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The Ox Club Leeds and a special meat feast…

timbarber


I had heard lots of good things about a restaurant called Ox Club in Leeds. The clue being in the name was that it was a mecca for meat. I had added the restaurant to a list of places I wanted to visit so last year for my birthday present, my kids bought me a voucher to put towards a meal at Ox Club.

 

It was obviously a popular place as whenever I tried to book, there were no free tables online. Eventually, I booked a slot months ahead for 6pm on a Thursday night three weeks after Christmas. In the meantime I managed to get a date for a long awaited hip replacement 10 days prior to my booking. I thought about cancelling the booking, but thought as the restaurant was on the ground floor of the Headrow House building, as long as I could get in a car it might be the perfect thing for me to look forward to post op. I was so glad I did.

 

The restaurant itself has been open since 2016, gradually building up a fine reputation and winning many awards. It’s just part of the Headrow House complex situated in a former textile mill on the Headrow. They have won many awards since opening and whilst not having a Star or a Plate, they are mentioned favourably in the Michelin Guide as well as the Good Food Guide.

 


Ox Club describe themselves as being a “Contemporary British solid-fuel grill restaurant showcasing the best of Yorkshire produce”. Their menu being full of simple but imaginative dishes that change daily depending on the seasonal produce available to suppliers. They are proud champions of local and regional producers with their meat supplied by small family-run farms in North Yorkshire including Swaledale Foods and R&J Butchers, fish sourced in the North Sea by Hodgson’s of Hartlepool and fresh fruit and veg from Wellocks. Their most recent list of suppliers is proudly displayed on a chalk board near the open kitchen.

 



We were dropped on the Headrow and walked through the archway to Headrow House. For anyone who has known Leeds centre over the years, it used to be the entrance to a very dodgy bar called Big Lil’s which was an experience in its own right for all the wrong reasons!

 

Right in side the doorway to the left was a neon fluorescent sign saying Ox Club – well that was easy to find.

 

We arrived and as I had been in contact in advance to check about accessibility, they had kindly seated us on a table on the upper level so I didn’t have to cope with a couple of steps – a nice touch. The place had a lovey vibe, tables of twos and fours, in a couple of rooms where the exposed bricks had been painted white. There were plants and palms dotted around and some eclectic artworks hanging up. There was a nice hum of chatter, laughter coming from the kitchen staff, obviously enjoying their work and around the walls piles of dried wood or British charcoal for later use on the grill.

 


The white tiled kitchen was open to view and the solid fuel grill imported from the USA, flaming away with various meats being raised or lowered towards the flames to use the smoke and heat to cook.

 

We were given the drinks menu and ordered smoked margaritas. These were well made and served in a chunky crystal salt rimmed glass.

 

Our waiter showed us the food menu and talked us through it, recommending the Venison Kofta for starters. He also suggested some crispy pig tails as snacks with our cocktails, but as we had already spotted a 1kg Cote de Boeuf, we were worried about getting too full too soon.



My wife decided to skip a starter but I went with the waiters suggestion. The Venison kofta was made with venison supplied by the Harewood House estate. It was tender and very low fat, with a cherry glaze giving it a sweet and sour flavour. It was served on a really tasty flatbread. Very interesting and perhaps more filling than I needed.

 

The starter combined a very rustic cooking style with bold flavours which I am a fan of.

 


We do not eat a lot of red meat at home, but there are sometimes when out and about that steak is a wonderful treat. As the Ox Club had built up its reputation for its meat and the meal was a belated treat we decided (without too much prevarication), to treat ourselves so ordered the 1Kg Cote de Boeuf, with salsa verde and a peppercorn sauce. We ordered a portion of Koffman fries and a portion of winter leaves, beetroot and walnut with a citrus dressing to share. We were pre-warned that it may take 40 minutes or more to cook.

 

We could see our piece of meat being raised up and down on the grill, by expert grill masters. We ordered a bottle of the house red wine whilst we waited. It was a Les Coteaux Cote du Rhone Villages at just over £30. This was a fruity brambly wine with a touch of spice, we knew after the first sip that it would go perfectly with the grilled beef.

 


The Cote de Boeuf finally came and as it was delivered to the table – we both said wow. I looked perfectly cooked, pink inside with a fatty layer to help add an intense flavour. We tucked in and whilst we thought we may need to order extra fries or sides as we ate, there was plenty enough. We worked our way through the massive platter full, but well before the end had both reached our red meat limit for the night.



Interestingly, I had never heard of Koffman fries and the waiter explained they were named after a famous chef called Pierre Koffman.  Apparently the fries are double blanched, dusted in a mix of light spices, fried and then quickly frozen until required. I have to admit, they were good, really crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy inside.

 

One of the waitresses collected the remaining meat and bagged it up for us to take home for a very lucky black Labrador who was going to share in our very special treat!

 

My wife ordered a peppermint tea to aid her with digestion and insisted that she was too full for a dessert, but I had the urge for something intensely sweet. Of the three desert choices of burnt Basque cheesecake, baked Alaska and panna cotta, I went for the buttermilk panna cotta with Yorkshire rhubarb.

 


It didn’t take long for the dessert to come and the waitress had taken it upon herself to bring two spoons, as she said “just in case”, looking at my wife. The dessert was lovely, the rhubarb intensely sweet and a lovely creamy perfectly formed panna cotta. Perhaps my only criticism was that having been supplied an extra spoon I had to share!!!!

 


The whole experience at Ox Club was great and just what I had needed on my road to recovery after my first week of post hip op cabin fever spent locked at home. Great food, lovely staff and a quirky setting. Plus we were also in for a surprise when the bill came, because as well as taking off the voucher from my kids, there was an extra 25% removed as a January mid-week offer we hadn’t been aware of in advance – result!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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About Me

I'm Tim Barber and since 2015 I have been running Real Yorkshire Tours - offering chauffeur guided small group tours for visitors to Yorkshire..

 

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