Home Restaurant Leeds Review

Home Restaurant Leeds Review – Fine Dining Restaurants Leeds  – Best Restaurants Leeds-

Home Restaurant Leeds Review

Tucked away in the pedestrianized area of Kirkgate, just a stone’s throw from the famous Leeds Market and Briggate, one of the main shopping areas, you’ll find quite an unassuming door simply titled HOME. Behind it all the power duo Elizabeth Cottam, former BBC Master Chef finalist and chef Mark Owens, previous Head Chef at the Michelin-Starred Box Tree in Ilkley. Bringing their own interpretation of fine dining with a relaxed atmosphere to the city centre of Leeds.

Upon climbing the stairs to the bar the decor faultlessly mixes art deco furniture with stripped back original features that could be straight from the cover of a style magazine. This really is like being transported into another world away from the maddening crowds of Saturday shoppers and sinking into the sumptuous sofas while choosing what drink to start the experience. With their friendly staff looking after us and funk music on the playlist, we already felt like this was the best Saturday afternoon treat in Leeds.

A quick run through of their cocktails and wine list before a few canapés arrived with a pre-dinner G&T. HOME really do take championing local produce to another level from their working partnership with the Harewood Food & Drink Project, to brand new startup Garforth caviar making a star appearance on our smoked salmon and cream cheese canapé. Another impressive mouthful was the Whitby crab with granny apple puree but the real showstopper had to be the chicken liver parfait and beetroot gel served on a piece of crispy chicken skin. I could have polished off a few dozen of those.

Shortly after we were taken through to the main dining room to be seated for our tasting experience. As soon as you enter the dining room you’ll wonder how such a beautiful venue has gone unnoticed by the many restaurants to open in the last few years. With high ceilings, beautiful original features and lantern roof to add to the theatre of this great space. Everything is beautifully styled from their unique furniture to their glassware. The menu sees a complete overhaul each month, with the seasonal availability of the best ingredients dictating the restaurant’s offering. We couldn’t decide between their 5 or 10-course tasting menu but thankfully chose the latter.

To start proceedings we got stuck into our tomato brioche with sun-dried tomato butter and brown bread roll served with a beef dripping butter and crispy beef rib scratchings. Imagine spreadable roast beef and you’re practically there, what a great start. Shorty after our waitress Jenny followed with a perfectly presented suckling pig beignet, crispy on the outside, with a meltingly soft braised meaty centre, served with a sharp piccalilli puree, pickled onion and mustard seed to balance the dish.

Onto a veggie dish next, and a mushroom masterpiece if ever there was one. A real celebration of the best autumnal flavours with sweet mushroom ketchup, a rich confit egg yolk, earthy truffle and fresh tarragon leaves all coming together like a party in your mouth. Our first fish course of the day started with a smoked eel rarebit, beautifully presented, the fish lightly smoked and delicate, covered in creamy melted cheese and served with a salad of root vegetables and pickled radish. Delicious.

Literally, each course outshone the next, our slow ale braised short rib of beef was so juicy and tender it practically fell apart under any persuasion from a fork. Served with a shallot puree, crispy shallot rings and a creamy buttery mash that was as light as air. Quite possibly the best beef dish you’d ever try. Not to mention a perfect combination with the light fruity pinot noir. Our second fish course was another perfect display in the best locally sourced produce and in-season ingredients. Pan seared lemon sole on a bed of silky celeriac puree, finished with juicy potted shrimp in lemon butter and crispy shallots to add another dimension of taste and texture.

The last savoury dish of the experience, a great bit of locally sourced game. Rich, tender mallard breast, salt baked and pureed carrots on a bed of sharp sweet orange marmalade to cut through the richness of the duck. Together with a crispy potato tuile filled with a slow braised duck leg. A real show stopper of a dish.

Onto the desserts now but not over faced by the experience, as the portions for each dish are all balanced right. To start hazelnut parfait in a chocolate coating served with crunchy honeycomb pieces, caramel syrup, and a fragrant angelica jelly. Imagine all your favourite sweet ingredients put together on one plate and you’re very close. The star of the show in the two desserts for me had to be the light airy pumpkin bavarois. Together with a thyme ice cream, autumn fruit compote and pieces of poached pumpkin. Looked great and tasted even better.

In a world of investment banks, pension funds and faceless investors all jumping on the hospitality bandwagon in recent times, plus restaurants merely being a place to be seen or tagged into than going for the actual experience, HOME turns all that completely on its head. Imagine going to the best dinner party you’ve ever been to, comfortable furniture, informal and fun service coupled with some of the best food and wines you can find and a menu that showcases what’s best right now not what’s trending on social media. We really cannot praise the experience at HOME enough. Liz, Mark and the team set out to deliver a place to relax, enjoy yourself and sample an impeccable selection of food and wines in a beautiful city centre location. We’re glad to say HOME ticks all the boxes and much more.

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Home Restaurant Leeds Review – Fine Dining Restaurants Leeds – Best Restaurants Leeds 

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