Ecco Pizzeria Review, Roundhay Leeds

Do you know those days when the sun is shining, it's the weekend and you've got an awesome day out planned? I just love those days and this summer has been full of them so far. Time needs to slow down though, as it's zipping by way too fast and I'm not done with light nights and hazy summer days yet.

Last weekend was just one of those times when the stars aligned and a few things happened all at once. We headed off to Leeds with our bezzies from Eat Sleep Love Travel for a day of fun and frolics.  Firstly, we had the opportunity to try Tick Tock Unlock, which, if you've not heard of it before, is a puzzle room game where you get locked in a themed room for 60 minutes and have to solve clues to get out before your time is up.
Now if you've got an over active imagination like me, you'll be thinking of a horror movie type scene where if you don't make it out in time you're locked in forever more and subjected to torture, like say, being forced to watch repeats of Star Trek, or whatever your own personal hell is.

But luckily we never found out as we solved the clues and made it out with a couple of minutes to spare. I won't spoil the surprise but it was a lot of fun and the four of us were immensely happy that we cracked it. It's actually more Sherlock Holmes than Saw and channeling your inner detective is very cool and made me want to buy a tweed cape.
Afterwards we were famished from all of the high level brain activity and rather handily we'd been invited by Ecco Pizzeria to try their new restaurant in Roundhay. They already have one in Headingly, which we almost ended up at by mistake (oops) but the Roundhay restaurant is a new addition.
We rolled up to find a fresh looking concept with a nice outdoor seating area, perfect for soaking up a bit of sun. The bifold doors were thrown completely open revealing a small but inviting space inside, so we grabbed a spot on the decking and placed an order for our drinks.
Having expended so much energy in the puzzle room, we were rather looking forward to a beer but at the moment this restaurant isn't licensed but we were assured it would be soon. Given it was only the middle of the afternoon, we got a hold of ourselves and decided to sample the amazing looking milkshakes on the menu.
A couple of us opted for the Nutella milkshake, which was just out of this world dreamy, creamy and just like dessert in a glass.
The Carnivore (him) opted for the Salted Caramel milkshake which was also just a dream and our other friend went for the healthy option of the Vitamin Booster Smoothie which contained mango, banana and even bee pollen and by all accounts was delicious.
After a while the wind picked up a little so we headed inside to check out the inside of the restaurant. Comfy sofas lined the walls The kitchen was fully open at the back and we could see the enormous pizza oven inside. I love having a good nosey in restaurant kitchens; it really does add a bit of theatre to a place.
Trying desperately not to fill up on my Nutella milkshake, I was glad when the food arrived quickly. The Herbivore (me) and the Carnivore (him) had been lured in by the awesome sounding half a metre long pizza. I defy anyone not to want to take on that challenge if presented with it and with our usual eyes bigger than belly approach, we valiantly took it on.
 
The great thing about the metre long pizza is that you can have two separate flavours or even make your own toppings, so we got one half Quattro Stagioni for the Carnivore and the interesting sounding Fig and Goats Cheese for those of a herbivore persuasion.
Our friends went for the Meatball pizza and a scrummy looking seafood pasta dish, which was the envy group. We also ordered some wedges and a garlic bread for the table but it wasn't hungry so we had to step in (ho ho ho).

Quiet descended whilst we tackled the food mountain before us. I really liked the flavour combination of the sweet fig with the salty goats cheese, with salty sweet always being a winning flavour combo for me. The addition of the rocket also added a nice peppery taste the mix.

The Stagioni also went down very well and I wasn't disappointed when a few juicy artichokes snuck their way onto my side of the board. The meatballs were well cooked and flavoursome but the pizza base could have done to have been more crisp. This was a slight issue on the half metre pizza too but not as much. The toppings were very generous, so this may have been the reason and it certainly didn't affect the taste.

After devouring the lot and gulping down the rest of my milkshake like the cat that got the cream, we groaned about how full we were but felt that we'd been fully restored after our exertions in the puzzle room.
Tummies lined with yummy food, we found the perfect getaway car and set off in search of that refreshing beer in the sun in Leeds.

Have you been to one of the Escape puzzle rooms yet? I'd love to hear about your pizza restaurant recommendations if you've been somewhere really cool.
*this is a collaborative post but as always views are honest and my own

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