Dale Hurst – Author - Novelist news and other titbits
  • Home
  • About Dale Hurst
  • Writing
  • Podcast – The Dale Hurst Writing Show
Home
About Dale Hurst
Writing
Podcast – The Dale Hurst Writing Show
Dale Hurst – Author - Novelist news and other titbits
  • Home
  • About Dale Hurst
  • Blog
  • Writing
    • Lust & Liberty
    • Sin & Secrecy
    • You Can Hear Chopin
    • Short Fiction
      • Ballad of a Godless Man
    • Poetry
  • Podcast
    • Season 1
    • Season 2
  • Get in touch
Browsing Tag
dale spink
Blog Food Writing Travels

Restaurant Review | Brontaè’s Bar & Restaurant, Horsforth

November 14, 2021 No Comments

A recent, first-time trip to Leeds inspired me to revive an old blogging niche. Namely, writing restaurant reviews. Beginning with a dream of a meal at a place called Brontaè’s…

We take as the subject for today’s review, Brontaè’s Bar & Restaurant, situated in Horsforth, within Leeds. I recently ventured up north for the first time in my life, with one primary purpose: to visit this restaurant. Ever since owner and founding head chef, my Northern Namesake Dale Spink planted the seed back when I interviewed him for an article much earlier in the year. Last week, I finally made it. And I’ll say right off the bat that it was well worth the wait.

STARTER: SMOKED MACKEREL PÂTÉ

There were several contenders for the role of starter at this meal. Confit Duck Leg. Pigs Cheek and Chorizo. Scallops with a roe tuile and parsnip purée (among other things). But in the end, I could not resist a classic pâté to begin my dinner. Except the pâté dish at Brontaè’s is anything but classic. For one thing, it shares its stage with a rather striking co-star, a pea tart.

Brontaè's Smoked Mackerel PâtéIn all the years I’ve reviewed restaurants and sampled pâté dishes, I had never seen anything like it. And that uniqueness transferred right into the flavours. The  pâté, which the menu revealed contained white chocolate, soft cheese and horseradish among other things, was a vehicle for fierce, fishy saltiness. A saltiness that was balanced out, in turn, by the pea tart, with its subtly savoury filling and perfectly flaky pastry.

Honestly, it was a massive fight with myself not to scrape the ceramic off the plate for every last morsel. Of all those delicious-sounding starters, I definitely made the right choice!

MAIN COURSE: SLOW-BRAISED JACOB’S LADDER

Wow, where to start with this one…

Brontaè's, Horsforth's Slow-Braised Jacob's LadderSince following Brontaè’s on social media earlier in the year, I’d come to understand the Slow-Braised Jacob’s Ladder is something of a fan favourite among the main courses. So, despite the presence of Herb-Crusted Coley, Ham Hock & Wholegrain Mustard Pie, and Crispy Pork Belly on the menu, how could I have anything other than the Jacob’s Ladder?

(Jacob’s Ladder is a ribs dish, for anyone wondering).

Certainly a colourful, eye-catching entrée. The meat still clinging to an utter weapon of a rib, and surrounded by all manner of vegetables (roasted, pickled, steamed). You don’t get this at your common-or-garden Sunday roast, nor your everyday barbeque. This was something truly special. And the meat just fell apart with the fork and, to affect an age-old cliché, melted in the mouth. If you wanted to illustrate the word ‘succulent’, just order this dish.

DESSERT: LEMON CELLO TART

Brontaè's Lemon Cello TartIt was a struggle to know whether or not my stomach could take another hit with dessert. But one that we worked through. And thankfully, our choice was perfectly light and understated. A delicate note to follow two hefty portions. In the form of what Brontaè’s calls a Lemon Cello Tart.

I guess you could argue that this dessert was “deconstructed”. In the sense that the lemon curd filling was lying on the plate, a slice of pastry lying otherwise separate on top of it. Not by any means a disappointment; just not a tart in the same way as the pea tart from the starter.

