The Cross Keys, Water Lane, Leeds
OLIVER has visited The Cross Keys twice before – the first time was delightful, the second a disappointment.
As befits somewhere which nestles between industrial buildings renovated to provide homes for solicitors, PR agencies and architects, this place set out to create a gourmet pub. And so it did, for a while.
But then, for no apparent reason, things started to slip. Bad reports disseminated from punters and on a return visit Oliver was similarly underwhelmed.
Hoping to be third time lucky we went back this week, lured by the promise of a new winter menu.
Just to fill you in on The Cross Keys, it's an old pub brought back to life with real attention to authentic detail. Tiled floors, beams, wood-burning stove, that sort of thing, but it's obviously a rather cool urban hang out, rather than some olde worlde family pub.
The food reflects the pub. It comes in the form of a menu with three conventional sections – starter, main, desserts – but the informal atmosphere leaves it to you to decide whether you want to nibble, graze or gorge.
There's roughly six dishes per section each essentially comfort food, but not your average comfort food. My choice, for example was the oxtail stew with potatoes, savoy cabbage and mash, my dining partner went for the lamb breast wrapped in bacon with lentils.
We both loved our respective mains but the desserts – chocolate tart and ginger burnt cream – were even better.
As you can see it's just a little upmarket and unusual, just like The Cross Keys. Which means you'll pay a bit more than your usual pub grub prices too. For two courses with a couple of drinks it came to about 22 a head.
The thing to do is think of it like your regular restaurant because the surroundings are just as pleasant and the food, I'm delighted to report, has returned to its normal high standards. The Cross Keys is back.
STAR RATING: 4/5
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Weather for Leeds
Sunday 12 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 0 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 4 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North west
