Descending the stairs into the dining area, one finds the space just as inviting as the exterior would suggest and is cosily rather than claustrophobically subterranean, with liberal application of floral decoration and a mixture of seating styles. Coming onto the menu is where things get really appealing as it draws heavily on Bobby’s Keralan heritage to deliver small plates rooted in Indian traditions that are hearty, comforting and quite remarkable value. It’s initially a touch tricky to get a handle on how many of the dishes to order as one might assume the pricing means they’re fancied up, tiny versions of the promised dish. Bobby promised that this wasn’t the case though so we set about the document and picked seven likely suspects to make up an indulgent meal. Dishes arrive as and when they are ready, further underscoring the casual nature of the occasion, so we relaxed into our Kingfisher and Chai to await the first arrival, which turned out to be mini-poppadoms and chutneys that were the perfect morsel to pick at and came in a broader variety than the usual curry-house standards and with richly spiced dips.

The next tranche of dishes to arrive were spiced calamari, fried chicken, beef and bone marrow curry and chicken kothu porotta. This selection was quickly augmented by basmati rice and a broccoli dosa which had the combined impact of making our table look and smell remarkably appetising. The beef and bone marrow curry was deeply rich with a generous spicing (for my puny tolerance anyway) and a healthy pop of ginger all of which made it a happy vessel for the rice to carry. Calamari was tender with a crispy curry-leaf infused batter and samphire garnish for a minor twist, curry mayo adding another hit of flavour while the Trivandrum fried chicken lived up to the lofty expectations Bobby set for it, by turns crispy on initial bite before yielding softly and dropping a whole bunch of flavour off. Comfortably some of the best fried chicken I’ve eaten and pushed even further upwards in my estimations by the accompanying fried garlic yoghurt. The other chicken dish used layers of flaky bread for a textural point of difference and was again well judged and satisfying which just left the dosa which could have taken a more generous helping of broccoli but did its job in good spirits. Had I been able to restrain myself with mains more effectively I would have tucked into jaggery-accented sticky toffee pudding or cardamom dusted chocolate brownie, both of which seem like reason for a return visit.

The cost attracted by all this food was only £42, which makes Kerala Canteen Leeds a pretty eye-catching bargain for a quality meal for two in attractive surrounds. With drinks at a sensible price too it’s easy to see this as a regular fixture in the social calendar of Leeds residents with hugely tempting balance of quality and value to be had. Bobby is a thoroughly nice chap but sadly that’s not enough to guarantee success in a crowded market going through turbulent times. On the evidence of this trip though, he can rely on the food and atmosphere as much as his personality to win through.

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You can find Tharavadu Leeds just a short stumble down the hill from the train station, adjacent to the similarly esteemed Bundobust. It’s not the most flamboyant frontage but has a welcoming atmosphere as you enter, with the walls embellished by the signatures of esteemed customers such as Kier Starmer! It didn’t take long for our server to furnish us with cold beers and some satisfying crunchy bits to dip in a variety of pickles while we waited for the main event to begin.

The Signature chicken dosa was an obvious place to start and arrived in a show of conical majesty, concealing the spiced filling. These savoury pancake style dishes have deservedly gained traction in the UK over the last ten years or so since I came across one first in Nottingham around 2008 but I can’t think of one that compares to this example. With a delicate crunch to the lightly spiced pancake and a lustrous, rich filling with well judged heat this is an instantly iconic dish that should be mandatory when visiting Tharavadu Leeds.

We’d ordered everything to come as it was ready, so a beef dish came next. Pothu Peralan delivered a generous quantity of the meat which was elevated by pungent curry leaves, onion and coconut with spicing generously advancing forward as you chew. We also picked a Meen Koottan fish curry promising notes of tamarind while proclaiming itself one of the most ordered dishes on the menu, with good reason as it turned out. One rather gets the impression that there isn’t a duff note on the menu but everything we ordered felt like it could have been a highlight. Without exception each dish was best-in-show of its ilk, comforting and generous with huge depths of character making it a challenge to stop mopping up the sauces with the breads we’d ordered. It’s really hard to recommend Tharavadu Leeds enough. I appreciate Mr Rayner’s opinion probably carries more weight than mine, but I also hope you’d put a bit of trust in me too. I’m still thinking about that chicken dosa, and those morsels of beef would be something I’d happily pick over for hours on end. You’ll not regret visiting.

