Slate NQ Leeds

September 02, 2015

With a large number of bars and restaurants opening in Leeds over the last year, it is difficult to decide which one to visit when looking to hit up the city centre. The choice is vast, and is pretty overwhelming - especially if you're not from Leeds and are here for a flying visit! I had the opportunity recently to review one of these new ventures, Slate NQ; which is tucked away on Merrion Street. It's not an obvious location for trendy bars in Leeds, but it does have a couple of successful neighbours, along with a number of equally successful venues just around the corner. This area in Leeds is slowly bringing itself out of the dark corner that has kept itself hidden for so many years, and is becoming a prime location for a night out. Read on to find out what I think about the latest bar to hit Leeds!

If I remember rightly, the Tudor building that houses Slate NQ used to be the Lounge Bar & Grill, and I can't say that I had ever visited it. It got a bad reputation, and I imagine that went some way as to why it eventually shut down. However, it was soon snapped up and in June 2015 the beautiful building had opened its doors again as Slate NQ. The first thing I noticed when I walked around, was how they've made use of every available space, and really showed off the building to its best. Yes, it is extremely modern inside, but it works well with the existing exterior and has given it life again. Slate NQ is primarily a bar, but they serve food in the form of pizzas and deli sandwiches, and have not one, but two pool rooms. They also have a beer garden and a roof terrace; the latter of which not many places in Leeds can boast about! We chose to sit outside on the terrace to eat our meal, seeing as it was calm weather - sadly it wasn't sunny, but it was warm so we figured that we should make the best of it. I can imagine that between this and the beer garden, they are extremely popular when the sun does make an appearance!

Before getting stuck into the food menu, we were given the opportunity to try a cocktail each from their menu, which has been specially crafted especially for Slate NQ. There was some very impressive and tempting concoctions on the menu, and I have to admit that it was very difficult to choose just one! I chose the "Summer in Leodis"; gin, Pimms, lemon and apple juices, homemade lavender syrup and a spoonful of blackberry jam. How delicious does that sound?! I knew that it would satisfy my sweet tooth no end, knowing that I would have no room for dessert, and I wasn't disappointed. For a start, it arrived in a beautiful glass that I was half tempted to take with me (Like I've never done that before, ha!), and garnished with blueberries, raspberries and mint. One sip and I knew that it wouldn't last me long; it was as sweet as I expected, but reeled back slightly by the peppery gin - and not too strongly alcoholic either. Given the opportunity and a bottomless wallet, I could have happily had three, four or more of these! Martin chose the "Redwood Original"; Diplomatico Exclusiva Reserva rum, Santa Teresa Orange rum liqueur, Teo Pepe sherry, orange, Angustora Bi ers and Grotine cherry juice. His packed in a lot more punch than mine, and I would definitely say that it is a more "manly" cocktail, if there ever was one. It was far too strong for me, but Martin loves a challenge and took his time to enjoy it, which he really did.

It wasn't long after we had received our drinks that we were brought our food - we couldn't wait to dig in! We were offered the chance to try one of their pizzas, and to tell you the truth I would have been happy with any of them! Martin is a bit more fussy than me, so I let him choose; he went for a large Parma Ham pizza for us to share, and we also ordered a side of Cracked Pepper Chips each too. The pizza looked pretty spectacular, and smelt it too. With a generous topping of parma ham, Buffalo mozzarella and basil, it meant that every mouthful was guaranteed to taste good - although we did have some trouble with the parma ham all wanting to come off at once! It was as a good pizza should be; firm, crispy base and crust, the aforementioned generous toppings and not soggy at all. There's nothing worse than a soggy pizza! The chips amazingly crispy, and when accompanied with the garlic mayonnaise, the two worked as a dream team. They were actually a topic of conversation before they arrived; they are nearly exactly the same as the ones from Roxy Lanes, that me and Martin had when we visited last year. It turns out there is a good reason for that! Slate NQ, along with Roxy Lanes, Roxy Ballroom, The Shed Bar, and many more were created and are owned by Matthew and Ben Jones, and come under The Jones Bar Group. The two brothers have opened a staggering amount of bars in Leeds and Horsforth over the last ten years, and if Slate NQ and Roxy Lanes are anything to go by, they're doing extremely well. It certainly explained why the chips tasted so familar - however, the pizzas are very different to what we had at Roxy Lanes!

After we had eaten, we headed inside for our hour of pool. We decided to get ourselves another drink to tide us over, and we were pleasantly surprised to find an extensive beer selection. To be honest, both me and Martin thought that the beer selection would be acceptable at best, but as it turned out we were spoilt for choice. They have an impressive range on tap from breweries such as Magic Rock, Wharfe Bank and Kirkstall Brewery (all local, which we liked as we try to support Leeds breweries where we can), as well as a wide variety of bottled options in the fridge from all around the world. Slate NQ take pride in keeping the beer selection fresh, so it is always changing with new ones to try. Me and Martin decided to have a pint of the Whitstable Bay Black Oyster Stout; it seemed fitting, as it had been a year since we were in Whitstable on holiday! They also had the usual selection of spirits and mixers, and of course the cocktail menu, should you not be fond of beer.

As mentioned before, Slate NQ have two pool rooms; the one we were playing in is on the ground floor and features four 7ft pool tables, whereas the one upstairs in the Tudor Lounge (available for private hire) boasts three 9ft pool tables, as well as its own bar. I really liked the room that we played in; it had atmospheric lighting, and quirky pictures/posters on the wall, as well as plenty of places to sit and relax with a drink if pool isn't your thing. As for our game, I'll say this before anything else; I am crap at pool. I've only ever attempted to play it a handful of times, and on this day I berated myself not not playing more often. Martin is marginally better than me, and had to explain the rules before we started playing (I would have been aiming to hit any ball if he hadn't). Nevertheless, play pool we did and I'm proud to say that I managed to win a game; although that was only because Martin managed to pot the black without meaning to! It was the best out of three and Martin obviously won, but I have to say that I really enjoyed playing it. I'll definitely give it another go in the future - although with some much needed practice first!

So, is Slate NQ a bar that I would recommend? If you're looking for a fun night out without going clubbing, then yes, absolutely. I personally haven't gone clubbing since I was at university, and I can't say that I miss it. These days, I much prefer going to a bar or pub, and catching up with friends over a good drink or four. I need to be able to hear myself think, and hear what others are saying too! Slate NQ offers what I imagine to be a great atmosphere on a Friday or Saturday night, but it is also somewhere quieter to go on a day during the week. We visited on a Sunday afternoon and it was quiet to begin with, getting busier as the evening wore on, but this is what we prefer so we quite enjoyed it. It has great food, an excellent beer and cocktail selection, plenty of places to sit (indoors and out!) and manages to avoid being right in the middle of the Saturday night party areas. I am sure that we will be visiting again; in fact, we want to go visit one of the bars that the brothers own in Horsforth, so that is next on our list!