IT’S not just the small entrance, once inside Jake’s the place entirely belies the fact that this is a great place to eat. First and foremost it’s a bar. A very cool bar in a cool end of town. But the bar food here is something else. Mostly we’re talking American-inspired, meat-focused dishes. Think redneck chic cuisine with more than a hint of the Mexican thrown in there: beef ribs, hickory [...]

FIRST impressions count – but not for everything. And that’s a good job for The Foundry Wine Bar, just outside Leeds city centre, which had some bridges to build after an unimpressive start. Having thoroughly enjoyed our last visit there, Oliver’s expectations for our Saturday night at the bijou eatery, in Holbeck Urban Village, were high. But they were dampened somewhat by the kind of reception [...]

TAKE a look at the image above – this is not a dream or a metaphor. It really is the window of Patisserie Valerie, an emporium of sticky loveliness and a kaleidoscopic haven of cake. But do they taste as good as they look? Yes, Little Oliver can confirm they really do. We had a cheeky little strawberry tart with a cup of tea and it was like nothing we’d ever tasted before. Perfectly textured [...]

The air is filled with convivial chat and the clink of glasses. In an atmospherically low-lit room, the lilting tones of French accents drift across the room. No, Oliver hasn’t taken a trip to Paris. Actually he is in a basement a stone’s throw from City Square in Leeds. Sous Le Nez En Ville has been serving French classics in the city for more than 15 years. It is one of the most “accliamed [...]

The name Anthony Flinn should spark a flutter of excitement in any Leeds foodie. The chef who worked at the legendary El Bulli in Spain brought Loiners his own brand of culinary gastronomy with the opening of the upscale Anthony’s. His cooking was made more accessible with Anthony’s at Flannels and his eponymous patisserie in the Victoria Quarter. But the piece de resistance came with the opening [...]