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Flat Iron are continually celebrated for their quality offering and affordable pricing, making great steak accessible to everyone. The menu is led by the signature Flat Iron Steak; meticulously seam-butchered from the shoulder, the steak is tender, juicy and full of flavour. The menu also boasts an array of sides, including truffled macaroni cheese, crispy bone marrow garlic mash and homemade beef dripping chips.

The Flat Iron team have had roots in the North for over 10 years, with their own herd of cattle which has been reared under the watchful eye of third-generation beef farmer, Charles Ashbridge. Nestled in the hills above Sutton Bank in Thirsk, the Flat Iron herd thrive on luscious pastures, homemade hay, rolled barley, molasses and nuts. The Flat Iron herd beef features on the menu in their iconic Bearnaise Cheeseburger.

Leeds diners can also take their pick from the drinks menu, consisting of a curated selection of wine, cocktails and local draught beers. The team have their very own Flat Iron Malbec on offer, expertly blended using grapes grown in the Limoux area of the Languedoc in southern France.

When asked about the opening, Flat Iron’s Head of Beef, Fred Smith says “Yorkshire is the home of our Flat Iron herd, so it felt only natural to open a Flat Iron in Leeds with our very own beef just a few miles away. We’re really looking forward to bringing great steak to the North and welcome new guests to the Flat Iron family.

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A few years ago I was lucky enough to cover the launch of the 30th Anniversary edition of the Mazda MX-5 which took place in the Cotswolds at Caffeine & Machine, a motoring themed cafe that turns the car park into one of the main attractions thanks to the number of quality machines that attend. The Motorist mines a similar vein, with my Volvo family car not drawing much attention as we arrive and park near a Ferrari and a well preserved MK1 Toyota MR2. The Arnage has a large expanse of glass along the side that had been opened up as we arrived, letting in the sun and allowing you to inspect the car park more easily. Regardless of the bifolds being open it’s an expansive and light space, with a vintage car parked by the welcome desk of course. As always I’d made a thorough traverse of the menu before arriving so we were able to quickly focus on taking in the timber framed building and enjoying a cold drink.

Wood pigeon doesn’t appear on menus nearly enough so was an obvious candidate which was joined by an olive and tomato tian with lovage which piqued my interest. The pigeon paired nicely with rhubarb and a few bitter chicory leaves which took a knife to the gamey tang in the tender pigeon. Further balance in the dish was given by honey granola which took on a dual role, balancing bitterness while also adding texture. The tian, topped with crisps of bread, was augmented with a pea and spinach sauce at the table for freshness and made for a light and enjoyable dish that would bear re-ordering.

Little Fork’s chicken and chips arrived with pragmatic speed to keep her occupied while our mains were quick to arrive too, with lamb and sea bream winning the competition from the centre section of the menu. The fillet of sea bream topped a fine shallot and tomato tart and was in turn topped with a generous quenelle of black olive tapenade which seasoned the other elements of the dish well. Lamb was served rather rare, maybe worth noting if that’s something you might struggle with, and alongside a spiced lamb pressing, roasted apricot and okra to form a relatively unusual dish in these parts. Shot through with with zingy spices, the pressed lamb and the rare rump were quite the contrast and transacted neatly with the okra and apricot to make up a dish redolent of the middle east but not too challenging for our English palates. My habit for dessert recently has been increasingly toward creme brûlée and the example served up at The Arnage at The Motorist did its job in bringing the meal to a sweet conclusion, throwing in some raspberries as well as a bit of sorrel for an original note.

The Motorist is an impressively broad operation, equally able to sell you some pick n’ mix or a bacon butty while you admire the metal in the car park or turn out an impressive seasonal dinner such as this one, which also kept the junior member of the party happy too. It’s a little out of the way but completely justifies the short hop from York to check out what it has to offer; I’m thinking Sunday lunch would be a good excuse even if my Volvo is never going to be the pick of the car park.

