The New Ellington

Oh, the gin garden. The infamous gin garden that has passed so many people’s lips, but no one quite seems to know where it’s hidden. So, calling it that sets them up for a bit of a fall where the atmosphere and décor is concerned — there is no foliage and it is not outside. That’s such a shame, as the name’s a real keeper. I wish they could make it look better.
However, it is lit with an eerie blue light that’ll keep you feeling awake (because, science) and perky whilst you sip… unless you go crazy on the gins, like. (The downfall of almost all bars is lowering the lights so much that it makes you feel like passing out. Error.) The seats, given that they are these weird, huge, square, wicker, garden furniture affairs, mean you’re sat miles away from your mate opposite. To top it off, there are what we could only describe as «metal clip art saxophones» on the walls. Gross.
BUT.
The gins. Oh man, the gins.
Monkey 47 — check. Martin Miller — check. No. 209 — a range of three. Darkness! Aged Bathtub gin. Ice cubes spheres with cucumber, red peppercorns, rasberries, sage… all KINDS of rad things.
It’s gin heaven and you have to ignore everything else — even the prices. Not the bartenders, though. Those guys you make friends with. 1: because they’re amazing and lovely. 2: because they know what you need to drink.
I love this place. I just wish it looked better. Maybe they could sell the concept and gins to a cool new venue somehow. Anyway — get there and gin!

A colleague at work was raving about the restaurant here so I decided to try it for my birthday. A real disappointment! We were the only people in there until a couple of residents came in later. Despite that, the service wasn’t great and we had to wait quite a while for mains to arrive after starters.
Once the food arrived, it was well presented, nicely cooked and tasty with an interesting menu to choose from. However, compared to other restaurants in Leeds, I didn’t really feel it was worth the money.
Probably best not to take a gamble for a birthday meal!!!