After a busy day out around the shops and markets of Bradford we headed into Leeds for dinner and to sample its nightlife. We feel a bit like country bumpkins in a big city for the first time when we go out somewhere like Leeds. The place is just brimming with swanky looking restaurants and bars, moreso even than Newcastle, which is the nearest we ever get to big city life.
The town hall was looking lovely, illuminated as it was against the black night sky, as were many other of Leeds fine buildings. One day/night I'll have to go back to take some more pictures, but that's not why we were there this time.
Being near Christmas (well, it is November after all) the German Christmas market was in full swing in Millennium Square. Not the biggest of Christmas markets and certainly nothing to have Cologne worried, it was still entertaining enough for an hour or so. It had the usual stalls selling Christmas trinkets and decorations, mulled wine and all variety of sausages, as well as one or two "beer kellers" complete with long benches and trestle tables.
There was also a small funfair. Wife wouldn't let me go on the dodgem cars, saying that with my driving every day is like the dodgem cars anyway, and I had no intention of going on the carousel. Such things just make me feel sick - in fact watching it didn't make me feel too grand.
For dinner we went to Casa Mia, which was right next to where the market was - very handy. This is a very nice Italian restaurant with great food and excellent service. I really fancied risotto but there was no vegetarian risotto on the menu. No problem, the chef could knock me up a mushroom risotto, which sounded fine to me. It turned out to be more than just fine, being exceedingly rich and flavoursome with the rice cooked to perfection.
There was absolutely no need to ponder over what to have for desert. We'd already noted the bread & butter pudding, something we always find hard to resist, and decided to get one between the two of us. This one had an Italian slant to it, being subtly flavoured with Marsala. It was served with a creme anglais and blackcurrant compote and was totally delicious. BFG & SIL shared their desert too, a white chocolate roulade. With a shared starter of pizza sized Garlic bread and a bowl of the biggest olives I've ever seen or had, a main course each, two shared deserts and a bottle of very palatable red wine the total bill was only 17.50 each, which I found more than reasonable.
After dinner we went to Whitelock's, Leeds' oldest pub established in 1715. It's still a very traditional, almost Victorian, style of pub with its dividing partitions and dark wood. Lots of hand-pulled beers too, too many to try in one night, especially as the pub doesn't run to extended opening hours. I found this strange after hearing so much on the news in the week about what effect these longer hours had been having. It seemed to me that quite a large number of Leeds pubs don't stay open beyond 11, and so it was with heavy heart and heavier stomaches that we headed off back to BFG's at the end of our night out in the bright lights of the big city.
What really would have rounded off a great day would have been an Indian take-away. Both us boys wanted one, but the womenfolk vetoed the idea. I don't know if they were thinking of our health or the prospect of sleeping with curry-breathed blokes, but whichever it was there was no take-away.
Next time maybe.
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