Review of Blackhouse grill in Leeds

One of my favourite restaurants in Leeds is Blackhouse – also called The Grill on the Square - which is situated on East Parade. Just because of this reason and no other, I have decided to write a review about it.

Me and my boyfriend enjoyed a three course dinner at Blackhouse one Sunday evening in the end of January. So why is this my favourite restaurant? Simple! They serve delicious, high quality food. But that’s not all! The main reason why I fell in love with this restaurant a couple of years ago is because of the atmosphere. The restaurant itself looks lovely with its dimmed lights, and every night they have someone playing the piano and singing. Now, I’ve got a weak spot for musical people with great singing voices, so this is really what tipped me over. 

 

Blackhouse offers quite a wide variety on their menu. However, bear in mind that they do specialise in steak.

Browsing through the menu my eyes were fixed on a tart, which I ordered for my starter. It was a mushroom, leek, confit garlic and cobnut tart with tarragon butter sauce, and it was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten in my life! I’m a sucker for mushrooms, and this tart was spot on. At £7 I don’t think it was too bad.

My boyfriend had the duck spring rolls with hoi sin dip as a starter. Personally I’m not a fan of duck as this isn’t something I’ve grown up eating and therefore find the taste a bit odd, but he really enjoyed this dish.

When it comes to the main dish there’s no question about it! I always order a steak of some kind (usually sirloin or fillet) when at a reputable steak restaurant such as Blackhouse – this time I had the 200g fillet steak. I know it’s recommended to eat it medium, but I can’t stand pink meat so I always order my steak well done. I try to vary the sides, and this time I went for mashed potatoes and a gorgeously creamy Diane sauce. We also ordered in some green beans as a side. The fillet is priced at £22.50 including some kind of potatoes, but you have to order the sauce and vegetables on the side.

I don’t usually have dessert as I get so full from the main dish, but since Blackhouse had an offer on in January for 50% off food we decided to have a dessert to share. We went for the warm chocolate fudge cake, and it was YUM! I always prefer a lighter, fruit based dessert, but since we were sharing I gave in to the chocolaty goodness. Definitely worth the £6 it was priced at.

We had a lovely dinner at Blackhouse in Leeds, and even had a cheeky glass of wine with our meal even though it was Sunday. If you ask me you know I’ll definitely recommend this restaurant. If you don’t want to go for the food, then at least go and have a drink in the bar and listen to the talented pianist.

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Afternoon tea at Creams

A couple of weeks ago I went gor afternoon tea at Creams in Huddersfield. I had never heard of the place before I went, so I didn't actually know what to expect. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the look and feel of this place - very posh, to say the least.

The cakes in the display window looked absolutely immaculate, and I just wanted to eat them all! However, that's not what we were there for. We had actually gotten this Groupon deal to go for afternoon tea, so there were 2 different set menus to choose from - the classic British afternoon tea with sandwiches, scones and cakes, or the Eastern afternoon tea, which had swapped the classic sandwiches to a "naanwich". I went for the latter, and it was absolutely gorgeous! It consisted of a grilled chicken breast with salad and mango chutney sauce. With this we had a wide range of coffees or teas to choose from.

The interior of Creams was so beautiful. I especially liked the big old-fashioned piano by the entrance, as well as the shiny chandelliers.

This was also the first time I tried macaroons. I've always looked at these funny shaped cookies and wondered what they were like. My opinion? Heavenly! I had the lemon one, and now I just can't wait to buy an electric whisk so that I can start making them myself! The 3-tier macaroon cake below might be a bit too much for me though...

I had a lovely day out, and was very impressed with Creams in Huddersfield. I would definitely go back again, and if someone asked me I would more than recommend it.