You'd have thought that, by now, this place would be flagging a bit. It's been 16 years since Arts first opened their doors, choosing corner of the city where most people came to pick up prostitutes, not coffee cups.
But the bright sparks behind Leeds's first bona fide cafe bar cottoned onto the fact that there was a huge gap in the market waiting to be filled by the burgeoning student/young professional contingent.
So the emphasis went on cappuccinos, good wines, snacks and inventive food. It was quite unlike anything else Loiners had ever seen before. They lapped it up.
Which is why Arts is flourishing today and maintains a loyal clientele. Other poor imitations, notably chains, have come and gone but these guys are still going strong.
We dropped in late afternoon for an early dinner, making the most of their great deal which offers two courses for £12.50 or three courses for £15. Just be aware of the fact that only some dishes are included
in the deal.
It does work out to be great value. My main of fresh linguini pasta tossed with roasted artichokes, asparagus & wild mushrooms in a light white wine and parmesan cream was £9.99 if bought on its own, so it was just another fiver for two more courses.
The dish was celestial, the artichokes and asparagus just right and not drowned out in the creamy sauce or a smothering of pasta. The balance of ingredients was well judged and the portion not too big or small.
My dining partner went for the pan roasted wild sea trout with pea, broad bean and brown shrimp linguini, dill & lemon creme fraiche at £10.95 (sadly this wasn't in the three course deal).
He wasn't quite so impressed with his dish insisting it wasn't exactly an orgy of taste, perhaps too subtle a combination for his liking and the lemon and dill didn't quite compensate for the comparatively neutral flavours of the fish.
However, we were both impressive by the pressed ham hock terrine with celeriac and apple coleslaw, piccalilli and toast.
It was all capped off with two delicious desserts: toffee apple sundae and an inventive rhubarb and strawberry crumble. Both great.
One word of warning with Arts is that if you aren't careful it can leave you with a surprisingly large tab. With a couple of soft drinks and two glasses of wine on top of our food bill the final tally came to over £48 with a tip.
Why? because my dining partner had chosen a dish not in the three-courses-for-£15 deal, which bumped up the price instantly, and the drinks alone came to almost £10. We also ordered a side of coleslaw (wonderful coleslaw, to be fair) which was £2.75.
It all tots up. But the food was terrific and the service, although a little patchy due to the fact there was just one woman serving the whole restaurant up to 6pm, was pretty good.
But the deal breaker is the ambience, which remains very cool, very chilled and very Leeds. Small wonder they're a perennial favourite.
Rating: 4/5
