A Tale Of Two Bars
Apr. 30th, 2015 10:10 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lupestripeOne of the advantages of living in a large city is that there are always new places to visit and restaurants/pubs to try, both in the centre and in the suburbs. Often it's possible to stumble across such a place completely by accident, which is effectively what happened to us on Sunday once Nineleaves and Kunzai left (or as Wolfie kept saying, humourlessly, Nineleft).
To get home from Roundhay, such are the buses, we had to stop off at the city centre so with the time barely at 6pm, we decided to go to The Wardrobe bar, a place to which I hadn't been. On the way, we noticed a new Italian off license which also had a bar inside it called Ipsum Vinoteca. Before going to The Wardrobe, we called in and noticed they had a range of over 300 different Italian wines and 25 Italian craft beer. What drew our attention was the poster for an Italian craft beer festival in the window, which is due to take place in May. Fantastically, the bar specializes in importing lesser-known Italian craft beers and so none of the range we had seen before. We also got chatting to the kindly Italian man behind the serving area and we vowed to come back after sampling a beer at The Wardrobe.
We were also looking for food and had intended to cook at home, however the food in both The Wardrobe and Ipsum Vinoteca looked too good to turn down. We called at the former but the place was largely dead and only really carried a handful of craft beers - with the faded deliberately battered decor very much a hipster's delight. The place was pleasant enough but the authentic obscure Italian craft beers were calling us so we supped up and headed over. We ended up staying two and a half hours, watching life through the large windows overlooking the bus station. We may have been the only people in the place aside from the staff but we felt at ease while we opted to try one of their meat and cheese boards containing purely Italian charcuterie. At £19,99 it was perhaps a little expensive but the selection of four meats and four cheeses was exquisite, sumptuous and the best I have ever tasted in my life. The range was overwhelming and the different flavours - strong to creamy cheese and peppered to mild meats - were very pronounced. Served with crispy flatbread, very much like dry poppadoms, this was a real winner and definite value for money. We also tried beer from the Gjulia beer company, who have based their core range on points of the compass. Of course we had to get through all four, and these too were lovely. The wine here may have been overpriced but the beer was in line with the average, while the bar staff were very talkative, chatting about craft beer and football in Italy. We'll definitely go back.
On Tuesday evening, we met up with Aremay in East of Arcadia, a sweeping round bar in the suburb of Meanwood. We had been to a few of their sister pubs before but we had always meant to try this one, and again it didn't disappoint, with an extensive range of real ale and craft beer along with some very nice food. I had a lamb burger which could have done with more toppings as it was just meat in a bun, but at least that meant I didn't have to pick the tomato out of it like I usually have to do. I realised later that you add the toppings as you go, but the beer and burger deal for £20 for two was food value and the double cooked chips were nice. We sat along the curved window watching people try and navigate an oddly set out junction while generally talking about the forthcoming General Election as I have become increasingly obsessed with psephology in recent weeks. Everything of course is still up in the air and it is rather fascinating, although the campaigns have been so lackluster and uninspiring I kinda want it all over. Still, only a week to go but I do fear for the future, depending who gets in. I guess it's nothing to worry about until 8 May, when we see the layout of the parliament.
Sadly, Aremay had to leave quite early so we only had a few pints before heading back to Headingley, a journey during which et crossed from one constituency to another, evidenced by the vast increase in the number of party political signs in people's gardens. This has been another odd facet of this election - I live in Pudsey, a seat as marginal as you can get and which is still a toss-up, and I've only seen two Vote Labour signs and nothing else. The Tories have hired all the billboards and are using them to display their negative "voting Labour will let the SNP message" but the red team are definitely winning the ground war as I've had twice as many leaflets from them and someone knocking on the door asking for my support. Which tactic wins remains to be seen but it will be interesting, particularly compared to other marginal constituencies in which my family live - Stockton South and Ealing Central and Acton. I am hoping to do an analytical comparison post-election, along with Aremay.
Finally, relating to beer, I have decided my Japanese presentation next week will be on the beer scene in Japan. I've already started work on it and have had a response from the BrewDog bar in Roppongi who have given me valuable feedback. With my work a nightmare at the moment - I'm so overloaded it's unreal - I'm hoping to find time to plan the talk this week but I am relying on Sunday and Monday, and I'm working the latter too. Still, I'll cobble something together but having never used Power Point before, I may be cutting it fine. Adds to the fun I guess.
To get home from Roundhay, such are the buses, we had to stop off at the city centre so with the time barely at 6pm, we decided to go to The Wardrobe bar, a place to which I hadn't been. On the way, we noticed a new Italian off license which also had a bar inside it called Ipsum Vinoteca. Before going to The Wardrobe, we called in and noticed they had a range of over 300 different Italian wines and 25 Italian craft beer. What drew our attention was the poster for an Italian craft beer festival in the window, which is due to take place in May. Fantastically, the bar specializes in importing lesser-known Italian craft beers and so none of the range we had seen before. We also got chatting to the kindly Italian man behind the serving area and we vowed to come back after sampling a beer at The Wardrobe.
