Fishy going ons (Livebait (Leeds))

Member Name: wastingtime

Product:	Livebait (Leeds)
Date:	09/10/08 (168 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic shellfish

Disadvantages: Bit pricey

First and foremost, Livebait is a seafood restaurant in the centre of Leeds that I found to be truly wonderful, I have only been the once, so the review might be a little bit scarce compared to some of my others.

I was looking at going someone a little different one night in Leeds, and this is only a five minute walk from my flat in the city centre, after giving the menu a thoroughly good looking over we decided to enter.

The first thing you notice is just how different it is inside from how you expected externally, you go down a flight of stairs and immediately you are hit with this big open space, in a lovely rustic setting. Big fridges with a vast array of fish type foods are the only thing modern that you will see. It is a dark setting, so I would suggest that this is more a place for the couples amongst you rather than going for a cheeky meal with friends.

The reason I have not been back again is I adore my shellfish, and when I go back I want to do it right, pre-ordering my lobster or crab and making sure that even though it will cost a fortune I will have a truly delightful meal! Please note, this is not a cheap restaurant but the qaulity is fantastic.

For a starter I had a Crab gratin ''Thermidor'', finished with brandy and topped with melted cheese. Served with warm French bread and fresh lemon. As soon as I read this on the menu I was blown away by the idea, sometimes you are stuck between a couple of items, not me however I was straight in for the kill on this one - I can tell you that it was £8.95 but beautiful. It was worth every penny, deeply rich but full in flavour and I was very upset when it was gone.

For my main I had 6 Madagascan crevettes with mayonnaise
or grilled with garlic butter, I believe I went for the grilled option, I am always wary or odering prawns or crevettes as sometimes they are just a big dissapointment, either you don't get the qauntity you would like and you are left feeling lied to, or the qaulity isn't there and you just get a bland meal, I am pleased to say however that this was neither, they were a beautiful size and perfectly cooked so that they were full of flavour. These set me back £9.95 which for a main course I think it very fair, however I then had to order some side vegetables as the main was literally just the crevettes themselves, still this only boosted the price by another few pounds.

If I went again though and budget was not an issue then I would go for the platter, Canadian Lobster, Whitby crab, shell on prawns, brown shrimps, and Madagascan crevettes - all of my favourite shellfish types, however this will set you back either £36.90 for one or £65.00 for two. But how beautiful does it sound?

I had a cheese platter to finish off at the end, and that was probably just being greedy, but it was nice to see some thought had gone into this as well, it wasn't your usual cheddars it was beautifully strong cheeses of all different colours and smells, and with a coffee it rounded off the meal perfectly.

The menu is divine, please go to the bottom of the review to see a it, as a massive shell fish eater, it would be my last meal I cannot recomment this place highly enough. The only thing you must remember though is that if you are going to go down, then for a couple of you with a bottle of wine be prepared for it to hit £150 or so. I would certainly go again as I think it's one of the best seafood restaurants Ive been to in any country!


http://www.livebaitleeds.5pm.co.uk/menus.cfm

Summary: If it is possible for you to go, take the opportunity!