Bavette – a wonderful authentic French restaurant in Horsforth

It’s not often a restaurant in Leeds gets reviewed in the Sunday Times and receives a 5 star review, let alone a little neighbourhood bistro in an out of town suburb. But quite recently Camilla Long from the publication visited with her husband on a stop over as she headed further up North and gave Bavette a glowing review!

Long stated in her piece that Bavette was a “a bit horny”, whatever that means in the context of a bistro and also said “This restaurant could only be more authentically French if it was run by hookers or resentful, silent elderly men!”, but she absolutely loved it and raved about the food.

I finally got round to visiting Bavette which I had already heard lots about and everything good. I had booked a table a couple of months ago before Camilla Long’s piece and it was already difficult to find a table as word about the bistro’s hospitality had spread. So, when I arrived it was no surprise to find the restaurant full.

Even before getting seated, there was a lovely feel to the place, with the buzz of friendly chatter combined with that of an open kitchen and we found the green décor calming and simple.

The story behind Bavette is all about two friends, Sandy Jarvis and Clement Cousin, who worked together in a top London Bistro and shared a passion for great food and wine. They decided to go it alone and set up their own bistro and bring together everything they loved about a restaurant.

They moved back to Sandy’s home city of Leeds and set about creating their kitchen with the Yorkshireman manning the kitchen and Clement running the warm, engaging front of house. The pair recently described Bavette as “a love letter to our favourite places”. Horsforth was chosen as a location as rents were much lower than Leeds and they had set their hearts on a more local, neighbourhood approach.

They only opened in 2024, but that year were listed in The Good Food Guide as the Best UK Local Restaurant. Then in 2025 the restaurant made the Michelin Guide, receiving the coveted Michelin Bib Gourmand in recognition of their classic high quality Gallic food combined with its good value.

The menu unsurprisingly consists of seasonal French classics, and Leeds has been crying out for this since the closure of La Grillade many years ago. The menu was not overwhelming in terms of choice but I could have honestly eaten anything off the menu.

After being seated I ordered a French Negroni and my wife a glass of champagne as an aperitif as well as a portion of Comti Cheese Croquettes. Apparently the French Negroni differs from the traditional Negroni by including cognac too. It was just what was needed after a busy week.

The cheese croquettes were tasty and the rich, sweet cheese came through with the snacks.

For starters my wife ordered the Yorkshire Asparagus with Hollandaise Tartlet. Bavette very much offer a seasonal menu and as I know from my raised beds at home – asparagus season is well and truly underway. She is not a massive fan of hollandaise sauce but the small portion served in a tartlet with crumbly French pastry was a hit and worked well with the local asparagus.

I went for the Trout Rillette. This was served with some green watercress mousse and a small soda bread. It was a great choice, the trout was mixed with pickled cucumber and served much coarser than a pate so there was still some of the fish’s texture. It was a big hit with me and the combination of serving the freshly baked bread and the mousse added to the dish.

For the main course both myself and my wife went for the 8oz Bavette a l’Echalote steak, with frites and mixed leaf salad. The salad was served with a mustard dressing. This was the signature dish and whilst I was also tempted by the Herb crusted lamb saddle and the Butter poached brill, I stuck with my original choice.

The Bavette steak which gave the restaurant its name is also known as “the butchers cut” or a “sirloin flap”. The French often describe the cut as “the butchers best kept secret”. Coming from the flank of the cow, it is long and flat in shape and is more flavoursome than many leaner steaks. The fact it is a cheaper cut, adds to the value vibe which helped Bavette win its Bib Gourmand.

Our waitress explained how the steak is cooked quickly over a high heat so it maintains much of its flavour. There is plenty of marbling on the cut and this adds to the flavour. She explained how with a Bavette steak, once cooked it is rested for 5-7 minutes before being sliced against the grain.

It was served in a sauce and was really, melt in your mouth tender.

The chips were tasty, my only slight criticism would have been I would have preferred traditional thin authentic French fries.

We shared a bottle of Les Bardets, a lovely flavoursome French red with a mix of grapes which was the perfect accompaniment to the steak.

The desserts such as Paris Breast and Crème Brulee sounded fantastic, but as I was pretty full, I finished off with a small scoop of Prune and Armagnac ice cream. This was the perfect sweet treat end to our meal.

In summary, even with wine the meal wasn’t ridiculously expensive. We felt we understood what all the fuss had been about – an authentic bistro doing things well, keeping it relatively simple but with outstanding food, a really happy friendly vibe and excellent service. I am sure we will be back.