We were also looking for food and had intended to cook at home, however the food in both The Wardrobe and Ipsum Vinoteca looked too good to turn down. We called at the former but the place was largely dead and only really carried a handful of craft beers - with the faded deliberately battered decor very much a hipster's delight. The place was pleasant enough but the authentic obscure Italian craft beers were calling us so we supped up and headed over. We ended up staying two and a half hours, watching life through the large windows overlooking the bus station. We may have been the only people in the place aside from the staff but we felt at ease while we opted to try one of their meat and cheese boards containing purely Italian charcuterie. At £19,99 it was perhaps a little expensive but the selection of four meats and four cheeses was exquisite, sumptuous and the best I have ever tasted in my life. The range was overwhelming and the different flavours - strong to creamy cheese and peppered to mild meats - were very pronounced. Served with crispy flatbread, very much like dry poppadoms, this was a real winner and definite value for money. We also tried beer from the Gjulia beer company, who have based their core range on points of the compass. Of course we had to get through all four, and these too were lovely. The wine here may have been overpriced but the beer was in line with the average, while the bar staff were very talkative, chatting about craft beer and football in Italy. We'll definitely go back.
On Tuesday evening, we met up with Aremay in East of Arcadia, a sweeping round bar in the suburb of Meanwood. We had been to a few of their sister pubs before but we had always meant to try this one, and again it didn't disappoint, with an extensive range of real ale and craft beer along with some very nice food. I had a lamb burger which could have done with more toppings as it was just meat in a bun, but at least that meant I didn't have to pick the tomato out of it like I usually have to do. I realised later that you add the toppings as you go, but the beer and burger deal for £20 for two was food value and the double cooked chips were nice. We sat along the curved window watching people try and navigate an oddly set out junction while generally talking about the forthcoming General Election as I have become increasingly obsessed with psephology in recent weeks. Everything of course is still up in the air and it is rather fascinating, although the campaigns have been so lackluster and uninspiring I kinda want it all over. Still, only a week to go but I do fear for the future, depending who gets in. I guess it's nothing to worry about until 8 May, when we see the layout of the parliament.
Sadly, Aremay had to leave quite early so we only had a few pints before heading back to Headingley, a journey during which et crossed from one constituency to another, evidenced by the vast increase in the number of party political signs in people's gardens. This has been another odd facet of this election - I live in Pudsey, a seat as marginal as you can get and which is still a toss-up, and I've only seen two Vote Labour signs and nothing else. The Tories have hired all the billboards and are using them to display their negative "voting Labour will let the SNP message" but the red team are definitely winning the ground war as I've had twice as many leaflets from them and someone knocking on the door asking for my support. Which tactic wins remains to be seen but it will be interesting, particularly compared to other marginal constituencies in which my family live - Stockton South and Ealing Central and Acton. I am hoping to do an analytical comparison post-election, along with Aremay.
Finally, relating to beer, I have decided my Japanese presentation next week will be on the beer scene in Japan. I've already started work on it and have had a response from the BrewDog bar in Roppongi who have given me valuable feedback. With my work a nightmare at the moment - I'm so overloaded it's unreal - I'm hoping to find time to plan the talk this week but I am relying on Sunday and Monday, and I'm working the latter too. Still, I'll cobble something together but having never used Power Point before, I may be cutting it fine. Adds to the fun I guess.
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Date: 2015-05-08 01:38 pm (UTC)Oooo! If we can make it up to your neck of the woods sometime, that's got to be on the tour. ^_^ Really interesting to see good beer from Italy - hopefully, more interesting than the usual pedestrian lagers like Moretti? (Perfectly good with a pizza, as it doesn't distract from the food, but not all that special by itself)
I presume you'll be along to their beer festival? ^_^ (With photos, hopefully! Flickr's an easy option, or indeed, Imgur. I'd probably lean toward Flickr - that's where I put all my "real" photography, and use Imgur for things like LJ thumbnails)
At £19,99 it was perhaps a little expensive but the selection of four meats and four cheeses was exquisite
There's so much to be said for a really good charcuterie plate. =:9 Indeed, that's one starter option at the Royal Standard, one of my absolute favorite pubs anywhere (you must see it sometime - such fabulously old atmosphere, a good selection of cask ales, bottled beers, and ciders, and some very tasty food) - Serrano ham, pork rillettes, and a French saucisson, plus a little baguette. It's all in the quality, needless to say - the ham's excellent, and the pate's home made.
I suppose it's not really a surprise, but still, it was interesting to note one point made in "Chefs on Trial" (Alex Polizzi oversees the hiring of new head chefs at different establishments) - food costs should be around 30% of the menu price. Of one place's £58 tasting menu, they make a profit of around £5.50, once food costs, wages, VAT, and supplies (cleaning tablecloths, replacing breakages, etc) are all factored in.
As disastrous as the election's been for the UK, there's still quite a lot of good to come out of it: the media darling Farage has quit, as have the desperately ineffectual Miliband and Clegg, Brighton kept their Green MP, and Lord Ashcroft's saying they need to set up a Royal Commission on reforming the electoral system.