Restaurant Review: 1573

There’s something about steak specifically and red meat generally that’s kinda primeval, visceral almost. I think we’re meant to eat it. Cue howls of outrage from all the vegetarians, and those folk who witter on about ‘cutting right down on red meat’, but you walk by any decent burger place (basically, one with plates) and you won’t see many empty tables. As for restaurants, would menus still be laden with it if there weren’t plenty of ravenous carnivores chomping at the juicy bit? I don’t think so.

As someone whose relationship with red meat facilitates moonlighting at the Tower of London, when the opportunity arose to review new restaurant, 1573 Bar & Grill, I was first to stake my claim.

Named after the year the building was completed (it’s one of the oldest School houses in the country, and former home to Leicester Grammar School) the restaurant recently opened after a sympathetic refurbishment. The stone walls and beams are intact and it’s kitted out simply with dark wood furniture.

The balance has been struck just right – it’s not so overdone you’d feel uncomfortable popping in for lunch with your dressed down workmates, but the room’s aesthetic and clean lines ensure you’re at ease in your glad rags at dinner. We were warmly greeted and shown to our table, up the statement glass and wood staircase, which dominates the room. There were quite a few people in considering it was early on a Monday night, the proximity of the cinema and Highcross probably have something to do with that.

A balanced wine list and an extensive champagne list are a welcome touch. There’s only one wine (per colour) available by the glass though, and no half bottles – a regular quibble I face as a lone wine drinker when out with my other half.

The menus are short and to the point. None of your florid explanations so common in current restaurant parlance. It’s spilt into easy to read sections, and being a grill, covers seafood and meat with some limited vegetarian options. There’s a separate lunch menu with lighter salads and baguettes at pub food prices too. The starters are well chosen so despite there not being many, it’s unlikely you’d not find one to your taste. The dough balls were good and the garlic mushrooms were served in a huge bowl with a couple of slices of crusty bread. They were flavoursome, but I’d have preferred them a little garlickier and a smaller portion more appropriate for a starter.

We both had steak for our main course – as they are star of the 1573 show it’d be rude not to. A large section of the menu is allocated to them and I particularly liked the cooking preference guide with notes on the six cooking variations available. Ours were cooked to perfection and it’s evident the meat is well sourced. They were served with a mountain of chips and a salad ‘garnish’ that covered half the (large oval) plate. This was a serious amount of food, go there hungry.

In the interests of a thorough review we ordered dessert. I managed a spoonful or so of a yummy apple tart – great pastry and the cinnamon ice cream accompaniment was amazing. The sticky toffee pudding was more cakey than pudding but didn’t suffer for this.

Friendly, patient service (one of the waiters maintained composure beyond the call of duty with the, shall we say, slightly doddery couple on the next table) and the best quality steaks I’ve encountered from a restaurant for a considerable time mean 1573 is a welcome addition to the Leicester restaurant scene.

Food 8 Service 8 Value 9  (£70 for drinks and three courses each)

If you’re looking for a Christmas menu with a twist (no turkey!) then their three course set menu is good value at £24.95.  You have to book for this and they can cater for large groups. Keep an eye out for special offers in January and an announcement for Valentine’s Day.

1573 Bar & Grill is @ Highcross Street, Highcross, Leicester.  Tel 0116 251 6879  fifteenseventythree.com