A stopover in Leeds for a gig with a few beers in a mixture of pubs and bars, which with some decent food to be had made for an enjoyable time predominantly wandering around a former edgy part of the city....
I caught the train over to Leeds from Halifax, arriving in the city just before 5.30. I popped in to one of the several drinking places close by, the Friends of Ham on New Station Street, which is currently not in the Good Beer Guide but to me these days is always worth a visit and its inclusion or not is probably more down to the level of competition to be found in the city these days. It was fairly quiet, being a Monday, with just a few tables occupied by people enjoying a post-work and/or a pre-train drink. I went for a pint of the 4% Hamthology pale ale, a collaboration between the bar and local brewery Anthology, which was a very pleasant beer in excellent condition (NBSS 3.5). I spent an enjoyable 20 minutes here before my mind turned to checking in to my hotel and then sorting out some food.
I was staying at the Travelodge on Vicar Lane, not somewhere I'd stopped before, which was about 10 minutes walk away. Checked in, bag dropped off, and a quick change later I was back out on the search for food. Less than 100 yards away in this area of the city which has a very Oriental feel to it with its restaurants and supermarkets, I came to Zapp Thai at the bottom of Grand Arcade, where they sell street food in a lively and friendly setting which, although having never been there, made me feel I could be in the back streets of Bangkok. A spicy dish of Pad Ga Prao, stir-fried minced pork with basil and chillies served with jasmine rice, washed down with a pint of Singha beer, hit the spot wonderfully without breaking the bank. The staff were friendly and attentive, and if you are looking for a quick bite to eat, I can highly recommend calling in here.
I caught an Uber then to the Brudenell Social Club in Hyde Park, where I was seeing New York's Been Stellar supported by Cork-based band Cardinals. The place was busy when we arrived, not surprising because in the main room singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka was doing a couple of recently-arranged shows to promote his latest album. My gig was in the smaller Community Room, which is nonetheless still a decent-sized space. I was ushered through, and with no hand pumps on the bar in there I went a pint of Kirkstall Virtuous on keg. Here I refused to join the linear queue which is a phenomenon that has sprung up since lockdown and instead went up to the bar, letting a couple in the queue get served before me as they had been there before me. It reminded me that I had seen a great photo recently explaining bar queue etiquette which explained how to queue simply and logically.
I wandered through to the other bar where I was served a pint of the cask 5.2% Malborough from Anthology, having queued in the traditional way. The beer was great, but served in the gig-requisite plastic glass held it back (NBSS 3). The bands were both very good. Cardinals, yet another band to come out of Ireland, play a captivating brand of indie music with an underlying mystical, almost spiritual feel blending traditional Irish music, dreamy shoegaze, and early REM, and it is easy to see why this young band who have recently released their first EP are picking up so many positive reviews. Been Stellar have been around for a few years now, but following the release of their debut album Scream from New York earlier this year they have gained a wider audience, and their mix of shoegaze with the rockier sounds of fellow New York bands like Interpol and The Strokes went down very well with the crowd.
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| Some great music at the Brudenell; above are Cardinals |
After the gig, I got an Uber back into the city centre, where I was dropped off by my hotel. I headed across the road to catch last orders at the Templar, finding that this classic city centre pub was still quite busy. I ordered a pint of Ossett Silver King (NBSS 3), checked through my gig photos as I drunk it, and then I was back over the road to the hotel. I was back a little over 12 hours later after checking out for my first pint of the day - this time a pint of Tetleys (NBSS 3), which was not expensive but a little more than the special Monday price of £2.30 I'd paid the night before. It had just gone 12, and in the bright morning sunshine I was able to appreciate the pub's wonderful green and cream exterior tiling with etched signage and leaded windows dating back to former owners Melbourne. The pub is Grade II-listed pub with attractive wood-panelling and many traditional features throughout. And at this early hour it was already busy with a generally older crowd catching up with their mates in what feels very much like a local's pub.
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| The Templar: a Leeds classic |
I'd decided to get myself lost in the streets in and around Vicar Lane, Kirkgate Market, Leeds Minster, and the Corn Exchange. This was a distinctly edgy part of the city until fairly recently, but with the coming of the new John Lewis store and many of the old warehouses and old buildings now lovingly restored as apartments or hubs for creatives and other small businesses, there is a pleasant feel as you wander around the streets and alleyways here, which was enhanced by the day's bright sunshine. My first plan was to call in to Wapentake, a pleasant cafe bar on Kirkgate, but the closed sign said it doesn't open on Tuesdays. Never mind, I carried on down past the Duck & Drake under the railway bridge towards the Minster where on one side was the Lamb & Flag.
