In my opinion one of the finest french restaurant in the north.Taking inspiration from some of…read moregreat dishes of La Gavroche. Had a fantastic evening in November 2011, the team provided the perfect festive lunch, the monkfish thermidor was fantastic. Strongly recommend potted shrimp starter. If you enjoy great French food, then Chez La Vie could not be recommended more highly. The wines available on the wine list are truly fantastic from the house wines to the finest red & white wines, there is something for every budget.

Set on the first floor above a Thai restaurant is Harrogate's branch of Bistro Pierre. The whole…read morerestaurant is set on one level and from the sizeable bar, to the prints and mirrors that adorn the walls, the whole restaurant has a classy comfortable feel, a perfect romantic venue. Tables to suit all sizes of party, with enough space between them so that you don't feel hemmed in, with friendly, helpful staff. All in all, a great combination. We prefer to dine on the early side, so we chose their pre-theatre menu for £14.95 apiece for two courses, less choice than the main menu, but still enough variety. We shared a roasted garlic bulb to start, with fresh bread, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. A great start, flavoursome, but not a huge dish, but enough to share for a starter. Mains wise, I always struggle to make a choice other than the steak, Bistro Pierre do great steaks! I had the steak fritte, with fries and a dressed salad, fantastic; the peppercorn sauce complimented it perfectly, as did the mushrooms I had as a side order. My wife had the beef bourguignon, with the vegetable accompaniments of broccoli, green beans and red cabbage, with potato gratin. A huge portion, full of flavour; too often beef bourguignon can be on the salty side, this was just right. After the mammoth mains we had, we opted to choose for the lighter options for dessert, my wife went for the lemon tart, with caramelised sugar adornment and raspberry sorbet. I struggled as always with my choice, but ultimately went for the Gateau au Miel, a sticky honey pudding with double ginger ice cream, fantastically light and the ginger ice cream cut through the sweetness of the honey perfectly. A wonderful meal, in perfect surroundings, not bad for our first night in Harrogate!

A first for me and the four of us definitely had fantastic service. A splendid menu with great…read morechoices but not too many that you don't know what to have! Having said that, my fella and I enjoyed three starters between us and they were delicious and very reasonably priced for the portion sizes. My pork main was absolutely delightful and I actually didn't want it to end. The crab ravioli was perfect and the chicken was spot on. Coupled with a great atmosphere it was a very worthwhile visit and at £120 for a two course meal for 4 (including speciality breads but no drinks (these were bought in the bar prior to eating)) it was a little on the high side but probably 4.5/5 stars.

This has become my new favourite place to eat. Food and…read moreservice excellent. Great atmosphere, food cooked to perfect, attentive staff.

Very popular spot so we suggest to book a table before going. We have seen people being turned away…read morebecause there's no availability. Menu was great and I definitely recommended their mussels. They have a starter portion and a main portion, tbh it doesn't make a massive difference. If you want to try a few more things, get it as a starter and get something else for main. We are rather disappointed in the duck leg because the flavor was so uneven - some bites are great, some are too spiced.

