There’s a huge sushi festival taking place just under an hour away from Leeds this spring, and it sounds far too good to pass up.
Of course, we’re very lucky in Leeds with a whole range of eateries offering sushi all year round – from Sushi Waka to Little Tokyo, Kokoro, Koibito, Senbon Sakura, Issho and more. Still, an all-day festival dedicated to Japanese cuisine is not to be missed.
Happening in Manchester, which takes less than an hour to reach via train, the event will bring together a host of the area's best sushi parlors for a day dedicated to celebrating Japanese cuisine.
Taking place on Thursday 21 April, those heading down can expect to try a range of sushi from different local traders and restauranteurs, as well as other Japanese dishes like ramen, and a selection of different drinks from Japanese pop-up bars.
A mixed sushi platter served in a wooden boat at Kyotoya, Withington./ Image: Bidds Bites
For those who think that sushi is all about raw fish and have already decided they don’t like that, we’ve got good news: It’s not. You can make sushi with anything – and avocado, cucumber, carrot and ginger are all popular choices for those who don’t like raw fish.
Of course, there’ll be plenty of fishy sushi to go around too – and the festival will have a lot to offer those who are into the more adventurous side of things.
Where better, then, to discover the full variety of this amazing Japanese dish than at an all-day event dedicated to the stuff?
California rolls, maki, nigiri, temaki and more are all set to be on show, alongside other Japanese dishes like ramen, as the festival promises to ‘show you the greatest variety of sushi and Japanese cuisine’ that the city has to offer.
There’ll even be a live workshop hosted by local cookery school Food Sorcery teaching you how to handroll your own sushi at home.
That said, it won’t all be about sushi. There’ll be a live sake talk and tasting session, live performances from a Japanese taiko drumming ensemble, pop-up bars selling Japanese beer and more, plus Japanese-inspired art classes, fashion pop-ups, live music and DJ performances.
A bowl of donburi topped with scallops, salmon and tuna at Chinatown’s excellent Japanese tapas restaurant, Yuzu / Image: Yuzu
Tickets are priced at £20 per person and include entry to the Sushi Festival, access to the theatre with live cooking demonstrations, and a portion of sushi or delicious Japanese dish from one of the festival’s hand-picked vendors.
Tickets for the live sushi-rolling workshop hosted by Food Sorcery need to be purchased separately here.
Taking place at Audacious Church on Trinity Way, Manchester, Salford, M3 7BD, the Manchester Sushi Festival will run from Thursday 21 April to Saturday 23 April 2022. Sessions will last three hours, starting at either 3pm or 7pm.
Whilst the festival promises to feature some of the area's best sushi restaurants, the full line-up of traders is still to be confirmed.
A much-loved independent restaurant in Leeds has announced it will be closing its doors.
Kuala Lumpur Cafe opened its doors in Headingley in 2019 by Bart and Hirman, who wanted to bring authentic Malaysian cooking to the city of Leeds.
Throughout the years, they'd built up a reputation for their beautiful curries and vibrant street food dishes, all of which were made using Hirman's family recipes.
So much so, that in 2024 they opened a kitchen inside White Cloth Hall in the city centre when the Grade II listed food hall first opened.
Their kitchen sadly closed a year later, but their Headingley restaurant remained open serving the students and locals with their famous beef rendang, nasi lemak and more.
Sadly, Kuala Lumpur Cafe have taken to social media to announce that they will be closing their doors for good as of this Saturday 17 October.
Their statement reads: "Thank you to all our customers and team that made Kuala Lumpur Cafe possible across the last few years. After a long consideration, we have decided that our last trading day will be Saturday 17 October.
"If you have a booking after this date, we'll be calling you over the next few days to try to move it to an earlier date before we close.
"It's been our pleasure to serve Malaysian food to the community. Best regards, KL Cafe."
Of course, in true Leeds fashion, local businesses and customers flocked to the comments to express their sadness and show their support.
One comment reads: "Such a shame. This was genuinely the best Malay food I had outside of Malaysia. Will be missed greatly", whilst another thanks the cafe for "all the delicious food over the years".
If you want to visit Kuala Lumpur Cafe one last time, then you have until this Saturday to do so. Go and wish them a proper farewell.
A Miami-inspired deli serving Cuban sandwiches, stacked subs and cigars has opened in a Leeds suburb
Clementine Hall
After making a name for itself over in Leeds city centre, Alfonso's Deli 2.0 has touched down in Horsforth.
Famed for it’s toasted Cuban sandwiches, stacked subs and loaded breakfast bagels - Alfonso's Deli in Leeds' beautiful Grand Arcade serve up some of the best sandwiches in the city.
They've built up such a good reputation in fact, that they have now opened a second deli in the up-and-coming suburb of Horsforth.
Located in a prime location on New Side Road, this deli has a slightly different look to their original space, complete with a beautiful red awning and stuffed to the brim with American memorabilia.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Here you can find fresh Cuban coffee which goes wonderfully with their authentic toasted Cubano sandwiches, perfectly crafted with their house-made bread which are then pressed made-to-order.
New for Horsforth, they're now serving New York deli sandwiches on brand-new house schiacciata bread.
And the bread is as fresh as it gets, made in their own bakery downstairs alongside a selection of New York deli bakes.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Stuffed with toppings such as smoked deli meats, cold cuts, fresh cheese and whatever else you fancy.
Oh and it doesn't stop there, you can also buy a cigar if you fancy it alongside a selection of merch, hot sauces and provisions like tinned fish.
So whether you're stopping by on your way to work for a morning coffee or treating yourself to a stellar sandwich for your lunch, Alfonso's Deli is here to whisk you away to Miami for the afternoon.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
They're officially opening their doors to the public this Thursday 15 October, and we just know it's going to go down and absolute storm.
Make sure to pop down and give them a big warm welcome to the neighbourhood.
Georgina Pellant -
14th January 2022 
