This is one place in Leeds that gets it spot on, in every way and reassuringly, all the time. Co-owners Shaun and Phil have been in the restaurant game for years and it is down to their wealth of knowledge and expertise that they have managed to create such a great restaurant. The food is modern British, nothing scary just hearty plates of familiar food skilfully prepared. It’s not just the food that will keep bringing you back to The Foundry, a night out here is like visiting an old and much loved friend.

Host Phil gives a genuinely warm welcome to all his guests, old and new and always has time for a chat, (well more of a gossip if we’re honest), and a joke or ten. What Phil doesn’t know about wine really isn’t worth knowing, so the wine list is crammed with carefully chosen bottles which marry well with the food offerings. Shaun, more often than not, can be seen in the kitchen crafting the locally sourced produce into the finished article for you. Occasionally he is let out onto the floor for a bit of chat and banter with his customers, where he proves to be just as congenial a host as his partner.

The interior of the restaurant is in keeping with its previous incarnation as an engineering works, dark wood floors, exposed brick and warehouse style windows. Outside in the courtyard is a heated terrace where you can bask in the sun, when it obliges, or snuggle up in one of the warm blankets hung up for when it’s just a bit too chilly. The whole area around the restaurant has seen a rebirth from the days when steam engines and locomotives were built here. The Round Foundry Media Centre is at the heart of the complex around which sit apartments and offices and a number of cafes, restaurants and bars. It feels as though you are in a small village even though you are only a few minutes walk from Leeds City Centre.