Anthony's at Flannels, Boar Lane, Leeds
As we pushed open the glass double doors to Flannels, the designer clothing shop which is home to one arm of Anthony Flinn's culinary empire, the omens were immediately good.
The sharp-suited gentleman working the floor at Flannels greeted us both warmly, with none of the annoyingly arrogant attitude which can be found in some high-end clothes shops.
This pattern was followed by all the store's staff as we made our way up to the top floor, where we were welcomed with an easy smile by everyone in the restaurant itself.
The top floor setting, done out in white and awash with natural light, views of the old-school terracotta buildings below, took myself and my dining partner (who happens to be my wife) back to a special honeymoon meal in the Hotel Sevilla, Havana, Cuba.
Back in the day, the two of us struggled to understand how anyone could want lunch between noon and 2pm, and would regularly turn up just as the kitchen was closing.
These days, with a two-year-old to think of, we're usually desperate, banging on the doors at 11.55am, a thought that made us smile as we sipped a decadent-feeling glass of vino at 12.01pm.
Detail is important to Oliver's wife and is clearly important to Anthony too, the home baked-bread coming with carefully salted butter, our starters of moules mariniere presented with the mussel shells carefully cleaned and polished.
Always delightful, the mussels were gone in no time. The birthday girl pointed out the sauce could have been slightly richer, but then scooped every last drop up with an empty mussel shell.
Onto the mains, then. Oliver went for braised belly pork, served with salsify, pickled shallots, butternut puree and hazelnut praline.
The pork was tender, beautifully cooked and the puree silk smooth, while the shallots really made the dish, chock full of mindblowing flavour as they were. My only quibble was with the salsify, a low profile root vegetable, which tasted bland and added little to the plate.
The good lady chose king scallops with bulgur wheat risotto and chorizo. A committed foodie, she smiled with pleasure as the first mouthful of scallop went in – "really nice, lovely" the verdict – then took her time to savour every scrap.
Near the end came the eternal debate, what morsel to eat last. A Masterchef fan, she copied the two shouty blokes and made up a forkful of all the ingredients.
"Mmmm," she purred. "Whoever put that dish together deserves a medal."
What better complement could there be, and with a bill of 42.62, including service, meant both husband and wife went home very happy.
Rating 5/5
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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