Blue Pavilion: Culinary Theatre – Offering Delightful Food

I had been putting off visiting Blue Pavilion, thinking that the restaurant might be a case of style over substance. Yes, it is stylish, but it also serves well executed, delightful dishes.

Two trips to China have made me hesitant to eat in Chinese restaurants in this country. They rarely live up to my memories. When I do find a place I like, it is often a small family endeavour that mainly caters for the local Chinese population. I was concerned about the authenticity, and the cost, of a place that describes itself as a fine dining Chinese restaurant.

An afternoon visit meant that our meal was reasonably priced. Between 12 and 4pm the restaurant offers a set lunch menu for £23 or their afternoon tea menu where you can order 5 dim sum or other small dishes for £30. We arrived around 3.30pm and decided to opt for the Afternoon Tea.

Entering the restaurant is like being transported to another dimension. Tinted windows mean you can see but feel removed from the busy street outside, whilst passing pedestrians are oblivious to your presence. Good soundproofing means that all traffic noise is silenced, replaced by relaxing music. Presumably it also prevents sound leakage from the establishment’s Karaoke rooms when they are in use. The rich blue colour palette, highlighted by silver and gold trimmings, gives a sumptuous feel.

The Afternoon Tea menu enabled us to choose 5 items out of a list of 37 for £30. Items with expensive ingredients such as the Japanese Wagyu Dumplings (£3) or Golden Sand Soft-Shell Crab (£5) attracted a supplement. We opted for just one dish with a supplement – the Cuttlefish Cake – which added a modest £1 to our bill. The dishes are certainly authentic, with chicken feet being available in various forms, a sign that the restaurant attracts Chinese diners.

Many of the dishes are quite modest but are lifted by the addition of extra ingredients. The prawn toast, for instance, is topped with black truffle. We started with a sweet corn soup which was transformed by a pile of shredded crab meat. Our friendly server was happy to bring extra soup spoons so we could share the soup. The soup was thick and creamy whilst the crab meat was moist, fresh and tasty.

The soup was served alongside our Cuttlefish Cakes. Three large cutlets were presented, cut in half, alongside a rice vinegar-based spicy dip. We were also given small trays of soy and chilli dipping sauce. The cuttlefish was beautifully cooked. The batter was crisp and dry whilst the filling was moist and well-seasoned.

Then came our dumplings, arriving together in a stacked steamer which parted to reveal: Iberico Xiao Long Bao, Yuanbao Scallop Dumplings with XO Sauce and Chicken Bao with Chinese Mushroom. This was a good selection that showcased the chef’s talent.

The Xiao Long Bao, or soup dumplings, were beautifully crimped and were served on small trays so you could catch the sauce. The filling was brimming with flavour. The scallop dumplings were more pasta-like in construction and made a good holder for the scallop and prawn filling. The Bao dumplings were fluffy and soft. The filling balanced the chicken and mushrooms well. A rice or noodle dish with meat can be ordered from the Afternoon Tea menu for around £16 if you want a more substantial meal. We were feeling pleasantly sated after our dim sum and decided to go for a sweet option from the dessert menu instead.

The dessert menu shows real culinary skill. At £13, the Midnight Cherry Blossom was pricey but it was large enough to share between two. It was also a work of art. The ingredients of Luxardo mousse, cherry confit, chocolate sponge, and cherry liquor were stacked to make an elegant tower. The chocolate surrounding the cherry spirit infused mousse was perfectly tempered and gave a pleasing crack. The mousse was unbelievably creamy and worked well alongside the intensity of the cherry confit gel. Everything sat upon a rich crumbly chocolate cake.

I will one day return for a main meal at this restaurant. The presentation of the main courses looked good and I liked the way that the Peking duck was delivered to a nearby table housed in a chest that opened to display the duck, sauce and accompaniments on different shelves. It summed up a restaurant that is both theatrical and relaxed. However, I suspect that the dim sum and dessert menus offer some of the best food that Blue Pavillion has on offer.

https://www.bluepavilion.co.uk/

Located in:The Merrion Centre
Address: 90 Merrion St, Leeds LS2 8LW

Hours: 

Phone: 0113 887 6888

Photography by Debbie Rolls.