‘In our style’: What to expect as team behind Elbows on the Table take over The Cardigan Arms kitchen
“We’ve put a few bits on that are maybe a little, pushing the boat out for the regular clientele”
Regulars at a pub in Leeds might start to notice a few changes the next time they pick up a food menu.
The Cardigan Arms, which was named among the best pubs in the country earlier this year, has had its kitchen taken over by the team behind Elbows on the Table.
John Kelly, the founder of the Wellington Street restaurant, teased that the menu might “push the boat out” a little bit but promised that it will still have a “pub-feel”.
The pub is part of the Kirkstall Brewery family, which John was also a co-founder of. He says that the food will be in Elbows ‘style’, although you can still get classics like fish and chips.
Elbows on the Table took over the kitchen at the Cardigan Arms on Tuesday (October 13) and they are looking forward to welcoming people down.
John said: “I was insanely lucky to be a part of Kirkstall Brewery when it started and this was our second pub, I think it is probably my favourite. It has got a hell of a lot of character.
“It is something that I am really excited about, looking after the kitchen because Elbows is very much more wine-led, deli focused, cheese boards, and we’ve tried to do something a bit more pub-feeling. We’ve kept all the classics from Elbows, we still use all the same suppliers, the ethos from it is the same: we don’t do a whole lot with the food.
“We’ve been doing this long enough to find the people who are best at what they do, so we’ve just brought them all together. Everyone is a big part of Elbows development and my life.
He continued: “We’ve put a few bits on that are maybe a little, pushing the boat out for the regular clientele that I’ve been used to dealing with but hopefully they like it. We are always open to feedback and we’ve put on a lot more vegetarian options than we normally would.
“The salt beef is still here but maybe taking a back-seat for a little while, we’ve obviously gone with fish and chips but in our style. Cottage pie instead of a pastry pie but we’ve laced that with some interesting cheese from Andy at the Courtyard.
“It’s been really exciting to start and hopefully people come down and check it out, let us know what they think.”