A business trip necessitated a long drive up to Leeds, a place close to my heart and a must for all foodies to visit - the quality and variety of restaurants is like no other place I have lived.
After a long day of wine tasting (life is hard) The Italian and I went for a birthday dinner with Montey's Comrade - so named for our mis-spent not-quite-youth in a cocktail bar in York. Many a cheap cocktail, much good music and far too much frivolity.
MC was keen to go back to La Grillade (excellent french steak restaurant, the cheese is amazing) but we couldn't help stumbling in to River Plate after discovering it won best steak in Leeds 2011. The decor is simple with plenty of exposed brickwork and a decent view over the river, though the artwork leaves something to be desired, unless of course you enjoy looking at expressionistic paintings of horses.
Despite the name, River Plate is actually an argentinian steak restaurant, so a bottle of malbec was our first order for the evening - a rather tasty, if not slightly OTT with the fruit (though it was perfect with the steak).
In a nod to our original intention MC and I shared a baked brie, a wedge wrapped in greaseproof paper served with malbec and onion chutney, delicious, though it was evident that the brie was the cheap stuff. The Italian opted for chorizo which was a tasty home made sausage though I felt it lacked real spice.
The steak. Oh the steak. It was by far the best steak I have ever had. The biggest surprise was how well it had been seasoned, I could bore you for days about how good it was and until you experience it you will have no idea what you have been missing. My rare steak was perfectly cooked, the pepper sauce divine and the chips - hand cut fries served with a sprinkle of pepper. The only thing that let me down was my inability to finish the 400g steak I ordered (not recommended unless you're a hungry Italian with some impressive facial hair to feed).
MC's fillet steak looked like a charred rock but tasted delicious and was divine with her dolcelatte and blue cheese sauce (because one blue cheese is never enough), The Italian's traditional parsley, garlic, olive oil and vinegar sauce was tasty but be warned it is very strong.
This is a must try for all steak lovers, with a little more attention to the starters (and I suspect the non-steak mains) this place could really be outstanding.
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