Man Behind The Curtain -Leeds

The fact that the entry to this infamous dining spot is through a lift at the rear of a men’s clothes store, technically makes it a kind of Narnia doesn’t it? There are no lions, indeed no witches, but the experience itself certainly casts a magical spell on its diners.

The warmest, most unassuming of welcomes and the starkly modern come elegant loft conversion makes you forget the fact its Michelin Starred -until the food starts to arrive that is.

Attention to detail though, is present in every aspect of the design of the space in which we are about to begin a sensory journey. From the carefully placed lighting, the canvasses (reminiscent of a Stone Roses album cover) and branded artwork working it’s way around corners and even the toilet roll; its MBTC yellow -way too cool!

Back to the food, and there are in honesty, mixed reviews which surprises me. Its beyond innovative, exciting and brings art and gastronomy together in a theatrical and thoughtful way. Glasses, cutlery, serving plates (and other things) are all designed for the purpose they’re about to fulfil. There’s a story behind everything (even the fact that my heart shaped cupcake petit four platter is carefully crafted around the design of a heart shaped YSL handbag believe it or not) and to eat here is to be part of that story.

I like the fact that the designer leather aproned clad chefs take turns in bringing out their own food and revel in the chance to present it with a passionate description of its ingredients and creation.

Want to see what we ate? 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

If you saw this rock n roll chef Michael O’Hare on The Great British Menu, even his fellow chefs thought he was ‘out there’. Along with Richard Bainbridge he is one of my idols and I knew even before the world of Michelin gave him his star, that I wanted to eat his food.

In summing up, be sure of your dates. It’s not easy to change once you’ve secured a booking. You’ll pay up front for your food and a service charge. we ate the 10-14 course tasting menu (it’s tweaked and changed and you’re given what’s happening on the night) at a cost of £75 pp. With service and wine we paid around £350 which included two bottles of a good Sancerre, a pale ale, gin and tonic and a couple of espressos. I thought that was reasonable and would definitely book again.

It was three hours of unadulterated food and theatre heaven; stunning tastes and textures, memorable, exciting and delicious! Something we’ll be talking about for a long time.