Back in 1779, Piece Hall was a centre point of the cloth industry with it as a trading hall. In 2017, it was renovated and this glorious Georgian place is now home to independent shops, boutiques, cafes and restaurants.
After seeing some eye-catching food while passing by the window of Elder, we decided to return for a late brunch. The restaurant has a big bar area by the entrance and to the far end is the small open kitchen. The dining area is light and airy due to the big arched windows. There is wooden seating and also high chairs. If you prefer to sit outdoors, there is an area that overlooks the Piece Hall courtyard.
The Elder brunch menu had a good variety of food. The Mushroom Benedict was made up of crispy potato rostis topped with poached eggs, mushrooms and Bearnaise sauce. Only one egg was requested for this dish and it was asked for it to be cooked with a hard yolk. The sauce with the egg, mushrooms and potato was so tasty.
The second brunch dish was a cheesy polenta. This came with fried portobello and chestnut mushrooms. There was a mushroom ketchup which had a great depth of flavour. The polenta with the mushrooms was a good combination.
As our menu choices heavily featured eggs and mushrooms, the staff spoke to the chef to see if there was something that could be replaced. Instead of the fried egg on the polenta dish, cheesy potatoes were given. The potatoes topped with cheddar and chives came in a little skillet and went well with our meal.
Even though we were quite full, we happily decided to opt for treacle tart for dessert. This homemade treacle tart was sweet and dense. The pastry of the tart was lovely. Together with the vanilla ice cream, the treacle tart was ever so moreish.
For drinks, the hot water with lemon was given in mugs. All of the food at Elder was wonderful and freshly cooked. The presentation of the dishes was pleasing to the eye too.
The staff were so friendly and made us feel relaxed. They were attentive and gave us fantastic service. It was nice that they wanted us to enjoy our time at Elder. They did not rush us in any way to leave the restaurant even when it was getting to the time of the evening service.
Don’t miss the exhibition areas and map rooms in Piece Hall where you can learn about the history of this Yorkshire place. One of our favourite artists, Simone Crossland has a store at Piece Hall called Too Nice To Use. It showcases her original paintings and homewares.
Elder Bar and Kitchen, Unit 17, Piece Hall, Halifax, HX1 1RE
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