24th April 2024

This New Neighbourhood Bistro Brings Modern French Dining to the Heart of Horsforth

Bavette promises fine French food in a friendly dining room.

Last updated 24th April 2024 New & Coming Soon Originally written

Love French food? A trip out to Horsforth is on the cards as Bavette brings to Leeds fine Gallic fare in a charming, relaxed restaurant.

It’s been a long time coming for owners Sandy Jarvis and Clément Cousin, but their little slice of France has finally arrived in Horsforth. You’ll find it on Town Street, in the former home of The Little Monk, and they’ve created a Parisian-style bistro where they can show off their love of quality ingredients, perfect wine and dedicated hospitality, while plating up modern French fare. This is Bavette and here is their story.

It all started in 2012 when Wetherby-born chef Jarvis and French restaurant manager and sommelier Cousin met working at London’s acclaimed modern European restaurant, Terroirs. Jarvis then opened The Culpeper, before becoming Operations Director for the Culpeper Family Hospitality Group in 2017. Clement joined him at The Culpeper in 2018, before opening its neighbouring bistro and hotel, The Buxton on Brick Lane. Their credentials are unrivalled.

“We decided about 18 months ago that it felt like the time was right to leave that company and for us to to do something on our own and then we decided that we didn’t want it to be London,” Sandy told us. “Leeds is a proper city and it’s got everything that a city needs but actually it’s not too dense and it’s so close to the countryside and we love, love, love the countryside. So it felt right and the independent restaurant community is amazing. It’s really supportive.”

They’ve transformed The Little Monk into their own. The vivid blue exterior carries on inside where it’s met with bold greens finished with gold accents. The kitchen sits at the rear while the bar sits in the corner, perfect for pre or post-meal tipples. Stylish tiled and wooden floors sit below an assortment of rustic wooden furniture and leather banquette seating, while finishing touches come in the form of gold-edged mirrors and art inspired by places they’ve been and lived.

But the food is what Leeds folk will visit Bavette for, and what a treat there is in store. Theirs is a sample menu, which offers a glimpse of what they do, but may change with the produce they source and the whims of their creative kitchen team, led by Sandy. Why not start with a few snacks? Comté cheese croquettes sit alongside Cantabrian anchovies on toast and cervelle de cantu, a Lyonnaise French cheese dip with walnut oil.

Next up it’s time for starters, and who doesn’t love a caramelised onion tartlette finished with radicchio and Otley pecorino? That’s not all though, seafood lovers can indulge in a delightful shellfish bisque with rouille crostini or the braised squid with saffron aioli and gremolata. If you prefer meat, there’s treats like classic pork belly rillons or you can plump for a venison & pork pate en croute with an earl grey jelly.

When mains come around, there’s plenty to get excited about. It couldn’t be called ‘Bavette’ and not have a cut of this fine steak on the menu, so they pair it with fries and Béarnaise sauce. Elsewhere, there’s pan-fried gnocchi with squash, cavolo nero, hazelnuts and fresh ricotta, while skrei cod comes adorned with a vin jaune sauce, brown shrimps, buttered leeks and fondant potato. Feeling generous? Or just hungry? Share the 800-gram cote de boeuf!

To finish? Their crème brûlée comes with Yorkshire rhubarb and shortbread, or you can indulge in the chocolate sabayon tart, adorned with a fromage blanc sorbet. Prefer a savoury finish? They’ve teamed up with local favourites George & Joseph for a cheese board worth writing home about – there’s a Langres, Beaufort and a Forte D’Ambert – complete with chutney. But if you want a top tip, let Sandy point you in the right direction.

“We’ve got something called a Paris-Brest, which is basically a choux pastry, like a profiterole and it’s in the shape of in a wheel. And then it’s filled with praline flavoured cream, like a really slick custard, with caramel and nuts. It was named after there’s a famous French cycling race from Paris to Brest, I think on an anniversary or something to celebrate it, they asked someone to make a dish or they made this pastry in a wheel shape.”

You won’t go thirsty, either. Kirkstall Brewery provide the beers, from Virtuous to a Mango IPA, but it’s wine you come for. They have a selection of competitively priced wines by the glass, as well as six bottles that have come from Clément’s family vineyards, from a Cabernet Franc to a Grolleau Gris. They sit alongside an extensive menu of low intervention bottles sourced from Wayward Wines that cover fizz, including a Hugues Godmé champagne, white, red, rose, rosato, orange and sweet.

That’s Bavette, a Leeds representation of Sandy and Clément’s personal experiences and the professional journey they’ve been on. While it takes cues from those places they’ve worked, it’s truly their own, complete with a food and drink offering that highlights the best of French fare. They’re open right now in the centre of Horsforth, so what are you waiting for? Treat yourself to a culinary experience Leeds has been crying out for.

Bavette, 4-6 Town Street, Horsforth, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS18 4RJ. It’s open from 6pm to 10pm, Wednesday and Thursday, 12pm to 10pm, Friday and Saturday, and from 12pm to 4pm on Sundays.

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Joseph Sheerin Senior Writer

Joseph was one of the longest-serving members of the Leeds-List team. Having lived in Leeds for over 15 years, he knows the city inside out. From restaurants and gig venues to walking routes and coffee shops, he’s explored it all and written about the experience.

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