I’ve come to despise the term “gastropub”. For a start, the “gastro-“ prefix sounds dreadfully icky (calling more readily to mind stomach bugs and bands than it does appetising foodstuffs). But, perhaps more importantly, it’s moved on from its original definition (a pub serving high-end restaurant standard food) to mean something more like “you might find goat’s cheese and houmous on our menu, and we’ve put a dollop of mustard in the mash, but it’s all still a bit crappy”.
There are few pubs in Leeds truly worth the “gastro-“ prefix in it’s original sense, but Town Hall Tavern is without a shadow of a doubt one of them. A true success story of a refurb, it re-opened with a pop last spring under the helm of Keighley-based Timothy Taylors.
On Wednesday I made my third or fourth trip for dinner here, and am pleased to report that the quality of the place seems to be a constant. A small but perfectly formed selection of casks on the bar includes three ever-present Timothy Taylor brews (which you can have as a trio of taster portions if you wish, a nice touch). There’s a decent and reasonably priced wine list too, with some smart pairings suggested on the menus.
The menu itself is busy, with something for all occasions. The Yorkshire tapas style Pick & Mix section is an excellent idea. Classic snacks get a gourmet twist with items like the Pig’s Cheek Scotch egg or the Black Pudding and Chicken Samosa all coming in around a couple of quid, definitely good value as bar snacks. Then there’s an all day sandwich and light bites menu, as well as your classic pub grub and some more upmarket selections like the Plate of Yorkshire Pork, Slow Roast Shoulder of Dales Lamb (with an intriguing Tartare Jus).
I went in for the Pie n Mash – a simple-sounding beast from the “Home Comforts” section of the menu. This was, though, no ordinary pie – shortcrust pastry sides, deeply savoury chunks of tender venison inside, and a piped dollop of mash on top. Lovely stuff.
The star of the show, though, and in fact the element of the meal that prompted me to write this review, was the pudding. Oh, the pudding. My giddy, giddy, giddy aunt – the pudding. I almost went without, then one of my dining companions made a last minute play for the dark chocolate and Ram Tam brownie. I followed suit, not wanting to get pudding envy. This may have been the best decision of my life (I barely exaggerate).
So. It came out, looking lovely but unassuming – a dark, sticky brownie with a dollop of salted caramel mousse on top, flanked by a stick of white chocolate and a dollop of malted milk sorbet. In the moment of contemplation that ensued, we noticed that the plates were making a noise – was that…? Yes! A mouthful of malted milk sorbet revealed that it was nestling atop a hidden bed of popping candy – a clever trick leading to a heady first mouthful.
Then came the first mouthful of brownie and mousse. The soft, yielding brownie, just the right side of gooey, with bitter chocolate, deep maltiness and bitter hops from the ale. The mouth-filling mousse, creamy and salty and sweet with a hint of burnt caramel. Instant pudding delirium ensued, swiftly followed by the thudding realisation that it would soon have to end. No portion could be big enough with textures and flavours married so perfectly – utterly stunning stuff.
So Town Hall Tavern gets a resounding thumbs-up. And that pudding – that PUDDING – is all you need to know about the stellar potential of their head chef Anton Scoones. It might not be in the list of must-try Leeds pub eateries that trips off the tongue just yet, but mark my words – this unassuming little spot will be topping the list very soon.