Ex-Watermark Bar owner to open new all-day cocktail bar Tabula Rasa
Think speciality coffees, aperitivo and cocktails - with a menu that switches from pastries to small plates, cured meat and cheese as the day progresses
A well-known Leeds bartender and former co-owner of The Watermark Bar is opening Tabula Rasa, a new all-day cocktail spot in Leeds.
Greek bartender Filippos Filippopoulos has revealed his plans to open a new all-day drinking and dining spot in central Leeds later this summer, reports Class Bar Mag.
Called Tabula Rasa, it is due to open at 8 East Gate in late August and promises to bring an authentic aperitivo experience into the city centre.
Focusing on speciality coffees, aperitivo and cocktails; in the day it will house a ground-floor bar serving coffee and pastries, then transition to aperitivo and small plates like salads and sandwiches come the evening.
As the night winds on, this will then switch again to span classic cocktails, cheese and cured meats in truly continental fashion.
Ingredients will come predominantly from Leeds’ Kirkgate Market, and Filippos is keen to source everything as locally as possible - adding that he plans to establish relationships with other suppliers from Leeds, such as local gin distillers.
He is also currently talking to a Leeds-based company about making staff aprons from recycled bottles and plans to use the venue to showcase local art and music.
Filippos Filippopoulos pictured outside former bar The Watermark with then co-owner Dariush Haghighi
Aperitivo and cocktails will focus on "classics done well" with Filippos calling on his 17 years bartending experience to put together his own finely-tuned specs.
There will also be some boozy coffees on offer, like the classic Irish and a signature Mextaxa-coffee cocktail.
Drawing inspiration from day to night venues like The Clumsies in Athens and Dante in New York, Filippos has lofty aspirations for Tabula Rasa.
Interior design inspiration, meanwhile, comes from the likes of Death & Co in Denver and Swift in London: incorporating modern art deco influences with a colour palette of dark green, white and gold.
Filippos Filippopoulos hard at work shaking a cocktail inside The Watermark / Image: The Watermark Bar
Tables will be marble and gold, with green velvet stools and a wooden bar with marble top. Elsewhere, glass bi-folding doors will bring in lots of natural light.
Following the end of social distancing, Tabula Rasa will have room for roughly 55 covers - making it a rather intimate space.
Filippos has also put in an application for an outdoor terrace which would bring the overall capacity up to 100.
Tabula Rasa will open in Leeds in late August, serving from 9am until midnight throughout the week and as late as 2am between Thursday and Saturday.
For more information, follow them on Instagram for further updates.
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
The Swine That Dines announces the official opening date of its brand new restaurant
Clementine Hall
Much-loved Leeds Bistro The Swine Bistro, formerly known as The Swine That Dines, has moved to a bigger space in Headingley.
Although it’s gone through a few name changes over the years since launching as The Greedy Pig cafe in 2012, this independent spot has long been a firm favourite for Leeds locals for some time now.
Run by chef couple Jo and Stu Myers, they’ve been operating out of North Street where it’s all about cooking seasonal produce simply and with an added ‘little bit of sunshine’.
But now Swine Bistro has moved up over to Headingley, taking up a unit previously occupied by Jam hairdressers on Otley Road.
Image: Supplied
And the time has finally come for them to open their doors, as they announce their first service will take place on Friday 4 April with bookings open from today, Thursday 20 March.
The Myers will be welcoming head chef Kirsty Cheetham, who won Observer Food Monthly’s Best Sunday Lunch award in 2018 and 2022 when she ran The Queen o’t owd Thatch in South Milford, Leeds.
The expanded space in the restaurant has allowed the team to curate a bigger wine list which will include natural wines from Wayward Wines and Latitude Wines as well as local beers from Ilkley Brewery and Horsforth Brewery.
Image: Supplied
The team remains passionate about locally sourced ingredients and has partnered with a variety of Yorkshire suppliers including R&J Yorkshire for its fresh meat, Tarbetts fishmonger, cheese from George & Joseph cheesemongers and beans from micro roaster, Chipp Coffee Co.
Jo Myers, co-owner of the Swine Bistro said: “It’s taken a huge amount of time and effort to realise our dream to revamp what was previously a hairdresser into a fully functioning kitchen and restaurant. It’s been a wild ride but we’re excited, and slightly nervous, to finally open our doors.
“We love the vibe in Headingley and the time out has allowed us to have fun with our menu as well as take part in lots of essential taste testing of ingredients and drinks from our brilliant local suppliers. We can’t wait to welcome guests into our new restaurant!”
Georgina Pellant -
22nd June 2021 
