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The Piazza by Anthony


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Thank you David for your brilliant research on scottf's past comments! Maybe he is the only person aloud to moan about bad experiences at restaurants.And Gary you would say what you did,your great friends with the Flinns aren't you? personal show rounds and all?

So are you suggesting Gary was lying because of his friendship with the Flinns (based entirely on knowing them through their restaurants)? That he, actually, has hated everything he's eaten at the Piazza and is secretly on their payroll?

The only comment I can see he addressed directly to you was about the bouncers. Given the proximity to xmas, and the state of Leeds city centre on Friday FightNights, its an entirely sensible move to employ them.

I had a dreadful experience at The Waterside. It doesn't mean I refuse to accept other people have good experiences there.

It no longer exists, but it was lovely.

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Ate with 3 friends last night and was knocked out by the place.

lovely conversion job of the downstairs floor and the 'starry' roof is just beautiful.

food was excellent, the value is stunning. The four of us shared three starters - braised pig cheek, ham hock terrine and a chatrcuteria and cheese plate. the 2 cheese portions were a bit on the wee side and one slightly dry but that was the only quibble. Very good light breads with the charcuterie and as a separate side order.

I chose the spit roast chicken which was comforting and well seasoned with a nicely crispy/unctuous skin but ended up pinching lots of my companions black spaghetti with roast baby squid and garlic. The creamy sauce is well balanced and moreish. The others had a big and moist pork chop with fondant potato and apple and a halibut chunk too large to finish, with a clam chowder.

Great puddings, good choice of ice creams, creme brulee with a ball of rum and raisin ice cream on the side got good reviews but winner was the chocolate melting pot: a pot of warm chocolate sauce with a variety of things to dip; marshmallows, fruit, brownies, cake, cantucci biscuits, more chocolate. This was more than enough for 2, beautifully presented and a steal at £4.50.

Got through a couple of bottles of reasonable house white and afterwards were relaxed and enjoying the place so moved to the comfy seats of the bar. The staff were all good and thoughtful but the guy running the bar was very impressive in his knowledge of cocktails (something I have found pretty rare in Leeds). Very good the cocktails were too - and reasonably priced whiskies with single malts at pub prices.

Definitely planning on making this a regular destination - would be good for client lunches, particularly in these straightened times as could do 2 courses and a bottle of wine for 2 for just over £40.

Last, worked out the heating thing - sit on the bench seats around the borders of the restaurant as these are (a) sheltered from draughts by high backs and (b) have heaters underneath. seating in the centre is more exposed - but I guess that if the place is sufficiently full that all bench tables are full and they start infilling from the centre, there wil be sufficient warmth generated by the punters to make it cosy.

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Thank you David for your brilliant research on scottf's past comments! Maybe he is the only person aloud to moan about bad experiences at restaurants.And Gary you would say what you did,your great friends with the Flinns aren't you? personal show rounds and all?

well it's going to be fun in the vincents david when scott comes up in the new year :laugh:

scott is right though, with restaurants there are always quibbles or things of personal taste that will always vary from person to person but a raw fish is a raw fish and the only thing to do with that is let them know, not gripe about it afterwards.

and charles i'd love to be on the payroll of all the places i like but unfortunatley the truth is much less exciting, please feel free to ignore my thoughts as biased if you wish, but i think i've eaten enough serious meals in the last 15 years to have a pretty good idea of what's what.

and with that i'd better get ready to go to the star at harome, i know them too so that's another post you don't have to read :laugh:

you don't win friends with salad

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well it's going to be  fun in the vincents david when scott comes up in the new year :laugh:

scott is right though, with restaurants there are always quibbles or things of personal taste that will always vary from person to person but a raw fish is a raw fish and the only thing to do with that is let them know, not gripe about it afterwards.

and charles i'd love to be on the payroll of all the places i like but unfortunatley the truth is much less exciting, please feel free to ignore my thoughts as biased if you wish, but i think i've eaten enough serious meals in the last 15 years to have a pretty good idea of what's what.

and with that i'd better get ready to go to the star at harome, i know them too so that's another post you don't have to read  :laugh:

Gary

i agreed with Scott that the first thing anybody should do is communicate ones issues with the management team.

my further comments were simply that this forum is here to share experiences good or bad and it is for each individual to form their own judgement on what is being said based on previous posts from the poster.

