Brown Cow And Dragon
TIME was when an old-fashioned punch-up was as likely to be served up as a good meal at an east Leeds pub.
How times have changed then - at least at Whitkirk's Brown Cow, where you will find no fisticuffs and lots of fine dining.
For this well-known old Leeds boozer has undergone a radical transformation from taproom to Thai restaurant. It was clearly either a culinary genius or utter madman who came up with the concept. But against all the odds, it actually works really, really well.
From the minute you pull into the spacious car park, it's clear to see that part of that is down to the amount of cash that has been lavished on the revamp. Nothing has been skimped.
Outside, the imposing frontage been re-rendered in gleaming white and there's a cute decked terrace area for outside drinking (weather permitting).
In the main bar area, it's light, airy and welcoming, with comfy seats and sofas and an inviting long bar.It is upstairs, though, where the majority of the money seems to have been spent. The restaurant is more of an homage to Thailand than an exact replica of a backstreet Bangkok eatery - and it's none the worse for that.
Dark wooden floors, aubergine and turquoise walls, heavy wood tables and damask-patterned wallpaper and seating combine to make for a plush and distinctly upmarket Oriental dining feel. Style And thankfully, it is not a case of style over substance. It was a shame, then, that when we arrived to sample the fare, there were not more people also partaking.
It was a sparsely-populated restaurant that greeted us on a Sunday afternoon (the waiter assured us it was much busier in the evenings), but no matter, as it meant we got a great window table where we could watch the world go by. We were quickly presented with menus and we ordered drinks - a couple of bottles of favourite Thai brew Singha to start with. With over a hundred dishes to choose from the perusing was going to take some time. The Dragon brands itself as a Thai restaurant, but like most of its counterparts, it actually offers cuisine from across the Far East.
To start with we selected the recommended Royal Platter for two (£8.95) - a selection of spare ribs, spring rolls, chicken satay, dim sum and spicy Thai fishcakes. It sounds like a lot, but the portion has been pitched perfectly to give you the chance to try a tasty morsel of each, without leaving your stomach groaning before the main puts in an appearance.
The spare ribs were melt-in-the-mouth tender (even if they were that strange red colour which can only be replicated by Oriental restaurants - what do they put in that sauce?) and the chicken satay was delicately spiced with a hint of kaffir lime.
The spring rolls were flaky and moreish and the dim sum deliciously moist. My only minor complaint would lie with the fishcakes, which seemed to have been in the pan a little longer than strictly necessary, but a good all-round starter and excellent value, too.
For mains, it was on to Malaysia and Indonesia. I opted for the rendang dagig (£7.95), a Malaysian beef curry, and jasmine Thai rice (£2.45) which was the pick of the day. Served in a little crock-pot, the beef was slow-cooked until it could be cut with a spoon and topped with a coconut, lemongrass and red curry sauce.
Delicious hardly describes it.
My partner went for the Indonesian classic nasi goreng (£6.50), a fried rice dish with egg, chicken, prawns and vegetables.
Chef Though the dish was exactly as described and perfectly pleasant, in truth my partner was left a little underwhelmed. It was nothing special - though, probably a bad menu selection rather than a reflection of the chef.
In total, with drinks, our bill came to a modest £38 though you can spend considerably more if you wish. The restaurant also specialises in set menus, called 'feasts' which seem to offer a mini mountain of food from £16 to £25 a head - great if you are having a party or celebrating a special occasion.
The Dragon also offers a takeaway service if you live locally, which sadly Oliver does not. But what's a journey to Whitkirk when you'd probably have to go as far as Kuala Lumpur for a better beef rendang?
