Here are a few dishes we highly recommend you try this month
Congratulations, we've all made it to March. So let's eat. This month, our team have scoured the region for the dishes they can honestly, hand-on-heart, highly recommend are worth your time and money. Satisfying sweetbreads, terrific tempura and perfect pizza, you don’t have to go too far to have a truly global eating experience this month.
Here are the things we recommend you eat and enjoy in and around town right now…
Veal Sweetbreads - The Owl (£13)
As a general rule, if there’s something meaty and slightly non-standard on a menu, I’ll gravitate towards it like a drooling fridge magnet. Granted, sweetbreads aren’t exactly the most exotic entrée in the world, but they definitely fall under the category of ‘not for everyone. Those people are wrong. A well-cooked sweetbread (which the Owl has unsurprisingly achieved) has the slightest hint of crispy give on the outside, which instantly gives way to an impossibly delicate texture that almost melts in your mouth and a creamy, almost sweet flavour that lingers on your tongue. It’s a titanic struggle between hedonism and stomach, the two vying with each other to decide if I pop the whole thing in my mouth in one go, or take tiny, lingering mouthfuls, pausing in between to make irritating, over-the-top “mmmmmmm” noises. In the end, it’s a score draw. The similarly creamy, artichoke-y salsify and smooth, tantalisingly chewy mushrooms that come with the dish make this a memorable starter. Simon Richardson
The Owl, Kirkgate Market, Leeds LS2 7JL
(Read our full review here)
Apple Pie Tempura - Power Corruption & Lies (£6)
I recently went to review Power Corruption & Lies, a new spot on Call Lane. After an array of Pan Asian small plates we finished with apple pie tempura. Being honest, I wasn’t expecting much from it, it read as a simple dish and for all intents and what can one really achieve with battered fruit? But it was just the thing that I’ve been missing. Granny Smith slices are tempuraed and coated in a generous dumping of light brown sugar. They maintain their crunch in the centre, but have a softness near the surface. Soy caramel is a playful meeting of umami and sticky sweetness, balancing the acidity of the apple. And a dollop of rich vanilla ice cream is all that is needed to finish most self-respecting puds. I’ll never order banana fritters again. Anja Madhvani
Power, Corruption, and Lies, 36 Call Ln, Leeds LS1 6DT
Crazy Salmon Lover Roll - Senbon Sakura (£10.00)
Who doesn’t have days when they feel a bit like a crazy salmon roll? I love Senbon Sakura, with it’s paper lanterns and J-Pop girl groups bouncing buoyantly on the big screen. For £10.00, seven rolls are laid out like a sushi staircase across a wooden tray. The Itamae’s gone nuts with the Japanese mayo, which zig-zags over the top, followed by a flutter of micro cress. A millimetre scraped from the Plasticine ball of wasabi evacuates your nostril hairs in exactly the way it should. I don’t know how anyone eats these without a knife and fork. It’s the inside-out, uramaki kind, crammed with salmon, avocado, and tiny matchsticks of cucumber. The fluorescent orange masago crunch contrasts with the gratifyingly gluey rice. It beats late night half-price Wasabi any day. Sarah Cotterill
Senbon Sakura Cafe & Japanese Kitchen, 71 Great George St, Leeds LS1 3BR
Pizza Americana – Mamma Mia (£9.50)
There’s a fair bit of hot pizza action going down in Leeds right now, and I’m sure it’s all very decent. But, for a slice of the unfussy and the family-friendly, head a few miles down the road to Bradford, where the pizzas at decades-old trattoria Mamma Mia are just as satisfying and come with a thick wedge of old-school hospitality to boot. While some restaurants bang on about their custom-built imported ovens, this place went the extra 1500 miles and chopper’d in an actual Neapolitan chef to operate theirs, and I’ve been knocking back the Americana for years. Yep, the vast hand-spun disk - blistered crust, molten cheese - is my highlight, but it’s as much for the conviviality, the consistency and the occasional shouty outbursts between staff that keep punters going back. Richard Miller
Mamma Mia, 3 Upper Piccadilly, Bradford BD1 3PE
Burratini - Heaney & Mill (£7)
If you’re anything close to a fan of burrata, chances are you’ve spent at least a short reflective moment dreaming about having a whole one to yourself. Am I right? Well, you’ll be pleased to know that this month, I found a way to make this dream come true without bringing on a bout of dairy-induced hives. Burratini. I had to ask to double check, but turns out it is exactly as it sounds – a one-person sized ball of creamy, fluffy burrata. Heaney & Mill served it nestled in a sweet tomato ragu, drizzled with balsamic glaze and topped with a crispy, cheesy brioche crust. Glorious. Kate Ryrie
Heaney & Mill, 48-50 Otley Road, Leeds LS6 2AL
Read our full review here
