Pin, Leeds

Located on Dock Street, Pin is part of the small but expanding Leeds Brewery group of pubs and bars. I stopped off on a mini pub crawl with a mate on Saturday, and after a pint of Leeds Pale we decided to stay on and sample the food.

The menu is a concise list of pub grub staples. There are various sandwiches on offer, as well as sausages, burgers, fish and chips and the like. We both opted for the Pin burger with added cheese (£10).

The burger was made from good quality beef, quite coarsely minced. It was thick, juicy, well seasoned and retained just a hint of pink in the middle. I'd have liked it pinker, I know this isn't too everyones taste with a burger but it would be good if they asked how you'd like it cooked. The bun was just right, soft and yielding but holding its shape despite all the beefy juices. The inclusion of gem lettuce, roast tomato and cheddar kept things nice and simple (I'm not a big fan of some of the more outlandish burger additions out there. Guacamole for example. Just wrong). I didn't really see the point in the beetroot relish though, it just tasted of chopped up boiled beetroot. Nothing unpleasant, it just needed something acidic to give it a lift.

The chips were lovely, perfectly crisp on the outside with soft fluffy insides. They reminded me of home made chips, a rare treat. (I don't own a chip pan or deep fat fryer these days. If I did I'd accidentally use it every day). The side salad was largely irrelevant, but was at least dressed.

We also shared a very interesting beer, a large bottle of Gyle 479 (£8). This is a limited edition beer brewed by Leeds Brewery and then aged in Islay whisky casks. It's a sweet, rich, quite malty beer with a really quite pronounced whisky aftertaste, sort of smoky and earthy. Lovely stuff, and well worth seeking out. Just remember to drink it like wine, sipped from small glasses. You don't want to be necking pints of the stuff at 8% alcohol.

I rather like Pin. The food was good, and service was great. They serve drinks as well as food to your table, which is always a pleasant change in this country, and makes for a lovely, relaxed atmosphere. I'd probably rate the food a seven, but for the friendly service, good drinks and general all round pleasurable vibe I'm going to give them an eight. A great place to while away a couple of hours.

8/10

Pin
24 Dock Street
Leeds
LS10 1JF

http://www.pinleeds.co.uk/