likely have seen the bar 1871 (A bar which I can never remember the name of! Was it 1791, 1981...?), but what you probably didn't know is that behind it there's like a secret restaurant.
I'm saying secret, but if you've been a guest of the Marriott hotel you'll know it's there.
The fact is, that the 1871 bar is part of Marriott too, and if you go through or around it you'll find the Midtown Grill; the New York style steak house in the heart of Leeds.

Inside the restaurant there's no fuss.
They know that you're there for a good piece of meat, and that's what you'll get.
The Midtown Grill has opted for a timeless and minimalistic interior with quirky little decorative details from different eras - something that will keep your mind occupied and your conversations flowing.

When arriving at the Midtown Grill we were welcomed by some lovely and very helpful staff.

We ordered in a bottle of wine based on their recommendation, which was delicious! Very crisp and fresh.
But now onto the actual dinner...

The starters

I opted for the Wensleydale tart as my starter - something that was quite different to what I would usually order when out for a meal.
I didn't really know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The tart was made with really tasty cheese, as well as walnuts and red onions.

My other half picked the pan fried scallops with butternut squash and pancetta for his starter.

It was so good that he basically inhaled it!

I didn't taste it, but I was very impressed with how his starter was presented - very professional, and absolutely top notch.

The mains

 

Oooh, the excitement when your main dish arrives!

I was even cheeky enough to order mine with two different sauces - cause everyone knows that Swedes love their sauce!

Really lovely presentation again, but still no fuss.

They know that they're a steak house and not a gourmet restaurant where you'd have to eat 5 mains in order to get full (but basically empty your bank account) so it's all very simple but beautiful.

I opted for my favourite; a classic fillet steak done medium well.

Yes, I know that people say you should eat steak medium or even medium rare, but I just can't deal with the texture.
I used to get them proper well done, but I've now realised that the steak becomes a lot juicier if you order it medium well. I will never go below that though.

This steak was absolutely gorgeous, and I devoured every little piece of it, along with delicious béarnaise sauce, and I even asked to try the bone marrow bordelaise as well. 

My other half was even greedier than me, and went all out, ordering the mixed grill.

This included a piece of sirloin steak, lamb chop, gammon, a sausage, and a fried egg.

Both dishes came with cocktail vine tomatoes, watercress salad, and chunky chips - exactly what you would expect from a quality steak house.

 Happy to be treated to such a lovely meal!

And look at that bone marrow! You were simply meant to pour your bordelaise over it to give the sauce more flavour.

The desserts

 I was so full at this point, but whenever I see crème brûlée on the menu, I can't help myself!
This was a crème brûlée with a twist though; first of all it wasn't served in a little pot with burnt sugar on it, but it was a cut off piece as if from a cake. The burnt sugar was on the bananas which had been placed on top of it, and the second twist to this banoffee crème brûlée was that it came with a caramel peanut sauce on the side.
This didn't taste like anything I've had before, but I loved it!
Oh, how I love experiencing and experimenting with different flavours!

My other half opted for a some special dessert that I believe was the dessert of the day/week.
It was some kind of cheesecake with bits if chocolate in it.
Just as the starter I didn't see much of it before it had basically been inhaled, so I take it that it got 5 stars out of 5.

The Midtown Grill, part of the Marriott hotel and the 1871 bar, is definitely a place I would recommend.

With it being located where it is, you can be sure that you'll get to enjoy your dinner in peace - like I mentioned before; it's almost like a secret restaurant that only a chosen few will know about. 

Like an exclusive club for steak lovers.

Review of The Restaurant Bar & Grill in Leeds

A couple of weeks ago I had a family visit from Sweden, and I really wanted to take them out for a meal that suited everyone’s taste. My other half suggested we take them to The Restaurant Bar & Grill, which is located in the old Post Office building in the heart of City Square, which is a bit of a landmark building here in Leeds.

The venue is very impressive indeed, with an extremely high ceiling and a wide spiral staircase that leads up to the indoor balcony area, where they have a few additional tables. The main seating area is downstairs, where there is also a bar.

When you enter The Restaurant Bar & Grill you are met by an enormous wall of wine bottles in a glass cabinet that divides the entrance from the actual restaurant. A machine inside the cabinet is programmed to pick out the wine bottle you’ve ordered for your meal – very impressive, and quite futuristic.

But apart from the fancy wine feature the restaurant is very classic, with a stylish and timeless interior. We were lucky enough to be seated upstairs on the balcony area, where we had a fantastic view of the whole restaurant. 

The waiters are very professional, and are very well looked after during your dinner. We didn’t have to touch the wine bottles we ordered a single time – the waiter kept an eye on our glasses and refilled them when needed. Makes you feel like an A-list celebrity, doesn’t it? ;)

To start with, me and my sister shared the salt baked heritage beets with goats cheese & toasted hazelnuts. If there is a starter on the menu including goats cheese, you can bet all your money that I will order it. I absolutely love goats cheese, and the combination of the salted beets and hazelnuts was divine!

My other half went for the Thai spiced fishcakes, which consisted of Atlantic wild halibut with tomato & lemongrass sauce. Not my thing, but he really enjoyed them.

For our main, we went all out and ordered the 450g Chateaubriand served with house cut chips, choice of sauce or butter, creamed spinach, roast tomato & mushrooms – I went for the Diane sauce, whilst my other half opted for the Béarnaise. I know it’s against many restaurants’ beliefs, but I always order my steaks well done. I guess they’re afraid that it’ll go dry, but the Chateaubriand was lovely and juicy even though it had been cooked for longer. I absolutely love the creamed spinach as well – it’s such a good side for this dish.

My mum really surprised me during this dinner, and ordered the Barbeque sharing platter for two which people usually have as a big starter for her main. It’s really not what I thought she would go for, but she was munching away, really enjoying the different pieces of hickory smoked ribs, chipotle wings, home smoked hotdog, pulled pork bun and house slaw.

My sister is a very picky eater, and we always say that she eats like a hen (I guess that’s a Swedish saying). She has a very small appetite, and only ordered some different sides as her main. The field mushrooms topped with garlic & parsley were absolutely fantastic, and she accompanied them with some roasted root vegetables and Béarnaise sauce.

The Restaurant Bar & Grill really caters for everyone with their classic menu, and we all had a lovely meal out.