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Tuesday 14 May 2013

Nosh Up North...

Over the past month I have been introduced to restaurants in both Leeds and Manchester that have given even some of my London favourites a run for their money... So guess what? I'm going to share them with you...!

First up The Arts Cafe in Leeds. I was up visiting my gorgeous and favourite uni couple, Lauren and Mark, a few weeks ago and we decided to treat ourselves to a lazy Saturday brunch. Off we trotted to Call Lane to devour as much freshly squeezed orange juice, eggs and coffee as humanly possible. The interior of the restaurant is bright and minimalistic but with a quirky artistic twist ... adorning the space is local art which diners can purchase right off the wall beside them. I personally didn't quite get some of the pieces, but one actually got snapped up whilst we were there - a sketch of a pug angel! My favourite was a hungry bear who, fresh from his weekly shop in Morrison's, was laden down with shopping bags ... I told you - a little strange! But the restaurant is called the Arts Cafe so if art wasn't present it would be strange in itself... 




Anyway, moving swiftly onto food - my favourite subject! I opted for the warm chorizo and potato salad with dressed spinach and soft poached egg - 100% delish! 


The perfect spot to set you up for a Saturday shopping spree in the Victoria Quarters. 

The Arts Cafe
42 Call Lane, 
Leeds,
LS1 6DT
0113 243 8243

Next stop... Manchester for a bite at Australasia, a restaurant specialising in modern Australian cuisine combined with Pacific Rim flavours... what does that mean? Well we had sushi, if that makes things any clearer?! Confused by the cuisine description maybe, but there's no denying that this place is spot on in every other way... from its novelty mini Louvre pyramid entrance at street level...


...to its white, exposed brick and glossy underground interior...


...to the achingly cool menus...



...to the heart stoppingly good food! We opted for the 14 piece mixed sushi and sashimi selection and a bottle of sauvignon blanc...


And if all of that wasn't enough, Australasia also provides the prefect platform for people watching. A mixed bag of diners from casual couples enjoying a light lunch to family catch ups to girly glamorous brunch groups. The best however sat right next to us - two Liverpudlians on a date, she was wearing a tighter than tight white Lycra backless dress (may I add that it was 2pm in the afternoon...) coupled with 6 inch gold sparkly wedges and long platinum blonde hair which had been straightened to within an inch of its life. He was suited and booted in a 3-piece with enough gel in his hair to rival Ross from Friends! Sadly they sat down just as we were paying up or I would have been glued to them throughout their meal!

All in all a sure winner - a definite hot spot if you take a trip up North anytime soon.

Australasia 
1, The Avenue
Spinningfields
Manchester
M3 3AP
0161 831 0288

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