Leeds:-A warm welcome and shown to an end table for two.This run of tables for two are too close to each other; there’s little point in polite service with your free hand safely stored behind your back if your derrière is right in the face of the guests on the table behind you as you serve and those guests are trying to eat. And that happened on at least eleven occasions; one for every course and one for each wine pairing.We had to make our server aware of the complimentary welcome drink & snacks; the booking confirmation either didn’t impart as far as the restaurant floor or he simply forgot. Either way he assured us he was blameless and it was down to us.Prosecco, sourdough & chicken parm were excellent additions; thank you for your hospitality.However no sooner had they arrived than first course turned up. We were asked if we were ready and said no. Back it went to the pass where it sat for the next ten minutes or so.It was tasty enough when re-served but obviously, by now, lukewarm at best; none of the courses were particularly warm.And before it’s said that we should have sent it back, it shouldn’t have been served in the first place.And where was the cookie? The one in the Instagram posts was no where to be seen.Tbh the aesthetics of the courses photographed to sell the experience and those that made it to the table was vast.Course 2 was split between classic & vegetarian and the flavours and textures of both were on point.Course 3 was again split and again there were no negative comments regarding the tastes and textures; Hazlenut Ragu was exemplary and extremely well executed.Course 4 was coalfish which was a tad dry but acceptable.Course 5 chicken; again very tasty.Course 6 dessert was, for us, a complete taste failure. The crumble and sorbet nearly held their own but the main event had nothing about it. Bland both in taste and consistency. In our eyes original NYC apple pie wasn’t well served at all with this course.Our server brought dessert wine foc as he felt that might lift the course. Whilst I appreciated where he was going, we don’t think Lazarus could have resurrected it. Each to their own and I’m sure others were happily served by it.We weren’t asked if we required coffee. There were no draught products; a tap explosion in the cellar was the explanation. Bottles of beer were cold and glassware chilled.The atmosphere is very brisk & consequently service feels like it’s hurtling at you, and by you, at great speed; rattling off what each course consisted of was well intentioned but became strangely hypnotic and eventually lost all meaning.There’s more staff whizzing past tables & expediting the stairs en masse than you can shake a stick at, but catching anyone’s eye was an art form.And I’m with Brian Turner; please don’t serve hot food on stone cold plates.Our bill was incorrect and had to be reissued, and when we tried to pay by American Express we were told the restaurant didn’t support the card and that we’d have to “collect our points elsewhere”.We found this to be a quite frankly bizarre and rude assumption to articulate to a guest; and as it happens in this instance, entirely incorrect.It wasn’t the only fatuously pompous remark of the evening either.C’est la vie.This was a gift from family and we enjoyed the food experience but some tweaks are needed before we’d return.
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