It was our fourth wedding anniversary last weekend, and to celebrate we went to our first ever Michelin starred restaurant. We both fell a bit in love with Michael O'Hare and his shiny silver apron on last year's Great British Menu, and his eclectic, immersive style of cooking was something which intrigued us immensely. And so on a grey April afternoon, we found ourselves in the centre of Leeds at
The Man Behind The Curtain for a dining experience like we'd never had before...
It feels a bit like stepping into another world to get there, as you walk in through Flannels clothing shop before heading up to the third floor in an eerily quiet lift. The venue itself was calm, relaxed and modern, and we instantly felt comfortable being there, unlike other "posh" restaurants we've eaten in before. The staff added to this environment, being elegant and just the right amount of formal.
We selected the 9 course tasting menu which came accompanied by 7 wines. The menu itself is simply "Carte Blanche", meaning that every dish is a total surprise. The effect of this is an absolutely mindblowing experience... neither of us have ever felt so amazed, delighted, and often baffled by food. Laura cried twice. We'll let the pictures do the talking...
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| Octopus with caper and lemon butter - served with champagne |
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| 15 year old Galician beef with olives - served with spiced vermouth |
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| Sea urchin bolognese with rice noodles which melted into the sauce as you stirred! |
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| Spider crab lasagne with a quail's egg, bilberry, and potato crisps |
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| Fish and chips (No, really...) - black cod with potato and ink. Served with Riesling. |
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| Iberico pork, with smoked egg yolk served inside an edible shell and anchovies |
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| Veal sweetbread with hot and sour consomme, brought out alongside a sous vide prawn. |
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Onto dessert...
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| Violet ice cream, dark chocolate, potato custard and beetroot puffed rice, served with plum wine |
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| Passion fruit and praline mini "cupcake" |
A touch we particularly loved was that for three of the courses, the chefs brought out the dishes themselves and talked us through what we were about to eat. The passion coming from them was palpable, and it's this sort of attention to detail which gets a place such deserved renown.
Quite honestly, this was far and away the most outstanding food we've ever eaten, and an experience we never wanted to end. Simply stunning.
L&J
