What: A neighbourhood bistro on the high street of the town of Horsforth in Leeds on a site that was once a Pizza Express.
Who: The restaurant is run by Sandy Jarvis and his husband Clément Cousin. Jarvis, former head chef and managing director at The Culpeper Family Hospitality Group, began his chef career at Terroirs in London, working his way up from chef de partie to sous chef and finally to head chef. Cousin was born in France in a small village in Anjou in the Loire Valley and got his first restaurant job in 2012 at Terroirs where he met his Jarvis. He then worked at Robin Gill’s Clapham restaurant The Dairy before becoming sommelier at Simon Rogan’s Michelin-starred Fera at Claridge’s. He has also had management roles at Naughty Piglets, The Other Naughty Piglet and Paradise Garage before being appointed restaurant manager at The Culpeper in 2018. He then opened The Culpeper group’s neighbour bistro and hotel The Buxton on Brick Lane as general manager where he spent a further three years before moving to Brawn.
The food: The menu has been heavily influenced by the styles of Racine and Terroirs and is very much French bistro fare. The menu kicks off with snacks such as baguette and house butter; comté cheese croquettes; and Cantabrian anchovies on toast, followed by starters of caramelised onion tartlette with radicchio and Otley pecorino; shellfish bisque with rouille crostini; braised squid, saffron aioli, and gremolata; and pork belly rillons with a frisée salad and ravigot sauce. Mains are equally hearty and include Skrei cod, vin jaune sauce, buttered leeks, cucumber, and fondant potato; braised lamb pithivier with purple broccoli, and salsa verde; alongside one sharing dish, a 800g côte de boeuf served with red wine jus, dauphinoise potatoes, and hispi cabbage. The dessert selection doesn’t disappoint either, with classic French options such as crème brûlée served with Yorkshire rhubarb; Paris-Brest; and chocolate sabayon tart, with fromage blanc sorbet. As well as its normal a la carte menu, Bavette also serves a classic Sunday roast with options such as delica squash and hazelnut pesto filo parcel; slow roast pork belly; and bavette steak with horseradish cream. Starters are mainly between £10 and £11 and mains between £16 and £22.
To drink: The wine list focuses on low intervention wines. Nine wines are available by the glass – one sparkling, three red, three white, one rosé, and one orange with a wider selection by the bottle. Wines are predominantly from France but a few wines from Italy, Austria and Spain do make an appearance alongside wines from Cousin’s family’s vineyard in Anjou in the Loire Valley, which range from £43 to £56. The pricing is very reasonable with the lowest price red and white option just £26 and plenty to choose from in the £30-£45 price bracket. The most expensive still wine is a £70 Château Bois de la Gravette.
The vibe: The pair have kept things smart and simple with Bavette’s décor, creating a characterful neighbourhood bistro. A wooden floor and spindle back chairs are complemented by a long brown banquette seating, gilt mirrors and green walls. The space has room for around 40 covers and has an open kitchen to the rear of the dining room.
And another thing: In September last year Cousin and Jarvis were involved in the harvest at the family vineyard. As a result, a Bavette cuvee house wine will be available at the restaurant from next month.
4-6 Town Street, Horsforth, Leeds