I adore French food and when I saw there was a French restaurant in York that had good reviews and…read morefairly reasonable prices, I made a reservation for our first of four nights in town. We were seated quickly and had a nice table on the main floor. Our drink orders were taken post haste, a bottle of Les Vignerons - Carignan Syrah (£25.15) and a pineapple juice (£2.25), and delivered equally as fast. The male server arrived with an open bottle and started pouring, chug-a-lug-a-lug, no tasting, just sloppily emptying the bottle into my glass. It was tremendously unimpressive. Great start! We both ordered the three-course Set Menu (£25.95). For our entrees, I had the Moules Marinieres à la Creme (mussels in a wine, garlic, herb, and cream sauce) and my wife the Champignons a L'Ail (mushrooms in a garlic cream sauce). My mussels were plentiful for a starter and fresh, but I could barely taste the wine, garlic, or cream. The sauce was watery. My wife's mushrooms were very tasty. On to Les Plats Principaux ... Mine was the Steak Frites with Mushroom Sauce and my wife's the Tarte aux Champignons et Pont L'Eveque (mushroom tart with leeks and Pont L'Eveque cheese). My steak was tiny, four to five ounces max, and half of it was gristle, so I was able to swallow maybe three ounces of it. I told the server that the first bite was very tough, but I never saw her again until I had chewed and spat out half of the steak. The fries were hot and tasty and the mushroom sauce was good, but what a huge disappointment. My spouse enjoyed her tart, but I thought it was rather bland. For dessert, I asked for the Sèlection de Fromages Francais (French cheese board) and my lovely bride the Crème Brûlèe. My cheeses were very good, with three varieties and coming with a bit of lettuce and a few grapes as well as a small baguette. I left just enough wine in the bottle to savor one of my favorite things in life - cheese, bread, and wine. My wife's crème brûlèe was massive, the biggest I had ever seen, so she hit a triple while I had just s single - she hit 1.000 for the night while I hit a mere .333. Our server, Didi, was very sweet and felt terrible because I had not enjoyed my meal, so she offered to discount my meal. However, my journalistic integrity would not allow me to accept remuneration for my meal and we paid full fare - £91+ including tip. A couple of small things spoiled this meal and both were completely avoidable. A little more wine, garlic, and cream, a minuscule cost for the restaurant, would have brought the mussels to a five-star level. As far as the tiny, cheap cut of meat I received, I had no problem with the size had it been tender because bigger is not always better, just ask my friend's wife. Quality control in the kitchen was obviously lacking, hence my rating ... CombatCritic Gives Rustique 4 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

My first thought towards this dining experience over a week ago was I wouldn't even wade into the…read moreenthusiastic mostly 5-star rating of a French styled restaurant in a fairly small town in Northern rural England. Just let it go. So here's what is bothering me, and I have strong feelings about this: the beef bourguignon. It's not rocket science to make this dish, and its base is a rich, savory beef broth mingled with things like onions, carrots, shallots, herbs like thyme and rosemary and possibly other spices to the chef's liking. Happen to know a bit about the dish because I've been making it for years. It's all about the broth to this diner. And to be fair, I once had a sadder version of the dish in Paris long ago. So how hard is it to make? Well, apparently the chefs in pubs and similar dining spots along the way are able to craft outstanding versions of their steak and ale pie that are simply outstanding in their robust beef taste. If those chefs can make that dish so well, so savory, why can't something similar be applied to beef bourguignon? I maintain the broth in starting the cooking process was simply not up to par. Lacking in richness, the beef was over-dried, suggesting it had been sitting too long or just wasn't prepared correctly. Instead of baby potatoes, a side of mashed potatoes sat off to the side of the beef and broth. Sorely lacking in the amount of butter needed and low on salt, it was an unpleasant and uninspiring addition that added nothing to the dish. The salad that proceeded the meal was listed as shrimp and mango. Out came baby shrimp with the rubbery taste of just thawed, mixed with mango, then a massive amount of Thousand Island like dressing drenching it all with a few chives atop. Not a great effort. Kudos for offering a true French Malbec from the Southwest corner of the country, the black wine, but this one was pedestrian and was served in the kind of wine glass that screams cheapest serving ware possible with its thick rim around the top. I can commend the staff which was professional and on top of it on a busy Friday night. Beyond that, this is a pass for me. Should have stuck to a local pub serving traditional countryside pies as the ones I've had along the Coast to Coast walk, my reason for being here, have all been outstanding.

Thanks to Emily B's brilliant local knowledge we ended up here early-ish on a Saturday night to…read morebenefit from their pre-1830 set menu which at £15 for 2 courses and £18 for 3 is great value for the quality of the food. I had a nice crab cake to start and only had slight food envy of my bf's delicious deep fried brie (yeah would def get that next time). For mains I had a fantastic rich and beautiful cooked duck leg and then a classic creme brulee to finish. Bf had the beef bourguignon which he loved and was still commenting on days later. On the sides front I would recommend the creamed leeks and green beans (in garlic butter), only thing I wasn't so keen on was the ratatouille. Service was very good and I love the design of the restaurant which involves a fake outdoor pavement seating area!

