Blackhouse turns ten in Leeds' ever changing food and drink scene

Steak it is every time at Blackhouse.

Ten years is a long time in restaurant years, especially when you consider the level of quality that has come through Leeds in the past decade, can you believe Blackhouse have been going that long?

I thought I'd find out if they could still cut the mustard as they unveiled a new menu and prepped for their big birthday. Turns out they are still very much on-point across the board.

We paid them a visit on a Sunday afternoon, but decided to swerve their pimped-up Sunday Roast in favour of the shiny new main menu. We kicked off with an array of dreamy starters, which included the Smoked Haddock and Poached Egg. It's always the little details that make a big difference, and the side-serving of lobster sauce and sautéed spinach and leek really worked.

The rave reviews I'd seen online for the Short Rib Bonbons turned out to be very much true. Served with burnt onion mayo (which is far nicer than it sounds), this turned out to be one of the most delightful starters I've had in a long time.

Of course, the success of Blackhouse really comes down to its steak (you don't go there for salad, do you?), and we struck gold when we ordered from the Premium section, which includes a mix of Australian and USDA prime cuts. I can highly recommend the Aussie Fillet, which my knife glided through like butter. I this with Peppercorn Sauce and a side of Onion Rings.

Across the table, the juicy USDA rib-eye was also given the big thumbs up. We paired our steaks with a bottle of Cycles Gladiator Zinfandel from California, which promised us notes of black cherry and cookie dough. Am not quite sure I detected the cookie dough per-say, but it was a powerful red that complemented our mains just perfectly.

Too stuffed for dessert, we signed off with the BH Espresso Martini, which blends Ketel One Vodka with Baileys and Frangelico to create an almost perfect version of the classic cocktail. It's great to see that Blackhouse have continued to evolve, always one step ahead of the competition. We can't wait to celebrate their tenth birthday next month, here's to another 10!