Having already established a strong reputation in London, creating quite the sensation on social media in the process, when Flat Iron ventured up the country with its first restaurant in the north we were keen to see if the hype was justified.
Located in a historic church building right in the heart of Leeds city centre, from the moment we entertained the restaurant we were warmly welcomed and shown to our seats with the minimum of fuss. With everyone well on their way to getting into the Christmas spirit, the atmosphere was already buzzing and we immediately felt at our ease.
Our waitress was as helpful as she was friendly, taking the time to explain the various the dishes available, while we munched on a complementary pot of savoury beef dripping popcorn and scanned Flat Iron’s menu, which was saw ‘quality’ winning over ‘quantity’.
Mains
A visit to Flat Iron without actually having their signature dish (The Flat Iron Steak £14) would definitely have been a wasted opportunity and thankfully it didn’t disappoint. Cooked perfectly medium-rare, as requested, the cut of meat was delicious and well-seasoned. A tasty slab of flavour.
Our our main option (Scottish Bavette £17) was even more emphatic in the flavour stakes with the shoulder cut adding a bit more marbling to the mix. Again it was exactly as ordered with perfect seasoning.
Sides
Deciding that three was the magic number, we opted for the tasty Creamed Spinach (£3.50), the beautifully buttery Homemade Beef Dripping Chips (£4.00); and the flavoursome Truffled Macroni Cheese (£5.50). All three options were generally portioned and were ideal accompaniments to the main dishes.
Cocktails
Mirroring the food menu, the cocktails on offer had enough to go at without being overwhelming on choice. We were eventually tempted by the Floradora (£8) and the Passion Fruit Collins (£8). Both were extremely well made with a nice and notable punch of alcohol.
Our Verdict
It’s fitting that Flat Iron is situated in a former church building as the quality of the food we experienced is sure to have customers coming to worship the restaurant’s locally sourced steaks. The sides were equally excellent, as were the delicious cocktails. Complementary homemade vanilla ice cream to round off our evening is a classic touch and brought a tremendous evening to a close. So was the hype justified in the end? Most certainly!