Leeds is going to be busy this weekend, with the 10k run on Sunday, and the weather forecast looking somewhat positive! Here are a few of my current favourite places for food in the city.

For Brunch:

Taste, Holbeck

Taste has just celebrated its first birthday. This cafe and sandwich shop serves up good quality food to eat in or take away in the heart of Holbeck’s Urban Village. Taste has a goal of making eating good food quick, easy and convenient for those who live, work and visit the local area. Owner Sharon will be sure to give you the warmest welcome.

At weekends they serve up a dedicated weekend menu, emphasizing the importance of brunch on a lazy Saturday or Sunday morning. On this menu you can find potato stacks and fritters, pancakes, porridges and much more. On my last visit I enjoyed their special of the day; slow cooked pork with smokey black beans, avocado and sour cream. It was really delicious.

Excitingly to add, that this is the place I’ll be hosting my next supper club in September!

Taste, 3 Saw Mill Yard, Holbeck, LS11 5WH

Opening times: Weekends 10am-4pm, as well as week days 8am-4pm

Website:https://www.taste-yorkshire.com/taste-menu/

For Lunch:

OWT, Kirkgate Markets

One of mine and Thomas’s favourite places in Leeds, and most frequently visited, well it is just around the corner form work!

Esther and James serve up a weekly changing menu using products from fellow market traders. On offer are hearty portions of meat, fish and vegan dishes, always served with amazing tasty sides. If there’s room left, or to take away as I have been known to, Esthers cakes are not to be missed. As the place is small, it often looks busy, but don’t walk past or you’ll never know what you are missing!

To find out more about the couple and their ever-growing popular eatery, read my Leeds Living review I wrote earlier on this year http://leedsliving.co.uk/?s=owt. A much better-known food critic, Jay Rayner, recently gave OWT a mention in one of his guardian reviews referring their grilled Cheese sandwich to a ‘comfortable pair of jeans!’

OWT, Unit Bs4b Row 1, Kirkgate Markets, LS2 7HN

Opening times: Monday – Saturday 8.30am – 4.30pm

Website:https://www.owtleeds.com

Eat Your Greens, New York Street

Although not a fully vegetarian eatery, vegetables are the focus of the dishes at Eat Your Greens. They are not shy to experiment, which makes their dishes exciting and different, from Leek and Fennel Fritters, to Oat and Lentil Mejadra (Middle Eastern Lentils) with spiced Chutney. Vegan options are always on offer.

Read Thomas’s Leeds Living review to find out more about the eatery and what to expect.

http://leedsliving.co.uk/food-drink/vegetarian-and-vegan-in-leeds-1-eat-your-greens/

Eat Your Greens, 42, New York Street, LS2 7DY

Opening times: Monday – Saturday 11.00am – 11.00pm (10pm close on Sunday)

Website: https://www.eatyourgreensleeds.co.uk

For Tea/Dinner:

Kerala,

Possibly one of the most modest and underrated Indians in Leeds. You don’t see them flaunting themselves as much as the likes of more well known Bundobust, Tharavadu and Cats Pyjamas. If you didn’t’ know it was there, you could easily walk past the entrance, which takes you up a flight of stairs to this first-floor restaurant.

Don’t be put of by the dated deco, it reminds me of places in my home town of Oldham, where we’d go after a night out back in the late 1990’s, in my late teens-early twenties.

Expect to find authentic Southern Indian dishes from Dosa’s to Thali’s and tasty chefs specials. They also offer a wide range of vegan and gluten free options. The flavours are incredible, and value for money simply ridiculous! In addition, there is also a waiter who can remember everyone’s order from memory, now that’s impressive!

Kerala, 2 Eastgate, The Headrow, Leeds LS2 7JL

Opening times: Monday – Saturday 12pm – 10.30pm

Website:https://kerala-restaurant.com

Rosa Thai, Trinity

(Rosas King Prawn & Grapefruit Salad is not to be ignored!)

A new addition to Leeds Trinity, I visited here last month to review it for Leeds Living. If Thai is your ‘go to food’, then you must visit Rosa’s.

I love the quote on Rosa’s website, which truly sums up their food ‘Rosa serves honest Thai food with a whole lot of spice and enough soul to fill the Mekong River.’  Since my backpacking days around South East Asia in 2003, I’ve only found a handful of places that serve authentic Asian food, and Rosa’s is one of these places. Extra sugar isn’t added to dishes, nor less spice used, to appease the delicate Western palate; they go straight in there will full flavours and spice, as real Thai food should do!

Chef Saiphan has created every dish on the menu herself, based on family recipes or inspirations from places where she has lived.  I was informed by one of the managers that their coconut milk is imported from a coconut farm in Thailand, as are all the spices, making their flavours as authentic as possible. In addition, Rosa caters well for vegetarians, vegans and gluten intolerances.

Read my full review at: http://leedsliving.co.uk/food-drink/rosas-thai-cafe-impresses-at-trinity/

Happy Weekend!

x The Messy Cook x