WATER LANE BOATHOUSE REVIEW MENU SAMPLING AT ANOTHER UNIQUE VENUE FOR LEEDS

Water Lane Boathouse Leeds Review
Water Lane Boathouse is the latest addition to the team behind Belgrave Music Hall and Headrow House. We had the pleasure of visiting this characterful restaurant to sample their new menu which features food from Small Victories Sourdough Pizza and Bakery, as well as a selection of beer, natural wine and gins.
Built in the early 1800s, Water Lane Boathouse occupies a former shipment warehouse located on Canal Wharf on the South side of the Leeds-to-Liverpool canal. Central to Leeds it was once the canal entrance into the vibrant city centre. After several transformations, the boathouse was home to a series of restaurants such as Heathcotes, Racasse and drinking den The Pour House.
                    
Now under the ownership of the team behind Belgrave Music Hall and Headrow House, Water Lane Boathouse has been transformed into a food and drink destination; covering two floors and an outdoor area, both with incredible views of the canal. The new venue features a custom-made pizza oven shipped in from Italy and hand-crafted by Stefano Ferrara in Napoli; renowned for making some of the best pizza ovens in the world. The pizza oven is the home of Small Victories Sourdough Pizza and Bakery, who are serving up sandwiches and salads on the top floor, that will be available to eat at the restaurant or take-out at lunchtime. On the ground floor, the bar is stocked up with everything from craft beer to old favourites, as well as a selection of natural wines and gin.
                    
“I fell in love with the boathouse building when I first came to Leeds in the late eighties, it’s an absolute dream to be able to do something with this historic spot, I really hope people like what we have done, we’ve managed to expose every piece of original brickwork and it looks great.” Ash Kollakowski (Director).
“It’s been great working with such an historic building in such an exciting area of the city. The South Bank development looks pretty incredible and it will be interesting to see what changes it brings to the area.” Simon Stevens (Director).
                    
We were treated to an absolute feast from Development Chef Ben Davy to showcase the new menu on offer. Let’s start with the pizza, chewy 24 hour proved sourdough pizzas, served with a deliciously sweet San Marzano tomato sauce, WOW. If you can master the margherita then the rest follow and this was definitely the case. Their Nduja, mascarpone with spianata calabrese sausage, caramelised onion and mozzarella was to die for. The range of salads also impressed, coming in two sizes as a main or side to complement your other choice. All at a great price with the expert use of seasonal ingredients. It was hard to pick a favourite. It’s not often that salads are the stand out dish, perfect for a healthy lunch time treat. Next, the hot and cold sandwiches. Served on a French country loaf made daily in-house we sampled their ‘Boathouse Club’ and ‘Flat Iron Steak, Chimicurri and Dijon mayonnaise’. Mouth-watering just thinking about these again. Last but not least we tried their ‘Small Victories Burger’, double patties of aged Yorkshire beef with cheese and all the goodies on a toasted sesame brioche bun.
                    
Despite the casual setting, menu and dining experience this food is not to be overlooked, with a lot of thought going into each dish and its ingredients. With its beautiful waterside setting, characterful building, huge outdoor area and great food, oh and the gin list, we can see Water Lane Boathouse being a very popular drink and dining destination for Leeds. Another unique venue from the operators of Belgrave Music Hall and Headrow House, Ash Kollakowski, Simon Stevens and Ben Davy.
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Water Lane Boathouse Leeds Review