Following my post back in February regarding James Martin's new restaurant at Alea casino I thought it would be nice after a lazy Good Friday to see if all the hype was worth it.
With it recently opening I decided best to book, getting through was easy and spoke to someone straight away, unfortunately I had left it a little late to get the time we wanted but they managed to reserve me a table at 6pm. After a few details for the booking system I received confirmation via email together with a copy of the menu which I thought was a nice touch.
On arrival you need to give your name at the entrance to the casino and once inside The Leeds Kitchen is the first thing you come to. We were given the choice of having a drink at the bar or being seated at the table, we choose the latter.
We were swiftly brought some warm bread with salted and unsalted butter to nibble on whilst we perused the menu. Our drinks arrived fast and were given the choice of iced tap water which the glasses were regularly topped up throughout the meal.
My partner chose Cod and monkfish collops in a vodka and tonic batter cooked in beef dripping with watercress and tartar sauce (£6.75) to start. I struggled to decide between two dishes to which the waitress enquired which they were and give her informed choice. I opted for the Course chicken liver terrine with Black Ale mustard (£6.50). Whilst waiting in anticipation for the starters the waitress brought to the table a wooden tray containing the 3 iconic British accompaniments, Sarsons malt vinegar, HP sauce and Heinz tomato ketchup. The starters came out of the kitchen fast and fresh, both looked lovely. The chicken liver terrine was served with two warm slices of thick crisp toast tucked between a warm napkin and a small quaint jar of Black Ale mustard. The batter on the cod and monkfish was very light and crisp with the tartness of the the tartar sauce complimenting it well. It seamed a popular choice as most tables seamed to order the dish.
We are both suckers for bellypork so when we saw it on the menu we knew we didn't have to look at anything else and chose the Cured and slow-braised Robinson pork belly with seared scallops and apple (£18.50), with sides Roast leeks with brioche and cheese (£3.25) and Chips (£3.25). Thinking about how hartey the dishes the Yorkshire chef cooks on his TV series and Saturday Kitchen I was a little disappointed when presented with one of my favorite meats. The portion size I felt was a little small verging on a taster menu size. 
We still had room for a desert my partner chose the Cox's apple custard tart with Yorkshire clotted cream (£5.75) and I went for my favorite Classic sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce (£5.75). Unfortunately the sticky toffee pudding didn't taste as good as it looked with the sauce tasted bitter and treacly.
The bill came to just over £80 which included a few drinks each. All in all its a lovely restaurant with attentive staff, I just can't help feeling a little disappointed and let down especially compared to some of its competition.
4 The Boulevard
Clarence Dock
Leeds
LS10 1PZ
Reservation Bookings: 0113 341 3202
Website
Opening Times
Monday to Saturday 6pm - 11pm
Sunday 12pm - 3pm
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