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Best Sunday Roast
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Ox Club

West Yorkshire, Leeds - Modern British - Restaurant - £££

Chargrills and small plates given an imaginative twist

Overall Rating: Good

Uniqueness:Does the establishment stand out in the context of the local area? Good

Deliciousness:How delicious is the food? Very Good

Warmth:How warm is the service and the hospitality in general? Good

Strength of recommendation:How enthusiastically and widely would you recommend the establishment? Good

Old Leodians may remember it as Big Lil’s Saloon Bar, an infamous drinking den on the city's primary thoroughfare. Today, it's an on-trend ‘solid-fuel grill restaurant’, a simply furnished dining room of wood floors, wooden tables, ladderback chairs and rather harsh lighting. If grill suggests hunks of beef slapped onto glowing charcoals you would be right, up to a point: note the offer of a kilo of côte de boeuf with peppercorn sauce and salsa verde at £95 for sharing. Otherwise, it’s lamb chops with smoked garlic cream or partridge with cotechino and lentils, plus fish in the form of whole sea bass with red pepper pipérade or celeriac in a Marmite glaze. Besides these substantial mains, there's a selection of lighter dishes that can be taken as starters or ‘small plates’ – from fabulously gnarly grilled Jerusalem artichokes on whipped ricotta to red and golden beetroots roasted in the embers and presented atop goat's ...

Old Leodians may remember it as Big Lil’s Saloon Bar, an infamous drinking den on the city's primary thoroughfare. Today, it's an on-trend ‘solid-fuel grill restaurant’, a simply furnished dining room of wood floors, wooden tables, ladderback chairs and rather harsh lighting. If grill suggests hunks of beef slapped onto glowing charcoals you would be right, up to a point: note the offer of a kilo of côte de boeuf with peppercorn sauce and salsa verde at £95 for sharing. Otherwise, it’s lamb chops with smoked garlic cream or partridge with cotechino and lentils, plus fish in the form of whole sea bass with red pepper pipérade or celeriac in a Marmite glaze.

Besides these substantial mains, there's a selection of lighter dishes that can be taken as starters or ‘small plates’ – from fabulously gnarly grilled Jerusalem artichokes on whipped ricotta to red and golden beetroots roasted in the embers and presented atop goat's curd and walnuts, with orange adding a refreshing touch of sweetness. Elsewhere, smoky beef tartare is garnished with mushroom and potato and bathed in ‘gherkin ketchup’, but don't miss the focaccia served with chicken ‘schmaltz’ (the fat and juices from a roast chook with curls of crispy skin lurking in its depths).

Sunday roasts are enthusiastically reported and herald something a bit different: the fennel and apple porchetta is an incredible collation with smoked trotter, fennel gravy and ‘perfectly cooked’ pommes Anna. Regular desserts are Basque cheesecake with pear and cherry compôte or a prettily scorched baked Alaska. A carefully selected list of (mostly organic) wines is served by charming, informed staff who are attentive without being overbearing.

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A Clayton

5 October 2024

The Porchetta is incredible, beef perfectly cooked, pommes anna were crisp yet buttery and the cauliflower cheese was out of this world. Just make sure you go there hungry, as the portions are generous.

VENUE DETAILS

Headrow House, The Headrow
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS1 6PUGB

0113 485 1814

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OTHER INFORMATION

Separate bar, Counter seating, Wheelchair access

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