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Est Est Est - Cookridge

"Est Est Est in Cookridge has just been completely refurbished, so we thought we’d go along and check out their new look and their new menu.

I’ve never been to either of the Est Est Est restaurants in Leeds, but was certainly impressed. The interior was indeed warmer and more homely as promised. The bar area now looks more like a separate bar, with comfy chairs and cosy booths - a great place for either a pre-meal drink or for a night out in itself. For those of us who don’t like the town centre’s noisy, crowded pubs this could be a welcome alternative. There is also a good bar menu of snacks and coffees – a bit of civilised European style in Leeds at last!

The restaurant itself is quite spacious; with a raised area (great view of the ‘theatre kitchen’ and pizza chef!), conservatory and outdoor eating area. The warm colours, brick walls and artwork really create a pleasant place to spend an evening. The atmosphere was laid back and comfortable, with a range of different people eating and quite a few families. Children are well catered for, with a ‘create your own pizza’ menu, their own chef’s hat and colouring-in – which seemed to be keeping them all happy. The music was both pleasant and unobtrusive – adding to the atmosphere without forcing you to shout across the table as I have experienced elsewhere.

I’m no gastronome, but I know good, fresh food when I taste it and I can honestly say that this was one of the best meals I’ve had in Leeds. The portions were good, but small enough so that you could manage three courses. For starters we shared calamari, which were beautiful and not too chewy, and roasted red peppers with mozarella and rocket salad – delicious. I washed this down with the pleasant house white. As a vegetarian there was a decent choice of interesting main courses (non-fishy as well), I went for the "Wild Mushroom Paparedelle" which was fresh and extremely tasty, with a lovely rich sauce which didn’t smother it. My friend had "Fillet Beef Rossini" which he found succulent and equally tasty. For pudding I had poached pears, which although possibly nicer warm were really good, especially the berry sauce. The chocolate pudding was even better (why is someone else’s sweet always so much nicer?!) – very chocolatey indeed!

All the food was beautifully served on big white dishes, fancy enough to be a treat without going over the top. The prices were reasonable and the range means you could splash out, or have a good meal for two for about £30. The service was also excellent – friendly and efficient without being too obtrusive and our waitress remembered our order without writing it down.

We lingered for a coffee and a chat with the manager before finally heading off home – feeling pleasantly full and very relaxed. Thankyou Est Est Est for a lovely evening, and especially to the manager Faris and his staff who were really friendly" - Catherine Tonge

Check out the Est Est Est menu etc at www.estestest.co.uk