Semantics aside, the dessert was delicious. The person who discovered the dream team that is lemon, raspberry and white chocolate, is a genius. And it was a joy to see all those elements playing parts in this dish. Speaking of combinations, the sorbet was a surprising thing — it was raspberry and peppercorn. It still amazes me now as I’m writing this how the dry heat from the pepper could cut through the tartness of the lemon and the raspberry and actually improve those flavours, rather than ruin them.

BRONTAÈ’S — THE FINAL VERDICT

As I was paying my bill, I turned to the waitress and said, “If I get COVID tomorrow and that’s the last thing I ever tasted, I’ll be very happy”. Nothing could be truer. The best meal to kick off a city break in Leeds. Even in restaurants where I have counted the staff among my good friends have I received such a warm welcome off the bat as I did at Brontaè’s. And throughout, the line I kept repeating after finishing each dish (or sometimes just partway through) was “Dale Spink is a genius”.

Getting to see the man himself in action, even for just a couple of minutes, was the icing on the proverbial cake. The restaurant floor gives on to the open kitchen, which allows you to watch the chefs work their magic if you’re sitting in the right place. All adds to the overall experience in my opinion.

Throughout my stay in Leeds, I spoke to a fair few people about Brontaè’s and it stunned me how none of them had heard of it. If you’re local to the area, you have no excuse. Book your table now! And if you’re on a city break of your own up in the area, make a plan to visit. You will not be disappointed. Full marks.

For more author news and views, my Facebook and Instagram pages are here. And drop a subscription to my YouTube channel to remain informed of the latest, plus some exclusives. Furthermore, my fortnightly podcast, The Dale Hurst Writing Show, is available to listen to here on Spotify.

Continue reading
Reading time: 4 min
Written by: Dale Hurst

Newsletter

About me

This is Dale Hurst here. Novelist and journalist. Subscribe above to receive all updates.

Popular Posts

ANNOUNCEMENT: New Book in Progress

November 15, 2018

No Time Like the Present…

July 1, 2018

“To Err is Human…”

August 4, 2018

You Can Hear Chopin from the Attic: A Brief Overview

January 24, 2019

Categories

  • Ballad of a Godless Man
  • Blog
  • Characters
  • Food Writing
  • Journalism
  • Lifestyle
  • Lust & Liberty
  • Podcast
  • Poetry
  • Short Fiction
  • Sin & Secrecy
  • Travels
  • Writing
  • You Can Hear Chopin

dalehurst_author

The Berylford Scandals (1. Lust & Liberty, 2. Sin & Secrecy) 📚
Podcaster | The Dale Hurst Writing Show🎙️

