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By happy accident I have discovered one of the best value lunch deals in Leeds at £8.95 for two superb courses. Less happily, it cost me substantially more.
My Plan A was to visit a restaurant which had been on my To Do List for a long time and, as it was participating in the Eat Leeds scheme offering three courses for £15, I thought that I would give it a go. When I looked more closely at their website I saw that they normally do a special lunch menu so there was no point in reviewing a deal which will end in a couple of weeks’ time. As I was due to go to Leeds Grand Theatre I thought that I would ask Mick Jagger if he would consider whacking Roger McGuinn and David Crosby, thus killing two Byrds with one Stone. 1960s joke!
I trawled through the list of places which don’t have a dedicated offer at midday and House of Fu looked to be just the thing so, as it is just around the corner from the Grand in Headrow House, I booked a table for one at 5.00pm. I don’t use the name Stan Graham when I book just in case the place in question recognises it, I am flattered to admit that has happened before. I rolled up at 4.45, early as usual, and was escorted to a table smack in front of the counter. I think that it might have been to save the waiting staff from having too far to walk as there was only one other party in the place.
The decor is what might be called industrial pretty, with concrete pillar and wood beamed ceiling from which hangs macrame plant pot holders. The furniture is tubular steel, wood and pink, very pink!
The menu doubles as a table mat but, as I had perused it before I booked I knew what I wanted, and that was the Yuzu Chicken Ramen. It consists of Chicken Broth, Sapporo Noodles, Chicken Chashu, Yuzu, Roast Tomato, Spring Onion, Egg and Nori. £12. I was shown the drinks menu and opted for House of Fu Kombucha at £2.50. I didn’t want anything alcoholic and, as this was home made it was the obvious choice. It is made with strawberry, watermelon and mint mixed with their own kombucha culture. It looks very Delboy and has a distinctive taste. I thought that I detected a hit of ginger but couldn’t be sure, it had an ingredient which I have had before but couldn’t place. Whatever it was it was certainly refreshing.
Now that I had my drink I thought that I would read the other leaflet which was in the menu holder on the table and that is when I saw it !!!!!!!!!!
I confirmed with the waiter that the deal was, in fact, two dishes from the normal menu for £8.95. This really left me with no choice but to order a portion of Gyoza so that I could do a proper review. I opted for the Gyoza of the week which turned out to be Ox Cheek and Water Chestnut. £5.
Because of the staggered ordering, the dishes arrived some time apart, which was not a bad thing.
I must say that the ramen was superb. The broth had a good flavour to it rather than the weak stuff you sometimes get which has obviously only been used as a liquid to cook the noodles, in this case also perfectly done. The egg was also perfectly cooked, having a yolk which had just set but still had a little runniness to it. The tomato had been slightly charred when roasting to intensify the flavour giving yet another dimension to the dish. The nori (seaweed) was decoratively placed on the side of the bowl and was – well – nori. Finally to the thick discs of chicken chashu which were wonderfully succulent. Chicken chashu is rolled thigh fried, braised in soy sauce and left to marinate. It was excellent.
Just as I was seeing off the last of the broth my Gyoza arrived. There were six pieces and once again, the flavour was intense. Gyoza are small pancakes which are filled, in this case with ox cheek and water chestnut, and then pan fried but only on one side. Water is then added to the pan which is then covered allowing the parcels to steam, cooking not only the filling, but also the other side. These were fried a bit darker than ones I have had before and, as with the tomatoes in the ramen, the charring had intensified the flavour and accentuated the difference in texture of the two sides even more. There was an accompanying dip of soy sauce.
I declined the invitation to order dessert as the portions meant that I had no room, although the thought of an ice cream sandwich was rather appealing. I doubt it was the block of vanilla between two wafers which I enjoyed as a kid.
I must say that I really enjoyed my meal, and the service was also excellent from all those who served me. Sadly though, the taste which was left in my mouth was not as pleasant as it could have been had I known that by arriving an hour or so earlier I would have saved myself just over £8. I have double and triple checked House of Fu website, twitter and instagram pages and nowhere is the lunch deal mentioned. Because of this lack of customer service I will only be awarding three stars instead of the four it would otherwise have got.
All photographs by Stan Graham
Lunch in Leeds with Stan Graham 