Brasserie Blanc, Leeds.

I'm always suspicious of any 'celebrity' restaurant that is named after the proprietor. A restaurant should sell itself on the quality of its food, the service or atmosphere. It should modestly be associated with who ever is behind it. It shouldn't hitch-hike on a name. Brasserie Blanc rides on more than a name- Raymond's little face is plastered on the website and even on the walls of the restaurant. I find it a little smarmy to be honest, and i'm never one for a gimmick.


You see what i mean? This is the over all effect. Nonetheless the food is good so i'll forgive you Ray.

Thursday nights in Leeds can give the weekend a run for it's money, so after booking a table i was a little disappointed to find the restaurant mostly empty. But never mind as it meant that we were shown to a lovely table over looking the river and the beauty that is ASDA house. A recipe for romance indeed.

The service was top notch. I really mean that. Attentive but not imposing, polite but not too stiff and formal, and was full of nice little touches such as offering extra bread and ensuring that our candle was always lit. Timing was perfect between courses, and we were never left hungry or thirsty.

The food was superb. I had sweetcorn chowder to start, whilst Simon had the ham hock. The soup was delightful. It was a creamy corn soup, seasoned to perfection and garnished with popcorn- a touch i didn't expect from somewhere that promotes traditional french cuisine! The ham hock got a man's approval, but proved far to gelatine-y for my liking, so i wouldn't recommend this dish in particular.

We ate the same main- lamb shoulder with thyme jus. Although a little small, and accompanied by my arch nemesis celery, it really was very lovely. So lovely (by lovely i mean lovely but small) that i could have eaten two or three. And then still had room for pudding. Which was a plum crumble incase you were wondering. A nice finish to the meal, not overly sweet and with a real home made feel to it.

But the real reason Brasserie Blanc in blog-worthy is the price. Along with the A La Carte, we were offered the Dine With Wine menu at £18.45 for three courses or £16 for two. You cannot beat this kind of value in Leeds. To top it off it comes with a glass of house red or white for free, having sampled both, this offer can't be sniffed at.

Great food, great wine, great service. An 8/10.

Brasserie Blanc,
Victoria Mill,
Sovereign Street,
Leeds,
LS1, 4BJ

0113 220 6060

www.brasserieblanc.com/locations/leeds.html