Dale Hurst | Author
Not everyone's experiences in independent publishi Not everyone's experiences in independent publishing are positive, sadly. 
.
I spoke with fellow author @thehsmatthews – who wrote these lovely books – about her recent gripes with Amazon KDP and what she recommends for other writers who find themselves in the same position (God forbid...)
.
The full interview is on my website (link in comments 👇👇👇)
.
#indieauthor #indieauthorsofinstagram #authornetwork #authorscommunity #authorsofinstagram #writingcommunity #writersofinsta #writernetwork #amazonkdp #indiepublishing
I love creating characters. It's the greatest joy I love creating characters. It's the greatest joy of storytelling, I think. But to make sure they all don't end up as one-dimensional cardboard cutouts in the story, I create comprehensive profiles for all my principal players. Some of the things to include in such profiles are discussed in the latest post on my website (#linkinbio) ✍️✏️🖊️📝📖📚📘📙
.
#writingcommunity #writersofinsta #writernetwork #writingwisdom #authornetwork #amwritingmystery #amwritinghistoricalfiction #charactercreation #characterprofile #creativewriting
Another very popular episode and one of my persona Another very popular episode and one of my personal favourites, featuring filmmaker Jamie Webb of @jkw.media talking about true crime documentary and drama and the trials and creative processes behind both. Here's a snippet. You'll have to listen to the whole thing to hear the flipside 😉🔍🎥🩸📝🎙️
.
Find it on Spotify, Google Podcasts and Amazon Music 🎙️
.
#podcastersofinstagram #podcast #podcastsofinstagram #podcastaddict #writernetwork #writingpodcast #writingwisdom #thedalehurstwritingshow #amwritingtruecrime #truecrimeaddict #truecrimecommunity #documentary #filmmaker #drama #writingcommunity #authorsofinstagram #filmmakinglife
One of my favourite characters to write. Love her One of my favourite characters to write. Love her or hate her, there's no denying Mrs Urmstone is devoted to Lady Vyrrington and won't hear a word said against her. This quote from Lust & Liberty pretty much sums that up 📖📘📚
.
#amreadingmystery
#amwritingmystery #amreadinghistoricalfiction #theberylfordscandals #lustandliberty #summerreading #summerreads2023 #bookquotes #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #igbooks #histfic #historicalfiction
5 whole years ago, I published my debut novel, Lus 5 whole years ago, I published my debut novel, Lust & Liberty 😱🤯🎉 letting loose all the scandals in Berylford and the dramas of its people. 
.
Everyone's support and responses to the story have been overwhelming and I'm continually grateful 🥰
.
(If you haven't read it yet, add to your summer reading list and grab a copy on Amazon now 😘📚📖)
.
📸 Patrick Cermak
.
#summerreading #summerreads2023 #theberylfordscandals #lustandliberty #bookiversary #publication #anniversary #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #igbooks #readingcommunity #readingtime #regencyromance #amreadingmystery #amreadinghistoricalfiction
How can we as authors continue to think outside th How can we as authors continue to think outside the box with female characters in the sci-fi genre? Fellow Star Wars enthusiast, writer and cosplayer @aimocreative joined me on the podcast with some of her thoughts. Full episode on Spotify, Google Podcasts and Amazon Music as always 📚📖🎙️📝✍️
.
#podcastersofinstagram #podcast #podcastsofinstagram #podcastaddict #writingpodcast #thedalehurstwritingshow #writingwisdom #amwritingscifi #amwritingsciencefiction #writingcommunity #authornetwork #authorsofinstagram #authorscommunity
Enjoy these covers while you can... They might be Enjoy these covers while you can... They might be changing soon... In light of the recent announcements from Amazon that they'll be hiking up their printing prices, we need to do some down-sizing. More news to come! Both books are still available from Amazon as always (#linkinbio) 📖📘📚📙 
.
📸 @jkw.media 
.
#bookstagram #booksofinstagram #igbooks #theberylfordscandals #lustandliberty #amreading #amreadingromance #amreadingmystery #amreadingcrime #amreadinghistoricalfiction #historicalfiction #histfic #mysterynovel #crimefiction
Spoilers ahead if you haven't read Lust & Liberty Spoilers ahead if you haven't read Lust & Liberty but are planning to.
.
In this new blog post, I reveal the reason behind killing off a fan favourite... a decision that more than one reader has called for me to change 😆
.
Link to the new post is in the comments ⬇️⬇️⬇️
.
#theberylfordscandals #lustandliberty #writingwisdom #writingcommunity #authorsofinstagram #authornetwork #writersofinsta #amwritingmystery #amwritinghistoricalfiction #creativewriting #spoileralert🚨
Load More… Follow on Instagram

Dale Hurst

  • About Dale Hurst
  • Get in touch

Recent Posts

  • H S Matthews — My Battle with Amazon KDP
  • Building a comprehensive character profile
  • Why did I decide to kill off this character?
  • Planning a new book – my process
  • 7 things to remember when writing a first draft

Dale Hurst

  • Email
    dale.hurst93@gmail.com
  • Address
    Poole, Dorset
© 2020 Copyright Dale Hurst // All rights reserved