TheBusinessDesk.tv: Restaurant celebrates 30 years at the top

ONE of Yorkshire’s best known and most popular restaurants has celebrated its 30th birthday with a dinner featuring celebrated writer Alan Bennett.

More than 100 people gathered at La Grillade in Leeds on Friday evening for a charity dinner where the Yorkshire-born playwright and author answered questions and gave a reading from one of his books.

French restaurateur Guy Martin-Laval launched the cellar restaurant in Wellington Street three decades ago and it has become one of the city’s premier dining venues attracting business people alongside showbusiness and media personalities.

Alan Bennett has been a regular visitor to La Grillade in Wellington Street for the last 20 years and Mr Martin-Laval said that the evening raised £7,700 for the Yorkshire Cancer Centre.

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Among the questions Alan Bennett was asked by guests, was to describe Mr Martin-Laval in a word. “Suave,” said the writer, who started his career with satirical show Beyond the Fringe and went onto write Talking Heads, The Madness of King George, Untold Stories and The History Boys.

Asked who his favourite actress was from the Talking Heads TV series, he said it was impossible to pick one, but spoke of his admiration for Maggie Smith and Patricia Routledge.

Mr Martin-Laval said: “To have been open for 30 years is thanks to fantastic customers and great staff. Alan Bennett has been coming here for many years and I’m very grateful he was here to help celebrate 30 years of serving Leeds and Yorkshire’s elite.”

Yorkshire businessman Phillip Hodson, chief executive of insurance group Oval and the current president of the MCC, gave a speech of thanks to Alan Bennett and Mr Martin-Laval.

Keen to keep the restaurant at the forefront of the Leeds dining scene, Mr Martin-Laval has recently had a lobster tank installed at La Grillade.