Livebait
YOU know the feeling: you’re off to
somewhere you very much like and
your pace quickens with the
anticipation. I felt this way as we
approached Livebait for a return visit.
Somewhat hidden away in a courtyard off The Calls,
the restaurant is one of four Livebaits in the UK. In
case you’re worried about fish stocks and that sort
of thing, this restaurant only serves seafood that is
ethically sourced, in
line with Marine
Conservation Society
rules.
As we stepped inside from the damp winter
night, we found a very
pleasing welcoming
aura about the place.
The walls are covered
in fish market-like black and white tiles, with rich
deep green wooden décor and plain brickwork.
We were seated in the cosy waiting area and
ordered a bottle of Vin de Pays d'Oc, from the La
Campagne Viognier 2008/9 (£19.50). It was dry but
sweet, almost like champagne without the bubbles.
We were shown to a cosy corner in the dining area
and started work on the bread – lovely with the plain
butter and especially the anchovy butter.
I once had whitebait as a starter on holiday in Cyprus
and just loved it – tiny things in crispy batter that you
eat whole. I ordered the same dish here (£5.95) and
my first impressions were how beautifully presented
they were – in a dish with a lining of greaseproof
paper, folded quite artistically. They were (as the
menu describes all the food here) cooked to
perfection.My dining partner chose the crab and potato cakes
with dill mayonnaise (£7.25), which received good
reports.
Soft and warm with lots of crab, just like
they should be.
For main course, after scanning the menu, my
choice was made almost immediately – Cornish
sardines.
Now, many folk associate these wonderful
creations with stuff you might get in tins (would you
compare tuna or salmon likewise? Of course not).
Celeb chef Rick Stein raves about these things, as
do people in the Mediterranean.
Just because they are cheap (£10.50 in this case)
doesn’t mean they are inferior, just more plentiful. I
had mine with parsley mash (included in the price)
and minted mushy peas (£2.25) and the whole
thing worked beautifully.
The sardines were so crisp and delicious and I’d go
so far as to say it was one of the best dishes I’ve
ever tasted. I asked the waitress if they were a
popular choice and she said “hmmm... not
particularly”. Maybe the humble opinion of this
writer may change that, who knows.
In fact, I enjoyed the sardines and whitebait so
much that on future visits to fish restaurants, I will
probably become one of those tedious people who
have the same thing over and over again.
My partner, meanwhile, was expertly cracking, and
extracting meat from her half Nova Scotia lobster
(£22.50), the price of which included chips and
salad.
She said the lobster was a decent size and it came
with a set of crackers, a lobster fork, empty bowl
for the shells and a fingertip bowl to wash in. The
tail meat was slightly chewy but it tasted good.
The
crackers helped to break into the claws and get all
that juicy, soft meat. It was delicious.
The salad was good – just a selection of greens and
spinach. Her only criticism was that the fries were a
little cold on the inside.
For dessert, I had the three cheese selection (one
cheddar, one brie and one stilton) with wheat and
charcoal biscuits (£7.50), which were very light and
tasty.
My partner had the sticky toffee pudding with
vanilla dairy ice cream and banana (£5.50). She
said the pudding was huge and very hot, but very
moist. The ice cream was delicious, with the
banana cut up into warm slices and sat in a puddle
of caramelised sugar – all very decadent.
The service was very good and would have attained
the five-star award had it not been for the water I
ordered not being brought the first time.
We were
attended to by three different staff, all crisply
dressed, knowledgeable and friendly.
And the slightly cold fries were the only difference
between four and five stars for food. So, close... so
maybe next time.
| FACTFILE | |
| Tel: 0113 244 4144 Shears Yard, The Calls,, Leeds, LS2 7EY. | |
| STAR RATING | |
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