Wednesday 7 September 2011

Restaurant Review : Cattle Grid, Leeds

Anyone who loves a great steak would have to go a long way to beat what’s on offer at Cattle Grid in Leeds.

Cattle Grid, the brainchild of Steve Novak and Shaun Gray opened its doors in August of this year and is already proving a huge success with diners. It offers top quality food at affordable prices in a very relaxed atmosphere with attentive and friendly staff and a menu that makes your mouth water just reading it.


The restaurant in Leeds, is their fourth venue (and the first outside of London) and is located near to the famous Corn Exchange building on Assembly Street .Whilst many of the building’s original features are still in place, the interior has been given a face lift and is very contemporary and modern, very airy and clean and yet very inviting. It all makes for a relaxed atmosphere and a thoroughly enjoyable dining experience and my first visit to Cattle Grid was definitely that!

The menu is relatively straightforward offering variations on the 3 main menu choices, Pig, Cow and Burgers. Of course, further reading of the menu reveals this to be; Ribs, Steaks and Burgers - and there are salads and tuna for those not as carnivorously minded. You can chose your cut of steak from 10oz Rump, Sirloin, Bone in Sirloin, T-Bone and Rib eye or 7oz Fillet all of which are cooked to your specification and come with an order of double-dip fried chips and a serving of watercress. Add to this your optional choice of topping such as green peppercorn sauce, herb and garlic butter or their own special Harissa sauce and also your choice of side order and you have a meal that delights just about all of your senses in one go.



My visit to the restaurant was part of a social media and bloggers event and I was fortunate to meet one the owners, Steve Novak. Steve was very charming and friendly and not only entertained us with stories of his business ventures so far but also gave us a great insight into the restaurant business, the costs, sourcing suppliers and ensuring  you get the best quality products at affordable prices. It was refreshing to meet someone so openly honest and yet someone who clearly has a great passion for what he does and takes a pride in making sure every little detail of your dining experience is attended to. Although not a chef himself, Steve knows what he likes to eat and has a good head for business – you might say that this guy knows his onions – or in the case of Cattle Grid, his onion strings!

The service in the restaurant was of a high standard and the staff were not only efficient but also very approachable and friendly. They were there whenever you needed them to be but were not intrusive to your meal. Whilst each meal was cooked to order, it didn’t seem like you were waiting too long between courses and yet you didn’t feel rushed either.

For starters I had a portion of baby back ribs. They were coated in a special Cattle Grid glaze which was tangy with a bit of a kick to it and not too sweet. The meat was very tender and fell easily from the bone as you ate it. I have not always been a great fan of ribs but as these were recommended by Steve and are one of their highlighted menu choices I was determined to try them. They were absolutely delicious and a real delight from start to finish.

For my main course I chose the 10oz Sirloin, medium rare with herb and garlic butter .As mentioned before, the meal came with a serving of fresh peppery watercress and a portion of double- dip fried chips. My companions and I also shared a portion of onion strings (Cattle Grid’s own version of onion rings but cut into strips and fried in a light tempura batter) Cattle Grid coleslaw and garlic mushrooms. The chips were light and crispy and the peppery watercress was a refreshing change to the rather bland salads you find in other restaurants. The mushrooms were soft without being mushy and contained just the right amount of garlic to compliment the mushrooms without taking over the whole taste of them. The coleslaw was light and yet creamy and not too sharp or full of onion. The onion strings were again very light thanks to the tempura batter and were not too sweet or too sharp, but just right. The steak however was in a class of its own. At first glance I didn’t think I would manage to eat it all, but one bite of it made me determined to finish it whatever the cost. It was a beautiful cut of meat and cooked to perfection. It was soft and tender and the garlic and herb butter added to the succulent taste of the steak and on reflection, I have to say was the best steak I have ever tasted!  

 
Having over-indulged on my sumptuous main course I did not have the room or the energy for dessert but there were some very tempting offers on the menu including waffles and ice cream or crème brulee, all of which were reasonably priced and looked delicious.

Overall, without drinks I would estimate that you would spend approximately £20-£25 per head. When you see the size of the portions and taste the quality of the food you will know that this represents great value for money as it is of the same high standard you would expect from many top London restaurants but at a fraction of the price. They say that you get what you pay for but in this case you get so much more – this is not just a meal, it is a dining experience and a gastronomic delight all in one. Cattle Grid also offers a lunch time menu and has a special offer on for their Leeds restaurant only at the moment.Every day between 12pm and 5pm you can get a slow cooked beef sandwich or Hog Roast sandwich, served with chips and a can of soft drink for just £6!

I would thoroughly recommend this restaurant to others and I will definitely be going back there again myself. My thanks to Emma Bearman for organising the event, to Steve Novak and Clancy Walker for their hospitality and to all the staff at Cattle Grid for such a wonderful and tasty meal.

For more information on Cattle Grid, its venues and menu go to http://www.cattlegridrestaurant.com/index.html

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