What i dont understand having read your posts is why did you plump for a Mcdo

when i am sure there were plenty of good quality Kebab shops open? :raz:

(ok , i admit i hit mcdo on the way back to the hotel)

Scott no offense was intended and if you are in the Vinnies in the New Year i'm the very slim young lad with ginger hair.

Oh if you are going to key my car mine is a silver porsche that i let Sarah drive :biggrin:

Merry Christmas, I'm off to Burgundy on Friday

david

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Not sure if its common knowledge already but...

I emailed anthonys the other day enquiring about getting some food chemicals in smaller amounts from his large orders from MSK, to which the answer was no, because they will be opening an Aroma shop at the piazza in 2009, apparently selling some chemicals (I mentioned maltodextrin and gellan. Inteeeeresting.

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Not sure if its common knowledge already but...

I emailed anthonys the other day enquiring about getting some food chemicals in smaller amounts from his large orders from MSK, to which the answer was no, because they will be opening an Aroma shop at the piazza in 2009, apparently selling some chemicals (I mentioned maltodextrin and gellan. Inteeeeresting.

Do you cook with that sort of stuff at home Calum?

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and charles i'd love to be on the payroll of all the places i like but unfortunatley the truth is much less exciting, please feel free to ignore my thoughts as biased if you wish, but i think i've eaten enough serious meals in the last 15 years to have a pretty good idea of what's what.

and with that i'd better get ready to go to the star at harome, i know them too so that's another post you don't have to read :laugh:

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Not sure if its common knowledge already but...

I emailed anthonys the other day enquiring about getting some food chemicals in smaller amounts from his large orders from MSK, to which the answer was no, because they will be opening an Aroma shop at the piazza in 2009, apparently selling some chemicals (I mentioned maltodextrin and gellan. Inteeeeresting.

Do you cook with that sort of stuff at home Calum?

I've used a few before, samples from MSK and fortune of finding xanthan in Tesco, but the main reason I dont use them more is because i can't get them. Even then, i'd only be using it for fun, nothing too day to day serious.

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We stopped in on the way through Leeds. It is a very impressive building and looks like it could be the basis for a very, very good food operation. It was a bit tricky to find as it is in the "Corn Exchange" so asking locals for directions to The Piazza wasn't that successful - I recomend a visit.

We didn't want to eat so went for a coffee and a cake. Our experience illustrates one of the challenges of running a large place like this i.e. getting quality staff. We had hoped for a good coffee given the impressive set-up and obvious care that has gone into the place. However, as usual the milk was overheated, the ratio of milk to coffee was wrong, and far too foamy i.e. not correctly textured. The muffins look truly impressive but the server at the counter had no idea what was in them (important as I have a walnut allergy) which was a little disappointing and meant we didn't try them.

We wandered around the shops after coffee: the cheese room looks good although quite empty (hopefully a good sign that the good people of Leeds ate a lot of cheese at Christmas): the chocolate and fudge section had some really interesting flavours including curry and cumin (the cumin fudge was good): even though it was a Sunday a baker was working hard to turn out some fresh foccacia and Anthony was hard at work making more muffins, they are really innovative including a spotted dick and custard one. I imagine the restaurant and bar area works really well on a busy lunchtime or evening, it looks pretty stylish.

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Tony in positive michelin comment shocker!

http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/viamichelin/g...0Flinn?from=UNE

Interesting, I didnt realise michelin would be giving such press to a place like this.

Was surprised to see "molecular gastronomy" used in the article, I thought michelin writers would have been aware to the hatred for the phrase by now.

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Tried out some fudge and another muffin today. Cumin fudge is incredible, big fan of that. The texture of the fudge is great and the cumin is strong enough and comes in at the right time. The green olive fudge however was awful, couldn't stand it. I absolutely love olives of all kind, but in the fudge it just doesnt work for me. I've just tried it again while writing this, mellowed my opinion a little, but its still not a good combo for me. I understand that green olives and white chocolate are supposed to go together, and is a combination anthony uses/has used at the restaurant, maybe i need to try it in a plated dessert context.

