Weekender: Yorkshire surroundings and delicious locally sourced food makes for a perfect dining combo
A new fine dining venue is several weeks into service after throwing its doors open in the Arena Quarter of Leeds. And its dishes do not disappoint!
TheBusinessDesk.com have been lucky enough to try what new Leeds restaurant Arnold’s has to offer, choosing to dine on a Saturday afternoon for a relaxed weekend atmosphere.
Former Brasserie 44 restaurateur Steve Ridealgh is running the restaurant alongside his past team members, including his wife, Carol – who is head chef – and son, Dave – restaurant manager. The new venue is named after prominent business man Arnold Ziff – the founder of listed property and car parking firm Town Centre Securities.
The menus feature locally sourced produce and showcase Yorkshire at its finest. At first glance, the à la carte menu offers a good choice for diners looking for traditional and warming food – just what we needed on this autumnal afternoon. We chose the Smocked Haddock Gratin and Pork Spring Roll to start and they were both full of fantastic flavours.
The 70-seater restaurant is in the Merrion Centre in Leeds, replacing the recently closed Marco Pierre White premises on Wade Lane, and the
entrance is next to the Ibis Styles hotel on site.
It has been refurbished and celebrates its Yorkshire heritage, with understated decor and flat caps adorning the walls. As we took in our surroundings, our mains – a Lamb Rump which just melted in the mouth and a delicious Confit Leg of Duck – arrived. They were both amazing and left us no room for desert, despite the temptation when looking at the amazing menu for a third course!
The service was fantastic and it was clear that former Brasserie 44 customers had come to sample the food too, with Steve and the team knowing many of the customer personally. All of the team were all extremely welcoming and friendly with everybody who arrived at the venue and it was a lovely, relaxed atmosphere.
Steve intends to bring back his popular wine pairing evenings and has one in the diary for next Friday, offering customers a great way of experiencing fine wine alongside the delicious food. We will definitely be back and look forward to seeing how the restaurant adapts and evolves.
