Tuesday 14 February 2012

Café 164, Leeds

Café 164 is the new-ish city centre outpost of Bakery 164 who've been trading on Woodhouse Lane opposite the Parkinson Steps since 1994. I don't remember them from my Uni days when I spent a lot of time in the vicinity, perhaps they were too upmarket for my budget back then, or maybe I was still seduced by deep-fried filth at Flames just down the road.

Either way Bakery 164 have apparently built a reputation on good quality breads and sandwiches, so I was looking forward to giving the city centre outlet a try. You'll find it in Munro House, just across from the bus station and down from the little cultural quarter around the West Yorkshire Playhouse.


My flat white (£2) was very good, not exactly pretty but it tasted fine. A good strong, rich blend, slightly bitter but balanced.


Sadly the sandwich, falafel and hummous (£3) wasn't so great. The falafel were fresh tasting and moist, not dry and mealy like they can be, and the bread was high quality, but there wasn't much salad and no more than a thin scraping of hummous. The whole thing was just a bit bland and heavy going, needing something to give it a lift. A more generous hand with the hummous and salad and a good squeeze of lemon juice would have done the job.

Although I wasn't impressed by the sandwich the coffee was good and there were some fine looking cakes. Prices are also reasonable as the sandwiches are very big. The café itself is a pleasant room and it's adjacent to a commercial art gallery that I'm sure is worth a look. It's also in an area that doesn't seem to get the footfall it deserves, feeling a little cut-off from the city centre by the main road that necessitates a two-leg crossing. I'll return to give the cakes a try and to check out the gallery.

6/10

Unit 2 Munro House
Leeds
LS9 8AG

http://www.cafe164.com/

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