Ox Club
Hidden down a side alley from the busy city centre of Leeds, away from the plethora of chain restaurants & bars, is Headrow House. It’s so well hidden, that even my dining companions were unaware of it’s presence despite being locals in the area.
Headrow House is a unique building, formerly a textile mill, which hosts art & music events, containing four floors: a beer hall, roof terrace, and an award winning independent restaurant, Ox Club.
After opening in December 2016, Ox Club has remarkably been mentioned in both the Michelin and Good Food Guide every year since 2017.
Before entering the restaurant we had a drink in their bustling bar (beer hall) next door. The restaurant itself is classy, yet relaxed and ‘hip’ (I’m getting old enough to use these terms now). The kitchen is open, with an elevated bar gazing directly upon it. Their wood-grilled main dishes are cooked on an imported Grillworks grill, which is 1 of only 3 in the UK.
They rely on local & regional producers: meat is supplied by small family-run farms in North Yorkshire, Swaledale Foods and R&J Butchers. Fish is sourced in the North Sea and provided by Hodgson Fish, fresh fruit & veg from Wellocks.
The menu is small, seasonal, and innovative. It includes vegetarian options, and some show stopping rib of beef & cote de boeuf dishes on the mains.
I’ll always order an oyster as a 1st course snack, if they are available, and this evening was no exception.
Cumbrae (an island in Western Scotland) oysters, with a pickled ginger granita & rhubarb mignonette (£4).
The freshness punched me in the mouth. The ginger slightly overpowered the rhubarb, though this was not a bad thing in the slightest. I’ve had the pleasure of supping fantastic oysters at Heaneys & The Heathcock in Cardiff, and this was undoubtedly in the same league.
Starters followed the oysters:
Grilled sardines in a rhubarb & seaweed broth with pickled radish (£11) were the highlight of some excellent dishes.
The broth was deep, rich, sweet, and vibrant in appearance. This dish comprised of relatively simplistic seasonal ingredients, elevated to dizzying heights by the execution.
There were more fantastic & vibrant flavours in the monkfish cheek carpaccio with blood orange, sesame & sea herbs (£9). This plate was comparable to a ceviche, consisting of raw cured white fish immersed in citrus juices.
The vegetarian option came in the form of coal roast calcots with pistachio & pumpkin seed romesco and sheep curd (£8).
More seasonal produce used with the green onions, which were topped with crumbly cheese and dollops of the pistachio & pumpkin romesco.
This dish was tasty, though the pistachio was a little overwhelming. Worth noting this was a great portion size too.
After being thoroughly impressed by the starters, the best was supposedly yet to come, as we had ordered the main show stopper on the menu.
A 1kg Highland cote de boeuf with a ‘selection of sauces’ (£95).
Note: The Roscoff onions were added as a request.
As some may know, I prefer my beef to contain a little fat to add flavour. The side of beef was a pure joy: thick, tender, medium rare, rib bone discarded to the side. Just as it should be.
Not cheap, but a real treat. And we all need those every once in a while!
Let’s talk about those accompanying sauces.
The jug of peppercorn was pleasant, as was the herby & minty green salsa verde.
The ramekin of ‘house butter’ was the main talking point of the entire meal, and the pinnacle of everything that entered my mouth. This seems preposterous when you consider we had a 1kg cote de boeuf before us. Please do not think this is a disservice to that wonderful cut! It’s a homage to the craft of the butter. Lathering this over the cutlets of beef was exquisite.
Containing black garlic, pink peppercorns, soy, honey, Hendersons relish and fennel seeds, amongst several other things - I was amazed there was not meat fat included to achieve the rich flavour.
To incorporate some carbs, we ordered a side of crispy heritage potatoes with wild garlic mayo (£6.50). They were slightly lacking in the ‘crispy’ department, especially as they were so differential in sizes. The wild garlic mayo provided yet more vibrant, seasonal & punchy flavours.
The vegetarian option of coal roast cauliflower, grilled alexanders (wild greens), pecorino, and wild mushroom (£28) was again a healthy portion size. Though I must admit, I didn’t get a chance to try much from being too engrossed in the other dish. Our vegetarian diner enjoyed the dish, but did not eulogise about it.
How do you possibly follow these acts? With a baked Alaska, of course.
Or to be more precise: a Pedro Ximenez sherry baked Alaska with caramelised white chocolate ganache & a tonka sponge (£7.50).
The layers of a sweet, nutty, vanilla like tonka sponge base, cold ice cream filling, all encased by a baked white chocolate ganache.
The construction of these desserts never cease to amaze me.
We were also kindly brought the other dessert on the menu, despite not ordering. This would be a good time to introduce the member of staff who looked after us all evening, Dique.
Dique was an absolute credit to both their employer & the hospitality industry. Polite, insightful, generous, and happy to go the extra mile by obtaining a list of the house butter ingredients from the chef, yet not being overly-attentive or intrusive. Thank you so much for being so brilliant at your craft!
The other dessert presented was a burnt Basque cheesecake with Hay poached Yorkshire rhubarb. Yet another nod towards the local & seasonal produce that Ox Club prides itself on.
The contrast between the creamy cheesecake with a bitter topping and sharpness of the rhubarb were a perfect marriage. So good that I’m going to make my own today!
Our food was washed down with two bottles of white wine which was a real beauty. Didn’t get a snap of the wine list!
This evening was special in more ways than one.
Each course provided moments which I run out of superlatives to describe. Everything that happens in this restaurant feels well orchestrated. The wait times between courses were co-ordinated excellently, giving the impression of a well-oiled machine.
If you’re ever looking for somewhere to eat in this area, get booked in at Ox Club.