It was a sunny evening when I went looking for somewhere to go out for dinner this week, so went desperately in search of the perfect place to eat outside.
I found it in Heaney & Mill on Otley Road in Headingley - which came highly recommended by friends. It was also a finalist in our own Leeds Loves Awards, and advertises on its website that its chef Tom Rennolds was a finalist on MasterChef.
So my sister and I decided to head down to see if it lived up to the recommendations. It wasn't too busy when we first arrived on a Tuesday evening, but slowly filled up throughout the time we were there as others came to enjoy the sun.
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We sat outside in the restaurant's well-sized outdoor space. The outside area of Heaney & Mill faces south-west, so we got a lovely dose of the evening golden sun.
To go with the lovely weather, we started with a glass of Zinfandel Blush rose to drink each, which was lovely and light.
To start, we shared the honey and sesame glazed chorizo, which came with a pop of colour from the chives and chillies garnishing it. This did not disappoint - the tangy chorizo contrasted really nicely with the sweet honey, and the portion was a good size for the two of us that still left space for the main.
A good thing to point out about Heaney & Mill is its decent wealth of options for people who can't eat gluten. My sister, who is gluten-intolerant, was pleased to see there was gluten free options for most pizzas and many of the mains and starters.
We took a while to decide, but she eventually opted for the seabass and I for the duck. And it didn't take long for starters or mains to come - despite the outside area of the restaurant filling up at this point it felt like we waited barely any time for our food.
The presentation of the food was particularly striking here - lit by the evening sun, both our starter and our mains looked colourful and incredibly appetising.
My sister's seabass consisted of pan-fried seabass, atop a garlic and thyme mash, with king prawns and a dill cream sauce. She's a big fan of a king prawn and really loved this dish.
The crispy seabass was perfectly cooked, and the mash was full of flavour and topped with a vibrant garnish of tomatoes and parsley.
And I went for the confit duck leg, which was served with chorizo, in a sauce of red wine and butter bean cassoulet, with crème fraiche, parmesan and confit tomatoes.
To be honest, as soon as this arrived I knew it was going to be good. The deep red of the tomato and wine sauce was wonderfully rich, and the duck itself tender and succulent. That was complemented by a little zing from the tomatoes and the creaminess from the parmesan and crème fraiche.
In all of the dishes, each flavour came through incredibly to create what I can only describe as just really great dishes.
The service was great and the atmosphere was alight with the buzz of people enjoying the sun, drinks and the food. Heaney & Mill is on the slightly more expensive side, but in my opinion, worth the money for splashing out on a special occasion.
All in all, the food will still be great if you come here and sit inside, but to make full use of where Heaney & Mill is, I recommend booking an outside table on a summer evening and enjoying the sun as you eat.
Bill breakdown
Two 125ml glasses of Zinfandel Blush Rose: £9
Chorizo: £6
Seabass: £20
Duck: £18
Total: £53
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