My birthday meal with my fiance! We had a perfect intimate evening together. A little less English…read morethan I expected but all in all a great place. A bottle of champagne to go with our meals. I had the special Salmon risotto and it was fantastic. My fiance has a peppered steak as he was craving manly meat. We then shared a bakewell tart served with Ice Cream at the end of the meal. I had eaten more than enough food but enjoyed every bite. The ambiance was great and the staff was friendly.

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!

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.

Since I first wrote, the people at French Living have evidently decided to stop doing the light…read morelunches for which I so loved the place. Coffee, then a more formal, more expensive lunch menu are now the order of the day. Still good, if you want to sit down for a while and eat authentic French food done well, but the quick, cafe-style baguettes and salads are gone.

I used to bring my children here, or Punchinellos when it was around!, when we had saved up to have…read morea meal in town as a special treat! At that time you had to go downstairs which they both loved! I recently went for an eveing meal with two friends who had never been. We had lovely food truly French, seasonal and Bistrot, not pretentious or Anglicised. The wine was lovely though we didn't drink a lot! And the service was excellent with a nice balance of attention and without over intrusion. the best bit was the look on my friends faces when they saw the bill!!! Very funny! xx

3/3/17 - Booked for 12 noon…read more We arrived a bit early by 15 minutes, and found someone, but was quite brusquely told that they didn't open until 12 noon. I said we hadn't got anywhere else to go as visiting Leicester for another purpose, and could we just take a seat and wait. Well, the door would have been closed if it hadn't been for maintenance work being carried out, we were told...... Not a good start. However, sat at a table for two.... Just mention that we've visited Bistrot Pierre several times in Birmingham, and also in Torquay, so we are somewhat "anciens patrons". Plus several stamps on the loyalty card.. So what did we have? Initial drinks: 175ml - Dry white wine for my wife - £3.95 Becks Blue for me - £2.95 Presented with some warm bread and (unsalted) butter - FOC. My wife had two courses - £10.95 Starter Pate & Chicken/Truffle Main I had three courses - £16.95 Whitebait for the starter with a garlic mayonnaise - Plenty of whitebait. The rump steak main (a supplement of £3.95) - which I found to be rather tough and grisly. (Also ordered a glass of 175ml Malbec - £6.50) Sweet - Crème Brulee - Which is always good. My wife felt that the ambiance of the Birmingham restaurant is better. Staff were friendly that eventually served us (not the person who greeted us). The food came at a steady pace. All reasonably priced menu. Wines can be a bit pricey. Turns out to be my son's favourite restaurant in Leicester.

A very good and well priced French restaurant in central Leicester, located just up the road from…read morethe Town Hall Square. Menu is fairly mainstream, but food is well prepared, and it offers an extremely well priced Menu Gastronomique typically two evenings per month. The service has always been very good, and deserves particular commendation for the willingness to adapt even the notionally fixed Menu Gastronomique if dinners have particular needs.

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.

Probably my new favorite place to eat when I'm in York. The Cheateaubriand dairy cow steak here may…read morebe the most tender steak I've ever had, and I've had a lot of steaks in a lot of countries. I am rarely this impressed by steak quality outside of the US. And the wine list! Orin Swift (the famous maker of Papillon), Stag's Leap, and lots of lesser known but still excellent brands from around the world. This is going to be my first stop next time I'm in York. My only comment -- but maybe this is just from an American used to farm-to-table food -- is that just like everywhere else in England, I wish there were fewer fried things and more vegetables on the menu (although the tomato side salad was amazing). Still the freshest, most farm-to-table type of meal I've had in York.

After two different people recommended this restaurant, we thought we would definitely try it. We…read morearrived at 5:30, the first customers of the evening. Waitstaff were very attentive and friendly. Hubby ordered onion rings which were hand battered and delicious. I ordered cod and vegetable risotto which were fine but not remarkable. Broccolini with blue cheese sauce barely had any blue cheese or sauce and was hard, not cooked really much at all. I left half of the serving. We had bread pudding for dessert which was also okay. I didn't find the seasoning of the food to be adequate and maybe salt and pepper on the table would have helped this. By the time our food came out, the waitstaff was busy so I didn't have a ready opportunity to ask for salt. And should I have to ask? This place has a charming interior but i'd suggest drinks here, not dinner.

Very friendly run restaurant. Welcome dogs as long as they well behaved. Excellent choice of food…read morefor all ages. Recommend the Hot Chocolate fudge cake with Ice Cream ;)

i had the 3 course for 22.95 , the Calamari was perfect , the entree was a Steak Fritte , very…read moresatisfying and the dessert was Toffee Pudding and that was incredible. Absolutely great value for money in a great atmosphere.

Consistently fabulous French bistro. It's part of a (small) chain - with another venue in…read moreNottingham but you'd never guess it from the standard of the food. The pre-theatre and lunch deals mean you can get a delicious three course meal for a lot less than a tenner - and I have yet to be disappointed. The menu changes regularly and there are a limited number of choices, but it's soooooo good! My favourite is the bread and butter pudding. Staff are friendly, helpful and professional - service is prompt without feeling rushed. Decor is quite rustic and simple - wooden floorboards etc. Toilets leave a bit to be desired, but otherwise it's top knotch.

What a delightful evening at the Bronze Pig, we arrived at 7pm to be politely met and given our…read morechoice of table, then to be told that there was no rush as the table was ours for the night, so relax and enjoy yourselves. The food was not complex but exquisitely done, with subtle flavours to savour. A good wine selection and knowledgeable staff to help you through the choices if required. We booked 6 weeks in advance to ensure getting a table on the night of our choice, all booked and confirmed efficiently through the web site and email.

From the owner: Please note on our opening times - the close is for last orders at lunch, not for closure.read more