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Fleur Leeds is based in The Light so just a short walk from the train station and easy to find for me and Ellen from Leeds Food Tours, who joined me to offer another expert opinion. The Light opened in 2001 and is home to a wide range of retail, hospitality and experiential businesses and entering into Fleur feels like you’re very much in a space with its own character. Clearly a huge amount of effort has gone into making this feel like an escape from real life, and with plants, butterflies, neon and bold decor in abundance, it certainly makes sure that there’re plenty of spots to grab the perfect selfie or snap of your dinner.

The menu is presented via a QR code on your smart device complete with pics so it’s easy to get a feel for portion sizes and what’s on the plate. We plumped for spiced lamb chops and calamari to kick things off at our table which looked into the interior of The Light, perfect for people watching! There’s a playfulness to the food here; Bobby is clearly unwilling to be hemmed in by convention, and the purple swirl on top of which my lamb chops sat was an amusing embellishment. All the presentation in the world is for nothing though if the food doesn’t taste the part and this is not lost amongst the glitz. Perfectly tender chops and a well seasoned base of crushed potato made a hearty and balanced start that mixed in a hint of spice from a light mango marinade. Calamari was cooked to the point of retaining a pleasant resistance when biting into it without a hint of unwanted chewiness, and it was lifted by a good punch of kimchi.

My main of king prawn udon noodles used more of that kimchi which mixed through the thick noodles for a nice kick which was in good proportion with the garlic and pepper elements and generous amount of prawns. I’m a big believer that a fried egg on top of most dishes is an improvement, none more so than here. The Katsu that arrived at the other side of the table used harissa to lift the chicken and seasoned the rice with turmeric for another twist that’s perhaps likely to irritate a few purists but which we enjoyed. The sauce had just the hint of heat you would want or expect from a katsu and this was another vividly presented and generously portioned dish.

By this point we were pretty stuffed but strong encouragement to try a dessert resulted in a cornflake tart with custard which was spotted with purple edible flowers. The crispy, delicate tart case was rammed with treacly cornflakes and the warm custard made an indulgent and memorable end to the meal.

I knew that Bobby Geetha was a serious chef who was unlikely to let appearance get in the way of taste, and with an appearance on Great British Menu to his name you know he’s got proper pedigree. I did still have a nagging worry that Fleur Leeds would tip a bit too much to the insta’ hungry crowds but that was totally unfounded and each element of the meal was well resolved and had flavour to match the presentation.

Disclaimer – PR meal at no cost.

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Uniquely Local curate a large number of diverse experiences under one umbrella, including experiences to enjoy at home and experiences provided at many third parties across the north of England with a good number of foodie experiences on offer from popular businesses such as Yorkshire Heart, Courtyard Dairy and Cooper King. I was keen though to check out the Leeds Food Tour, so picked a convenient Saturday and joined a colourfully inhabited train, taking my seat in a carriage featuring about 30% fancy dress! The centre of Leeds was positively buzzing as I easily found the group who would be joining me on the tour which was led by business owner Ellen, who immediately made the group feel at home.

I won’t spoil every stop but it doesn’t take much of a stretch of imagination to guess that Kirkgate Market was involved, as well as one of my favourite central Leeds pubs that has a beautiful copper topped bar and is tucked off a main shopping street. At £55 it was priced in line with similar experiences that I’ve had in cities in the UK, Europe and America but you can be reassured you’ll get your mouth around a significant amount of food in that time too. The offering changes according to the venue’s menus of course but we enjoyed a fish finger sandwich, beer, oyster, Yorkshire puddings and tacos amongst other things. Drinks were available at most of the stops too if you fancy throwing a couple of extra beers/wine/cocktails into the mix.

The complete tour took around 4 hours and was illuminating on the history of Leeds centre as well as the specific venues we stopped at. A few of the stops were new to me so if that’s the case then it’s pretty likely that most fans of Leeds food scene will find something new here. As should be obvious, I thoroughly enjoyed my afternoon with the Leeds Food Tour, taking great pleasure in reacquainting myself with some of the local big hitters as well as adding a few new ones to the list to revisit.