Apple strusel muffin was OK, lacked apple flavour but a decent topping and good textured muffin. Friend had a chocolate chip muffin, no better than any he has had before according to him, and while i didn't try it, i could easily agree having had the double chocolate one a while ago. Incidentally, he couldn't stand either fudges, but hes a bit more conservative with food than me. He probably won't visit anthonys again particularly but then hes not really into food as such.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Got up to the Piazza the other day. What a fabulous design and building. If anybody was to slate the place, then I really think it would be a case of 'get a life'! Nice, tasty simple fare at great prices. Enjoyed a pork chop rib and a stunningly good Bakewell muffin. Worth going for the muffins alone! Hope it gets the support it deserves.

Had a good chin wag with the two Tony's about it all. Wish I had a dad like Tony senior! Chef Tony was still spitting blood that he'd been overlooked again by Michelin, which he tried to play down but obviously its bugging the shite out of him. Like his dad said, how many michelin starred chefs have what he has?.

Anyway if your in or around Leeds, then go, just don't mention the little red book!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Should have posted this earlier- but we too had a lovely meal a few weeks back. I was swayed by the black pasta, baby squid and garlic cream dish to start after what Gary wrote about it here. Followed by the roast chicken for me and mackerel and beetroot risotto for the missus. Star dish though was the Pork Rib chop my Mother in Law opted for. Thankfully she has the appetite of a mouse at lunchtime and so I hoovered the lot up. Saucing was perfect through out the meal, and I did mention a little pot of gravy would not have gone a miss with the chicken, but Tony said it should have been offered, so it was a tiny abberation. We also had a cracking Viognier - which was less that £17.

As mentioned, it really is a stunning space inside and I especially loved the little units circling the restaurant, where you can buy cheeses, pastries etc. Good to have a quick chat an tour with both the Tony's. These chaps work so hard and deserve their success and yes, Tony Sr is indeed an incredibly helpful top bloke.

It will however be a cold day in hell before I drive back into Leeds. I would like to meet the sadistic bastard who designed its oneway system.

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It will however be a cold day in hell before I drive back into Leeds. I would like to meet the sadistic bastard who designed its oneway system.

that's why when we moved offices, i chose one as close to the motorway as possible! They change the system every few years, i have no idea how to drive to most of the town centre nowadays and i've been working in leeds for 12 years.

you don't win friends with salad

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You say that- but every car journey I have done to Leeds has been fraught, yet every train journey has been rather relaxed.

They seem to have it right in W Yorks- add to that- the small town of Halifax (10 minutes drive or 5 on the train) is, quite incredibly, just about to get a high speed link to London. A mere 2 hours and 40 minutes apparently! No excuse not to get to Hibiscus a tad more often now. :smile:

But of course - if you live in the wilds of North Yorkshire - you are screwed. :wink:

Back on topic now.......( oh, and please get that lunch organised Marshall)

Edited by Bapi (log)
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You say that- but every car journey I have done to Leeds has been fraught, yet every train journey has been rather relaxed.

They seem to have it right in W Yorks- add to that- the small town of Halifax (10 minutes drive or 5 on the train) is, quite incredibly, just about to get a high speed link to London. A mere 2 hours and 40 minutes apparently! No excuse not to get to Hibiscus a tad more often now.  :smile:

But of course - if you live in the wilds of North Yorkshire - you are screwed. :wink:

Back on topic now.......( oh, and please get that lunch organised Marshall)

howden station 10 mins from my house, london in 2.20 , cheap tickets too (but then caviar is cheap compared to current east coast mainline tickets)

you don't win friends with salad

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  • 2 weeks later...

Looks like Jay enjoyed the piazza too....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/200...-exchange-leeds

got a text this morning from a mate who'd got fed up in where they were dining last night and went to the piazza for desserts , coffees etc, said it was v busy, tony snr said over 200 covers so doing very nicely for february. Word is definitely spreading locally, and this in context of a city where virtually everyone else has an offer on at the moment.

you don't win friends with salad

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