The Black House restaurant in Leeds is a steakhouse that has been open since 2008. Since then it has gained quite a following in the local and regional press. We thought it would be rude not to try it while in the city, so we did.
The atmosphere in the restaurant is great. There is live music from bands or piano singers and it makes a nice background to the meal. It was busy when we visited, thankfully, we had booked in advance.
The staff are very friendly, and seem to genuinely want you to have a good time. We were seated and served very quickly, and dish delivery was faultless. We had cocktails with our meal, and each was produced and delivered quick enough to give us that ice cold hit.
Our starter consisted of garlic prawns and Thai fish cakes. The garlic king prawns were served with fresh crusty bread which was still warm. The garlic was strong, but well balanced.
The prawns were definitely fresh and not frozen. The Thai fish cakes were light with a nice chilli twist. They were the ideal fishcake, full of fish meat but not too “fishy.”
Main was fillet steak and chicken fajitas, with sides of cheese and broccoli. The steak was absolute perfection. Thick, seared, pink in the middle with juice dripping off it. Every bite was savoured.
The chicken fajitas were a bit of a disappointment. They didn’t live up to the steak and tasted quite bland. For a dish that is supposed to be spicy, I think they left the spice out of them. They were well cooked and fresh, but that was about it.
We raised our spirits with dessert. It was in the form of a lemon sorbet and vanilla and pistachio ice cream. The sorbet was light and very tasty. The perfect blend of sweet and sour. It cleansed the palate perfectly.
The vanilla and pistachio ice cream was also great. The ice cream tasted home-made and carried the sweetness of the pistachios perfectly. They worked really well together.
Those cocktails we had were straw hunter, passion fruit sling, porn star martini, pina colada, mardi gras. Each had a very distinct character and the mixologist didn’t scrimp on the alcohol. They were well balanced, well mixed and a real delight.
The Bill: £54 per head