A wonderful little place by the canal, we arrived for the Virgin Experience set menu which was good…read morevalue for the price. Something noticeable is that the service was quite scattered, servers were inattentive even though they were fairly nice themselves (no check backs, no offers for more drinks, no offers for condiments etc) The signature G and T (elderflower, cucumber) was definitely a highlight and certainly recommended. The burger was quite dry, especially the bun as it felt reheated and not recommended, however the duck confit was good. I probably wouldn't return without a voucher initiative due to the quality and the standard price being mismatched

We loved this restaurant. Unfortunately, we planned to go back much sooner but the world went…read morecrazy. Last visit was 2019 and it was amazing as well as the lovely staff, brilliant location and building! Finally headed back and will definitely be visiting on this trip as well! Highly recommended. We spent 8 days in Leeds and this was one of three restaurants that we loved.

Original restaurant offering "British tapas". Decor could be nicer…read more This small restaurant (one room only) is located on the first floor of a building in Oxford Street, Harrogate, above a JoJo Maman Bébé shop. It doesn't look very inviting from outside, but don't be fooled. This is a superior restaurant that offers good, imaginatively themed food - and the staff are extremely welcoming. Went there for a an early dinner before a concert at Royal Hall, Harrogate (which is just a short walk from this place). I tried several different "British tapas", all of them good (see pictures). The waitress was very friendly and helpful. She recommended three tapas for a full meal, but I ended up ordering four. I left very well filled. Would give a fifth star if the decor and location were nicer. Everything else was good.

A really good restaurant serving Tapas-sized portions of freshly cooked delicious dishes…read more The food is continental rather than simply Spanish so there's a variety of stuff on the menu. The advantage of smaller dishes is that you can have a bigger range of food and share with your friends. I've eaten here a few times and it's always good, and the people running it are attentive and welcoming. On certain nights there is a theme offering excellent value packages of food and wine - those are worth a serious look. The room itself is lovely. It's on the first floor so less noisy traffic-wise although on a good night a bustling and buzzing atmosphere takes over. With windows all the way round 2 sides it's a bright and well appointed setting, and it's clean too. Not too much space in the toilets so by the end of the night when a couple more glasses of wine have been consumed there's often a queue - that's about the only mild negative I can come up with. Each time I've been I've found it hard to squeeze in the amount of food I wanted to try as everything looked so delicious... It can get busy on a Friday or Saturday night so I highly recommend booking if that's when you want to go.

If you're familiar with popular astronomy concepts, you might appreciate the following statement:…read moreKendells Bistro exists almost wholly within the Goldilocks Zone of the restaurant universe, a phenomenon that's expected to be possible, but only encountered an infinitesimally small fraction of the time. The restaurant's interior is cosy and charming, dark and candlelit. It borders on being romantic, but doesn't take itself so seriously that it'll dissuade diners who aren't coming in as a couple. Its location is central, but not -in- the city centre. A mere handful of minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Briggate and Leeds' shopping meccas, one can readily walk to this bistro, but it's offset enough to deter the masses. And during the early evening hours (I believe from opening time until 2000 the night we visited), you can take advantage of their 2-course, 3-course, or 3-course and a half bottle of wine offers for between £17-25; it's a bargain, no matter how you slice it. The only thing that's absolutely excessive is the portion size for each of the dishes. My salad with rich, hearty bacon chunks and a perfectly poached egg on top was enough to sate my hunger. Then, when the cassoulet main arrived, I got -maybe- halfway through it before deciding I was completely stuffed. The cassoulet (featuring duck leg, sausage, -and- pork loin) was hearty and richly flavoured. By itself, it was a monstrous serving. That's ignoring the delightfully piped and plated potato mash, carrot mash, and mounded broccoli. From start to finish, I couldn't think of a single thing to improve about the experience. Kendells was readily the most noteworthy dining experience I've had in Leeds yet, and ranks highly amongst any gastronomic adventure I've embarked upon throughout Europe, generally!

if you go here, make sure you try the Supreme de Volialle L`Estragon. It's a really lovely dish…read morethat is part of the tea time menu. As they state 'Everything stops for tea.' The menu is priced at £21.95 - if you include half a bottle of wine into the menu (which of course, you will!) and you can pick from starters like, Gratin Lyonnaise, Saumon Marine A' la Aneth and Pate Maison. The mains consist of; Porc Boulangere, Confit Du Canard, Saumon en Croute and the likes. One of the best parts is of course dessert...pick from Petit Pot au Chocolate, Tarte aux Citron, Creme Brulee and Fromage. Nobody does Creme Brulee like the French so I'd recommend this! This is a great place to go before going to the theatre to see a show or even just to kick back and relax after a hard week.