Thursday 22 May 2014

Soul Kitchen, Holmfirth

10 - 12 Dunford Rd. Holmfirth | 01484 687 575 | soulkitchenholmfirth.co.uk | @SoulKitchenHD9

Type of Food: American

Price:  £20 per person (Starters, Main, Drinks)
Occasion: Bank Holiday Lunch with friends
Date Visited: April 2014

Overall Rating: ****

As we have covered in previous blogs, I love American Food. I think I've reviewed them more than any other kind of restaurant. When you think American Food (BBQ and soul food), the picturesque town of Holmfirth nestled in the beautiful Holme Valley is not going to be top of anyones list. But in one of the beautiful stone buildings lies Soul Kitchen. We came here with an American friend so the pressure was on. 

Atmosphere:
I read some of the reviews on Tripadvisor before setting off on my cross county road trip just to make sure it was going to be worth it and one of the (unfair) criticisms was the decor. To be blunt its not normally something I'm that bothered about. I wouldn't say it was very authentic, there weren't any booths and the tables are standard restaurant tables and chairs (albeit high quality with custom padding) but the room was bright, airy and clean so I'm not really sure what anyone could complain about. 
The picture above shows the paintings on wall and its clear a lot of effort has gone into it. Its fun and vibrant and I'm not sure who could be offended by it. 
From the website and menus its clear that the owners are going for American Food with a definite Yorkshire slant on service and the decor reflects that - I hope if they see that they'll know I mean that in a good way. 

Service:
I love tripadvisor and my favourite thing is when owners reply to criticism (you often get to see both sides of the story and you get an idea of their character). The main criticism of Soul KItchen is the time it takes for the food to arrive. It did take a while for it to turn up. BUT on the table there is a disclaimer that all the food is made fresh to order and that its not fast food. To top it off the food is fresh and  locally sourced (this is part of the reason I like to visit independently run restaurants). As I think is said on trip advisor, if thats not what you want, Frankie and Bennys or TGI Fridays may be a better bet.
Everyone was perfectly friendly and checked up on us so no complaints there. 

Food:
The menu wasn't what I expected. There was a lot of American food but then again there were a few non-American things which I think were wasting space. There were things on the menu (Biscuits & Country White Gravy most notably) I'd not seen before - my American friend enjoyed seeing that. Meat lovers will feel at home as there was a wide array of different meats cooked in different ways it was a challenge to choose.
Going back to the idea of a Yorkshire Taste on America there was definitely a few reminders of GOC on the Menu (The Yorkshire Terrier Dog and, Yorkshire Soul Burger) nestled amongst the food of the Deep South.
We ordered a few starters to share - I cant choose just one on an American menu. The pickles could have done with a bit longer friend for me but the others certainly enjoyed it. It was all very enjoyable. 
The mains were really enjoyable as well. There is a good choice of Burgers (I had the Mexican Burger), hot dogs and others I was well and truly stuffed. Every restaurant needs a 'special' something you cant get anywhere else and at Soul Kitchen it was the Waffle Burger. It certainly was a monstrosity (good thing) and one of the party ordered and enjoyed it. The burgers themselves - the meaty part -  was clearly homemade and was definitely a British take on it (quality mince and herbs). Sometimes American food - even good American food can 'feel' mass produced and these certainly didn't.  

Final Thoughts:
The food was really very good and we all had an enjoyable time which is just what you could hope for . 
Yorkshire (well the entire country) needs more restaurants like this. Ones that are proud of their local ingredients and can bring something new to the table. I hope they do well as a lot of hard work looks to have gone into every aspect of the restaurant from the menu to the decor.