This lovely brick-built pub dates from the 19th century and was formerly run by Leeds Brewery until their demise, when the small pub estate was acquired by Camerons and the beers were taken on by Kirkstall. With its mullioned windows, interior featuring exposed brickwork and timbers, wooden floors and fittings it is one of the most attractive pubs in the city. It was not very busy when I walked in, but I had to wait to get served as a couple of ladies of a certain age were ordering food, drinks, and paying separately as is often the way. I ordered a pint of Kirkstall Three Swords, missing out on the few Leeds beers that were amongst the 8 hand pumps on the bar, and took it to a corner table at the side of the door facing the bar. A decent pint without being stunning (NBSS 3), A group of guys who I took to be work colleagues came in for beers and food, their joking and bantering breaking out regularly, but it took nothing away from what was a very pleasant half hour in a beautiful pub.
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| The bar at the Lamb & Flag, Leeds |
I finished my pint and then it was back up Kirkgate to the afore-mentioned Duck & Drake (opening image). By any measure this is one of the city's finest pubs; a venerable Victorian drinking den which has retained the name given to the former Brougham Arms when it became part of Jim Wright's Fighting Cock group of pubs in the late 1980's. At that time I lived in the city and the D & D was a regular haunt, and I have to say it hasn't changed much in appearance since those days, with wooden floorboards throughout the pub and many original features. I went in to the room to the left of the side entrance where a stage in the left hand corner hosts regular live music. Along the walls is bench seating with tables and stools in front, leaving by and large a large open area to enable punters to stand and watch the music. The bar is on the right just as you go in, featuring several hand pumps selling up to 15 beers, which from reading the board above the bar was a veritable who's who of exclusively Yorkshire beers. So there were beers from Taylors, Theakstons, Ossett, Wilde Child, Roosters, Vocation, Kirkstall, etc. etc.
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| Beer board and bar ephemera at the Duck & Drake |
But it was none of those that I went for. Instead I opted for a pint of Blonde from Yorkshire Heart, whose beers seem to be popping up on more bars these days. I have to say that this 3.9% beer was in absolute tip-top condition, cool, refreshing, delicious, and well-balanced, and definitely the best beer of the trip (NBSS 4). But it is what you'd expect from a pub whose Wi-fi password according to a sign above the till is Drinkmorebeer and whose customers this sunny Tuesday afternoon were generally the older kind who've probably been coming here for years. A pleasant-mannered guy of indeterminate age walked in with several voluminous bags of shopping, which he hung on a couple of hooks in the bar front. He maintained a constant conversation with himself but would break off to chat to the heavily-bearded barman, myself, or anyone passing by, and then return to his ongoing soliloquy. And I am sure I recognised him from years ago, not exactly sure where, but from one of the old drinking pubs of Leeds. I'd enjoyed my beer that much I got another half, but then it was time to move on, having had a most enjoyable time here at this cracking pub.
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| The Duck & Drake |
It was literally just around the corner to the next place, on Harper Street, which I thought I'd not visited before, but when I walked in to the Crowd of Favours I was pretty sure I had been in when, like the Lamb & Flag, it was part of the small estate owned by Leeds Brewery. This pleasant bar is now run by Camerons, and with its low ceilings, nooks and crannies, and quirky decor, it manages to convey quite an intimate atmosphere despite the large windows running along the front of the pub. The central bar has a number of hand pumps selling predominantly Leeds brewery beers, but there was also at least 3 of them given over to selling Lilleys draught cider. I ordered a half of Leeds Best, which was just about ok (NBSS 2.5), but I did enjoy the pleasant vibe of the place.
Now the next place, and the final one I'd earmarked, was one I had definitely not been in before. In fact. the White Cloth Hall has only been open for about 3 months. It is situated on Crown Street near the rear of the Corn Exchange, and is a Grade II-listed building dating from 1775 which was originally a market hall for cloth traders. It has been attractively restored and features a number of different areas within. Go to the right if you want cocktails, but if not, head to the left where you will discover a bar with 4 hand pumps and a number of keg lines along with a number of different food outlets. Unlike other similar ventures like say Mackie Mayor there is quite a relaxed and intimate atmosphere helped by the building's layout. Although I suppose the true test will be a busy weekend, not mid-afternoon on a Tuesday! From the cask beers on offer, I went for a half of the Northern Rising Unity Stout, a 4.4% collab between Taylors and Northern Monk, a delicious dark beer with chocolate notes and a rich mouthfeel (NBSS 3.5) which was my second favourite beer of the trip.
And that would have been it, a fine way in which to conclude my visit to the city, but with a little time to kill I popped into Friends of Ham for a final half before the getting the train home. Here I got a half of the 3.4% Blueberry/Raspberry Waterbeach Weisse from sour beer specialists Pastore which was very refreshing (although quite pricey). And with that, with the light starting to fade, it was on to the station to catch the train home and bring the curtain down on an excellent visit to Leeds....
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