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Restaurant Review: The Reliance, North Street, Leeds
The Reliance, North Street
ON recently moving house I was thrilled to find my new bus route home from work took me along North Street in the city centre.
Why? Because not only is it a difficult part of town to reach, but home to one of Leeds’s most ‘understated cool’ bars – The Reliance.
This unpretentious hang-out on the edge of town attracts some of the city’s more bearded and bespectacled crowd.
It’s a chalk board menu sort of place, with extensive beer and wine lists.
Tables in the bar are for sharing, as are some of the plates of food.
Interiors are shabby chic, with mismatched dining chairs, salvaged wall hangings and the likes.
Clientele go for a good talk, read of the papers and the popular Sunday quiz.
But while you might drop by for a social and some great tunes (Boards of Canada etc), don’t forget it also serves fab food.
On the week night that we dropped by, we had a drink at the bar before going through to the dining room that is hidden away to the rear up a few stairs.
The space has benefited from a recent refurb – an internal wall has been taken out and large, airy windows revealed.
Walls have also received a welcome lick of paint, giving what is essentially the bar’s kitchen a less bohemian, cleaner appearance, while maintaining its canteen character.
What never fails to impress, is the staff, who are unreservedly friendly, and the menu.
Our waitress talked us through the specials and recommended a favourite or two.
Help was needed as despite some unfussy favourites such as rump steak and chips and smoked haddock kedgeree, there are some quirky additions.
A complimentary basket of chunky sliced bread and olives arrived as we ordered.
I went for the Reliance black pudding and crispy bacon salad, which came with a perfectly runny deep fried egg, and a surprisingly sweet pale ale dressing.
My dining partner went veggie with the Borlotti bean moussaka – the star of the show being the accompanying fennel seed flat bread.
We couldn’t resist sharing a portion of twice cooked chips, which could have benefited by coming in smaller chunks.
All in all, The Reliance impressed with two good sized meals, and a couple of drinks costing £25.
Don’t get me wrong, we could easily have splurged twice as much on a rump steak and seafood fish pie, a couple of desserts and possibly the cheese board, but you will leave more than satisfied opting for a lite bite too.
Little Oliver’s only real complaint are with the toilets, somewhere where shabby chic just isn’t cool.
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Thursday 24 May 2012
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