The location

Stockdales is a wonderfully simple and yet complex place. They make incredible dishes with innovative flavour combinations, but do it all in a way that screams “we are Yorkshire!” This Yorkshire mentality comes through in the generous portions, the down to earth nature of all the staff, and the classic comfortability of the decor. Stepping into the restaurant the warmth of the welcome is just as strong as the heating. The staff are genuinely excited to welcome you into the building, and host you as if you were family visiting their home. If you’ve visited Stockdales before, you know this to be true. If you haven’t already been, you’re going to be welcomed into a whole new world of dining and service

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The promise

This Eat Leeds week, Stockdales are making their menu more accessible than ever, offering three courses and a drink for £30*. The selection on offer are the restaurant’s favourite dishes on their current menu, so no matter what you choose, you know that you’re in for something great. If you can’t decide what you want, just ask for advice! The knowledgeable staff love talking about the dishes they serve because they’ve tried it all, and they want you to try it too.

*Drinks available: glass of house wine, beer or soft drink.

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The menu

For starters, you have the choice between:

  • cornfed chicken terrine with pineapple, curry and quail egg
  • Jerusalem artichoke soup, with chestnut and truffle oil
  • treacle cured salmon, ruby grapefruit and avocado

The flavours for all of these dishes are intense, and having to choose one dish as opposed to trying all three is kind of a blessing. This way, you don’t become saturated on flavours, you’re not immediately full, you can face your next course. You’ll be very glad of this, especially considering the options you have for mains…

So, which will you choose out of these next three dishes?

  • 8oz beef fillet, bone marrow crumb, heritage beetroots, pomme anna
  • butternut squash risotto, sage, pumpkin oil
  • roast halibut, cauliflower, pickled grapes, shrimp Butter

Despite the fact that Stockdales is an incredible steak house, our personal favourite out of these three dishes is the butternut squash risotto! The taste is bright and more-ish, you get through the plate all too quickly and you’ll never understand how your plate was empty quite so quickly. With that said, you can never go wrong with a fillet steak, and the roast halibut is simply to die for. All of these dishes are classic with a twist, and this is why we love Stockdales. The experience your palate goes through is warm and familiar and yet always new. Pickled grapes juxtapose against the smooth taste of the fish, and the dryness of the sage makes the butternut squash that much creamier. Your mains will fill you up and satisfy every bit of hunger you have, but there’s still dessert to come…

And, if you don’t have room for dessert, make some. You won’t be sorry.

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One final course

  • Sticky toffee pudding, salted caramel, vanilla ice cream
  • Apple tart tartin, clotted cream ice cream
  • Dark chocolate mousse, blood orange and cardamom

If the sound of those desserts don’t have you salivating, I’m not sure we can be friends… Of course we can be friends. We just love these puddings and it momentarily clouds our judgement. Which is kind of the entire point, all of these desserts carry you away from the world around you and focus your mind on the taste experience you’re immersed in. That’s what great desserts do. We were lucky enough to try all of these, and somehow, the rich tart tartin was the lightest option. The dark chocolate mousse is heavy and rich, as for the sticky toffee pudding? Well, that was our absolute favourite.

You can’t fault the sticky toffee pudding in all it’s huge, warm glory. The ice cream slowly drips down the sides as it is placed in front of you, then the delectably sweet aroma hits you. Your spoon slides through the sponge and you have a perfect bite ahead of you. We can’t remember much after that, it was just too good.

The verdict

Book your table now. Trust us and do it, it’s an experience you’ll never forget.

By Parker, Restaurants of Leeds Share this story