Restaurant Bar and Grill Leeds review: I tried the City Square restaurant that’s just had a £2m makeover

Housed in the landmark old Post Office building on Leeds City Square, it’s long been a popular choice for business lunches or a special occasion. I’ve walked past its packed outdoor dining area many times over the years, and often envied the food on plates, but had never given it a try.

Now was as good a time as any to make my first trip to RBG, as the restaurant has had 10,000 hours of labour and millions of pounds put into its refurbishment.

After walking past the attractive outdoor seating area and into the restaurant, we were warmly greeted by the Maître d' and immediately struck by the grandeur of the venue behind her - a huge open-plan space with high ceilings and glamorous decor.

We were seated in one of the gorgeous olive-green leather booths with a great view of the new feature bar, which was made with two slabs of honey onyx marble. No expense has been spared here.

Our servers were very quick to come over and take our drinks order - we both went for a cocktail, mine a vanilla espresso martini and my friend’s a Tropic Like It’s Hot with Arber pineapple gin, raspberry liqueur with watermelon, raspberries, pink grapefruit and lemon. Both went down a treat.

To start, we shared the sweet potato and chorizo croquettes with saffron aioli. The four croquettes were generously sized and incredibly moreish - crisp on the outside and buttery soft on the inside, the sweet potato and smoky chorizo blended beautifully. Dipped into the garlic-packed aioli - with a hint of sweetness from the saffron - they were an absolute dream.

I’m not a huge meat eater, and after toying with some of the fish options I decided to go for the vegetarian miso-glazed aubergine. The aubergine was soft and seasoned to perfection, served with dollops of sesame and sriracha sauce, shiitake mushrooms, tiny strips of sweet red pepper and topped with fresh herbs. It was a generous portion and was served on a bed of deliciously sticky rice.

My friend went for the sirloin steak - medium rare - and said it was a high-quality cut and cooked to perfection. The steaks are cooked in the restaurant’s new Southbend Grill, which sears the meat at temperatures of more than 500C.

We were stuffed and didn’t make it to the end of the (scrumptious) truffle fries we’d both ordered, but when the dessert menu arrived we just couldn’t say no. I went for the buttermilk panna cotta, topped with summer berries, fresh mint and crushed amaretti biscuit. It arrived with a wobble that would make Greg Wallace proud and was heavenly - not too sweet.

My friend has more of a sweet tooth and went for decadent sticky toffee pudding topped with candied pecans and vanilla ice cream, which she loved.

Throughout the meal our servers were wonderful - warm and friendly, but polished and swift. It’s not cheap, but you get what you pay for at RBG. Premium food and hearty portions in absolutely stunning surroundings; a real touch of luxury.

Factfile

Address: The Old Post Office, 3 City Square, Leeds, LS1 2AN

Telephone: 0113 244 9625

Opening hours: Mon-Thurs, noon-11pm; Fri-Sat, noon-12am; Sun, noon-10.30pm

Website: https://therestaurantbarandgrill.com/our-restaurants/leeds/

Scores

Food: 9/10

Value: 7/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Service: 8/10