As 2021 comes to a close, we've been reflecting on our favourite new openings of the year.
Given the vast range of restaurant openings this year, it didn't seem possible to miss out the fantastic cuisine that's landed on our doorstep over the past twelve months.
We've chosen our favourite openings for 2021, with speciality dishes from Korean-Japanese fusion to Vietnamese coffee.
Tucked away on the corner of Merrion Street, Oba Leeds is serving some of the best Korean and Japanese fusion dishes, with a range of vegan-friendly meals available. This hidden gem offers a warm welcome from the the moment you walk through the glass doors. The bright hues of sunflower yellow and bright blue mirror off the panelling and glass windows and match the service, always delivered with a smile, to a tee, since opening in September.
What was formerly Rum and Reason on Merrion Street was taken over by Nam Song Caphe back in June. The new cafe and restaurant has since been serving up authentic Vietnamese coffees, bahn mi baguettes, bowls of pho and more. Now, customers can enjoy a good range of teas and homemade cakes from the day menu, which also features breakfast items and a variety of Bahn mi with filling choices like lemongrass chicken, nam song pork or garlic and sesame/sriracha/ginger tofu; with noodle salads and omelettes also on the cards at lunchtime.
If there’s one thing that the pandemic starved us of, it’s all-you-can-eat buffets. Long gone were the days of piling up plates of delicious cuisine from around the world, or so we thought. Sakku has brought back one of the best ways to eat at their sashimi and Asian grill restaurant, using local and imported ingredients to bring unlimited dishes back to the dining table, at their hidden Leeds restaurant.
Following years of pop-ups, House of Fu opened its own restaurant in the city back in June this year. They teased out their ‘green ramen’, right from the beginning which will be one of the headline plant-based bowls on offer here. Filled with gorgeous ingredients like kohlrabi chashu, sapporo noodles and super deep burnt garlic oil, it’s evident a lot of care and attention went into putting this menu together, and Leeds loves it. Finishing the year on a high, the restaurant have just added a karaoke studio to their venue.
The Queens Hotel in central Leeds had a huge £16 million refurbishment in 2021, ushering in a grand new era for the 84-year-old property. As part of the overhaul, the hotel has welcomed an opulent new Raffles-inspired restaurant, Grand Pacific. The new luxurious all-day drinking and dining destination is styled on the old colonial hotels of south-east Asia and can seat up to 100 guests in the main restaurant.
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.”
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!”
The Hoot -
24th December 2021 
