The Gatehouse
VISITOR centre restaurants shouldn’t be good. They’re perfunctory, nothing special. They serve a purpose which is somewhere to grab a cup of tea and, at a culinary push, maybe a prawn mayonnaise baguette wrapped in clingfilm.
At first site The Gatehouse doesn’t look like it’s going to be vastly different either.
Sure it’s a beautiful set of rooms overlooking the grassy verge and riverside walks surrounding Kirkstall Abbey, but it still has that municipal ambience to it. Get ‘em in, get ‘em fed and watered.
Even the menu itself is nothing too inspirational, if only because they’ve concentrated on basics which can be spectacularly plain or, in this case, just plain spectacular.
Because what chef Tom Bell has done is actually cook food from scratch and put some care and attention into the preparation and taste.
I had a beef pie, my dining partner a vegetable bake, but both were celestial - packed with flavour and huge chunks of salient ingredients.
We were blown away, not just because we didn’t see this coming but because you’ll struggle to find food this good anywhere. I expected to close my eyes, open them again and find I wasn’t in a visitor’s centre but no, there I was - stuffed, delirious and amazed.
This is the kind of kitchen which is created AFTER Gordon Ramsay has come in to troubleshoot somewhere which has oodles of potential but little to show for it.
The Michelin-starred chef couldn’t improve on this place because what they already do is what he would advise any flagging eaterie to do - and that’s produce a small number of basic dishes with something a little bit special. Fresh ingredients, traditional recipes and tasty twists.
And it’s all dirt cheap, fantastic value for money and those views would make any other restaurateur instantly turn green.
It still feels like a visitors centre cafe but that’s unavoidable. Still, considering this is a council-run venture the food here is remarkable, far better than many a restaurant which likes to promote itself as special, but is nothing of the sort.
The team behind this place should be very proud of themselves; they’ve created something which fans of good, honest grub have been longing for for years - and here it is, on a plate.
Rating: 5/5