This is just one of the experiences available from Uniquely Local. I’ve gone through my reasons for picking this one earlier but I could just have easily have ended up touring a vineyard, making cheese, making chocolate or putting my hands to work making cocktails. Laying aside my obvious preference for food related experiences there’s even more to go at such as quad biking, axe throwing, alpaca walking or blacksmithing…a Crime Scene Investigation experience day caught my eye too! Definitely a top spot to browse for a birthday treat or next time you fancy indulging yourself.

(Ad – PR experience)

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Fint is the new incarnation of Fettle which, prior to the rupture of 2020, was making its name as a relaxed venue to enjoy Scandi-influenced dishes and all set for a refresh to take it to the next level. Skipping forward over the aforementioned interruption to our lives and Fint is absolutely buzzing when I arrive around midday on a Sunday to get stuck into their brunch dishes. The small dining space is beautifully appointed with wood from a local craftsperson and squeezes in enough of a crowd for an atmosphere without getting greedy enough to impair your passage through it. The Fint Leeds brunch menu handles the transition between brunch and lunch neatly with a reasonably equitably division between more traditional brunch dishes and more typical lunch dishes.

One of the more intriguing dishes on the menu was a Lamb Crumpet Benedict that was never likely to escape my curiosity and the other side of the table went for the equally intriguing “Strangle the Priest Pasta” while a nice Albarino lubricated proceedings admirably. At the risk of common sense overtaking my appetite, I added a second crumpet and poached egg to the lamb dish that made it a formidable sight when it arrived, with lemon and dill Hollandaise crowning the braised lamb shank and poached eggs. I’d wondered if all this would result in an over-caloried start to the day that left one weighed down and lethargic but thankfully everything was neatly balanced with just the right sense of indulgence that didn’t tip into excess.

Strangle the Priest (Strozzapreti) pasta can trace its name back to various, presumably apocryphal to varying degrees, stories that all seem to have roots in the resentment of the clergy many years ago in various regions of Italy. Regardless of etymology though these are elongate, twisted ribbons of pasta that hold a sauce well and were a vivid shade of pink in that dish that served them with beetroot, watercress and coconut cream with options to augment including salmon, lamb or halloumi. I took up the latter option after asking my server which they would opt for and was more than happy with the resulting vibrant and satisfying dish including a generous amount of the headlining halloumi and beetroot.

In Swedish fint translates to “fine” which is rather understating what’s been achieved here. With a beautifully detailed and relaxing dining space in which to enjoy original dishes that justify their individuality fully, this is a delightful spot to dine in throughout the day. My only regret is the realisation that there’s an evening menu available now that will really let Fint stretch its legs and broaden its appeal even further. In some regions ‘fint’ can also mean “a find”; Fint is certainly that.

(Disclaimer – PR meal at no cost)

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For each £150 donation, Zarach provides a child who needs and deserves a good night sleep with a bed set worth £500: making their day, week, year and Christmas all in one bundle. Throwing its burger-shaped weight behind the cause, Slap & Pickle has launched the #KidsInBlankets charity appeal; pledging to raise enough money to buy 100 beds this December.

25p from every item purchased from Slap & Pickle’s Christmas Menu will go directly to the cause, so there’s no better time to treat yourself to a festive feast. There will also be the opportunity to donate in-house, and customers are most welcome to add their own fundraising ideas to the mix. Want to learn, and do, more? Pop over to www.justgiving.com/fundraiser/kidsinblankets for more information and to make a direct donation. If this has resonated, please do share the love and help spread the word so we can get as many #KidsInBlankets as possible this Christmas.

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The Owl is the second venture from the creators of “Home”, a fine dining restaurant in the heart of Leeds that’s been earning plaudits since its launch a few years ago. While I’ve been lucky enough to pop by Home for an occasional chat with the owners, I’ve never quite made it round to going through its full dining experience, but I’ve heard enough good things to be confident in its standard, which I fully expected to be reflected upon at The Owl.

