Taking over the kitchen inside Number 8 in Meanwod, Dijon Boys is the new foodie pop-up that landed themselves a permanent kitchen residency- all less than six months after their first pop-up event.
Bringing quality dishes to a relaxed setting is something that the Dijon Boys have been wanting to bring to the table for a long time, and with 18 years of combined experience between them, they know a thing or two about how to bring it to Leeds.
Having started less than six months ago with a pop-up dinner at Boot and Rally in Meanwood, the Dijon Boys have secured themselves a permanent kitchen residency just over the road from where it all began.
The kitchen takeover begins in September. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Jamie Layall, Cameron Sohel and Nicko Lachica, make up the team heading up Number 8's kitchen- and are all aged just 22 years old. The impressive achievement of taking on a permanent kitchen residency in such a short time appears to be through a series of successful pop-ups and before taking on their own venture, through mentorship and guidance from local restaurants.
Between the three Dijon Boys, they've worked in The Ivy in Leeds and Manchester, as well as The Woods, The Mustard Pot and Sukhothai. Business and Operations Manager Jamie gave the latter a humbling nod to: "huge thanks to Pat from Sukhothai Chapel Allerton – couldn’t have had a better first job to learn and understand service and how to run a restaurant".
On the menu, you can expect small sharing plates of food, all inspired by British classics. The menu is ever-evolving, and will highlight the best of seasonal produce but is set to feature plenty of charcuterie, sweet and savoury plates, as well as smaller bar snacks.
The new opening will specialise in small plates of British fusion. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Beginning as a pop-up only kitchen, the Dijon Boys have operated under the name Herencia, which means integrity and legacy, and gives a humbling nod to Head Chef Nicko's family restaurant in the Philippines, which operates under the same name.
Previous menus have seen the likes of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory themed events with some seriously swoon-worthy dishes.
Diners will be able to pair the menu with cocktails, wines and beers from Number 8 Cocktails. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Think Wild venison steak with purple sprouting broccoli and chocolate mole sauce, tandoori monkfish with spiced hung yoghurt and carrot sauerkraut and oyster mushroom yakitori with cabbage and sesame salad wasabi gel, tempura spring onion and mushroom broth.
The Dijon Boys said that their relationship with the Meanwood restaurant blossomed after hosting a private event: "After hosting a private dining event at Number 8 Cocktails we established an excellent relationship with the owner, James Ince. From there we continued to discuss future events and it became evident that we both had similar intentions".
Dijon Boys Jamie, Cameron and Nicko. / Image: Dijon Boys
Adding, "James is such a nice guy and believes in our project and we are thrilled to be able to grow our business with him on board".
"We have always dreamed of having our own kitchen and a permanent location and we are very excited to be able to make this dream come true. We will now have a base to cook from and serve customers – there will always be a location where our customers can find us and try our food.
"We are still planning on doing pop ups moving forward but we are very grateful to James at Number 8 Cocktails for giving us this opportunity to be able to represent our style and what we can do".
Dijon Boys will serve from Number 8 Cocktails in Meanwood. / Image: Dijon Boys
Although the kitchen takeover will be running for good on Friday 23 September 2022 inside Number 8 Cocktails, you can grab a Sunday roast in advance of the official opening to give the new residency a taste test.
We’re talking herb and fennel stuffed pork loin with onion gravy, 12 hours braised short rib or beef with red wine jus and a butternut squash and olive stuffed cabbage leaves with veg gravy, plus a Yorkshire pud, roasties and seasonal veggies on the side. There’s starters, sides and desserts on offer too.
Sunday Roasts will be a big hit on the menu. / Image: Dijon Boys
If you've got a seriously sweet tooth, then you're going to love this new opening.
It seems like there's been a flurry of new bakeries popping up in and around Leeds recently, and we're certainly not complaining.
Introducing Crumbb, a beautiful new bakery that has just opened its doors on Hyde Park Road just moments outside of the city centre.
Owner Naila started the businesses as a wholesaler six years ago, stocking up local businesses from far and wide with sweet treats.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Since then, Crumbbs opened its first location in Bradford just a few months ago that has been nothing short of a resounding success. So much so, that Crumbbs 2.0 was born right here in Leeds a few days ago.
Right, let's talk you through what's on offer.
For the sweet toothed out there, there's a whole myriad of treats for you to enjoy. We're talking giant NYC-style cookies, fluffy cinnamon buns topped with gooey icing, brownies slices, cookie muffins, rocky road, flapjack, the list is truly endless.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
You can even get warm cookie trays and hot brownies to enjoy in house that can be topped with ice cream or thick custard.
And it doesn't stop there, Crumbbs also whip up freshly baked savoury focaccia slices as well as cheese twists, pizza slices and savoury rolls filled with creamy mozzarella and herbs.
They've also got a fabulous drink selection on offer including matcha, coffee and hot chocolates.
Located in Headingley, we've got a feeling this spot is going to be a huge hit with students and locals alike looking to get their sweet treat fix. But they'll have to beat us to it first.
The hidden Leeds bakery serving giant cheese twists, pickle sausage rolls and chocolate focaccia
Clementine Hall
This spot in the city is baking up some weird and wonderful creations.
But you'll have to act fast if you want to get your hands on them, as it's only open one day a week for all your doughy desires.
Introducing Fold, a focaccia-focused bakery by the talented team behind The Cheesy Living Co.
Rewind to this time last year and with three restaurants flourishing across Leeds, the team needed a space to bake all their bread and sweet treats in-house to supply to sites.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And this is where Fold came in, located underneath the arches of Brussels Street on the outskirts of the city centre - it may take a while to find this spot but once you have, it'll be worth it.
And they're making some of the most inventive bakes that we've seen.
Of course there'll always be a focaccia on offer, with flavours ranging from crispy chilli oil, sesame and spring onion to kimchi, cheese and pistachio.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And it's not just savoury focaccia, you'll even find gooey chocolate and banana focaccia as well as Biscoff waffle focaccia....yep, seriously.
Elsewhere they specialise in gigantic footlong cheese twists with more crispy bits than soft, as well as chorizo and cheese stuffed sausage rolls and a range of freshly baked bagels for you to go home and smear in your cream cheese of choice.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Some seriously spectacular specials have been the gochujang cookies and the 'pickle roll', basically like a sausage roll but with...pickles.
It seems there's really no boundaries for where these bakes will go, and you can guarantee that every visit will be different than the rest.
Only open on Saturdays from 10am - 1pm, Fold are changing the baking game. Pop in and say hello, you won't be disappointed.
Sophie Smith -
15th August 2022 
