The Ellington, York Place, Leeds
Sometimes you just know that, service-wise, you've hit pay dirt.
It doesn't happen all that often but when it does. It's good. it's very, very good.
Such a moment happened in theThe Ellington, Leeds's newest boutique hotel.
Downstairs, in the opulent, art-deco dining room, we were being seated.
All was solicitous and caring, and then came the clincher.
Was I seated comfortably? "Yes".
Would I perhaps like an extra chair - for my handbag. "Yes." I would, I would, I most certainly would.
It wasn't my best handbag you understand, but it was big, And though, truth to tell, I would never have thought of it myself, once the matter had been raised, I realised my handbag deserved its own chair, and I, in turn, deserved to have all my worldly belongings at hip height so I didn't have to do that inelegant head under the table, bottom in the air thing should I decide I needed my emergency...whatever.
So there you go. Service with wow factor. And not just the handbag, but generally.
The Ellington is the kind of restaurant where they do things formally and where they know how to make a fuss of a person. It's top dining, it's not cheap, but the food is excellent and you will be made to feel special.
All the front of house staff are trained to this handbag-alert standard. They all know about eye contact, they all serve seamlessly and they all know how to make a diner feel well cared for.
The Ellington experience begins in the bar upstairs, furnished with chairs upholstered in colourful velvet. It's a dramatic area where all ceilings have been removed to create an atrium the full height of the building to allow natural light to saturate the room by day and atmospheric lighting to be created at night.
Over pre-dinner drinks, and snacks of olives and savoury crackers, we studied the menu, which has been devised by no less a chef than than Albert Roux.
Albert, now a man in his 70s, isn't actually standing in the kitchen stirring the flour and the butter to make his white sauce you understand, but the chefs in there have been trained by him and he oversees the menu which, as you would expect, has an emphasis on seasonal, high quality food.
So, menus were presented and we were left to make our choice of food, but in The Ellington the choices don't end there
Would we like water for the table?
Yes we would. "Still water, please."
In that case, our waiter said, he would recommend the French option - unless we preferred to go local with the Harrogate water? Harrogate it was then.
It was time to take our seats at our dining table in the restaurant downstairs, so coats were taken and checked into the cloakroom, our drinks were carried down before us and we were led to a table in a dining room that bucks the trend.
Whereas most new restaurants in Leeds go for a minimalist approach, the Ellington does not.
There is much fabric, there are beaded curtains to separate tables, there are art deco paintings on the walls, and there are some sumptious glass light fittings in the art deco style.
In fact the feel of the whole place is a bit art deco - upstairs in the hotel the theme is loosely that of the jazz age of the 1920s - hence the hotel name.
After we and the handbag were seated, drinks arranged and orders taken, dishes began to arrive in the formal style, with one member of the waiting staff holding the tray while another served.
My starter was scallops with black pudding and apple puree: two perfect scallops with sweet, firm flesh, two rounds of soft, sweet black pudding with an almost mousse-like texture and a lovely, tart fruit puree to cut through the richness of both.
My companion's rabbit terrine was a delicious meaty texture with none of the over-gelatinous consistency which can be a hazard of terrines.
A main course of venison with chestnuts and roasted pear was perfect for the season, being rich, savoury and redolent of winter. Venison is an easy meat to spoil because it is so lean that it can easily dry out in the cooking, but there was no such problem here. Cooked to the medium stage, it was moist and yielding to the knife.
Side dishes of creamy mashed potato and unadorned seasonal vegetables were good accompaniments and completed a meal that was rich, but not too rich.
The other main course selection was calves liver with lime, which proved to be a fabulous combination. The acidic citrus of the lime provided the perfect contrast to the sweet richness of the liver and raised this offal dish to a new level.
The lemon tart chosen for dessert was definitely a superior example of its genre too. The danger with lemon tart is that it can appear on the plate looking unattractvely thin and biscuit like, more like wedges of pancake - but not this one.
This lemon tart was thick and sumptuous and the filling was sweet, soft but still with a tang.
The other dessert choice was macaroons. The biscuits, a light and chewy confection of egg white, sugar and almonds, were sandwiched together with a filling of cream to make a sweet, light end to the meal.
The Ellington is a top of the range restaurant with prices to match, so dinner with coffee and petits fours, plus a couple of drinks came to 112, including a ten per cent service charge.
It's an upmarket price, but then it's an upmarket experience with the added value of excellent service and surroundings.
Star ratings
FOOD 5
VALUE 4
ATMOSPHERE 4
SERVICE 5
Factfile
The Ellington
23-25 York Place
LS1 2EY
Tel No: 0113 204 2150
Website:www.pantinhotels.com
Opening times:
Lunch. 12-2.30pm.
Dinner. 7pm to 9.30pm.
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Sunday 12 February 2012
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