Lurking amongst its menus is a lunchtime grazing platter for two, which only runs to £30 and looked to represent fantastic value while hitting the majority of the dishes we’d have chosen anyway. With that decision made and a carafe of gewürztraminer selected as accompaniment, we settled into our seats to watch the chefs work in the small open kitchen, which also featured a couple of counter seats for a lucky few to get up close. The platter arrived after an appropriate interval in which to make friends with the wine and was strikingly served on a tray whose dimensions perfectly suited the constituent parts of the meal. First to catch my eye were the bite sized crumpets topped with smoked cod roe and wild boar jam which were quickly despatched, and truthfully should have been more than a single bite but for my gluttony. These were playful and made great use of their ingredients to start us off in memorable fashion. Next up oysters, never my favourite but improved greatly by being baked given a savoury topping. We then moved onto cottage pie. Cottage pie isn’t a dish I cook often and is ripe to disappoint based on my memories of the frozen versions I occasionally went for as a student. Obviously though this execution was many steps removed from those mundanities, topping red deer with an improbably smooth potato mixture to move lunch along indulgently and with great flair.

“The Owl” Caesar salad was next, topped with crispy coated quails eggs whose yolks were exactly the desired consistency and, making use of sharp anchovies, this was another bold dish of big flavours that still achieved equilibrium. Marinated Sea Bream with pickled onions was last to inspire debate about equitable portion distribution as we stretched our appetites out with accompanying bread and marmite butter.

Thirty quid for all that is sensationally good value. I’d not sully an establishment such as this with words like cheap, but euphemisms like accessibly priced seem fair enough. There was no hint of compromise to hit a price point, just well thought through dishes executed with confidence and flair to bring together what must surely be one of the best value lunch options in Leeds at the moment.

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Rudy’s Pizza is situated on New Station Street right in the centre of the city in a former bike shop a conveniently short distance from the train station for a trip from York. It’s one of five restaurants based around Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool that, predictably enough, specialise in pizza. The space they’re serving in is airy and casual, successfully designing in a nice buzz on our lunchtime visit, which took place only a couple of weeks into their tenure in the building. Indeed it was hard to believe that their Leeds opening was so recent given how busy it was. They seemed to have adopted a strategy of giving over table service for reservations while keeping back counter seating for walk ins, a neat compromise.

We picked a sharing “Campana” platter to start the meal which gave us a selection of cured meats to distribute between us along with a generous helping of mozzarella and bread. Perhaps the salad could have done with one or two more sun-dried tomatoes, but this was a fine start to the meal, the wild boar salami in particular provoking a number of justifications as to relative deservedness of the last mouthfuls.

Obviously pizza was always going to be the centrepiece of this meal and thankfully lived up to our high expectations. We went for a Capricciosa and a Portobello, taking the suggestion for the latter to be a white pizza. Pizza toppings are pretty irrelevant if the standard of the base falls short, a fault end that proliferates amongst delivered pizzas which fall into the category of “guilty pleasures not to own up to”. The crusts at Rudy’s Pizza display a decent amount of blistering and char, making them more than just a a sideshow for toppings. Speaking of which, there was no evidence of scrimping here either. Just good quality ingredients left to their own devices in a super hot oven for a short period, given their best opportunity to shine. The combination of fresh vegetables and prosciutto with tomato on the Capricciosa sang a good tune while the Portobello hit entirely different notes with the lack of tomato setting it well apart from its companion pizza.

With none of the pizzas breaching £9 and that starter platter less than £8 this was cracking value, the addition of a couple of beers bringing the total to around £40. Rudy’s Pizza is a great addition to the Leeds food scene that deserves to become a regular for anyone who enjoys decent pizza. Sadly, as of today that can’t be the case. When I started writing this, takeaway was still available but such is the pace of change at the moment, that’s no longer the case. Over the coming weeks and months, it’ll become clearer how food and hospitality can exist most effectively in these disconcerting times, by which point I’m confident many of us will fancy a pizza. I don’t doubt that the guys at Rudy’s are extremely anxious for both their own and their industry’s future. As ways emerge for us to show support, we must make sure we do so in any way we can.

Disclaimer: No charge was made for this meal. Opinions are impartial.

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