The Tiled Hall Cafe, Leeds Art Gallery

Yesterday afternoon I spent a couple of hours exploring central Leeds, just generally wandering around some of the more forgotten corners to see what I might find. I stumbled across an Ethiopian Restaurant in the very forgotten corner that is the Merrion Centre market. A quick googling swiftly put paid to my thinking I might have discovered a hidden gem, as it's actually rather well documented. I'll be back to try it at some point.

My best discovery of the day (at least it was a discovery to me) was in a place that is busy, bustling and not the least bit forgotten. The Tiled Hall in Leeds Art Gallery is the original reading room of the adjacent library, restored to it's former glory and put to wonderful use as a cafe.

Photo credit: bethmadethis

What a wonderful space. I really can't think of a better spot to while away an hour or two in Leeds. Unfortunately the food didn't really match up to the surroundings. I opted for the daily hot special, beef stew served with a crusty roll.

The stew was just rather dull. The stock base was watery and lacked flavour, it needed something, anything to give it some depth (bones, onions, wine, mustard, more browning of the meat, worcester sauce - any of these would have been an improvement). The beef itself was a bit dry and chewy, but the vegetables were nicely cooked. It was also a very meagre portion, at seven pounds overpriced by at least a couple of quid. The bread was freshly baked, but almost certainly from a bulk freezer pack of part-baked rolls.

A shame really, as the room is genuinely lovely. I would recommend a visit for coffee and cakes, or perhaps a glass of wine.


5/10

The Tiled Hall Cafe
Leeds Art Gallery
The Headrow
Leeds
LS1 3AA

http://www.leeds.gov.uk/artgallery/leeds_art_gallery/the_tiled_hall.aspx