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Dastaan Leeds: The new fine-dining Indian opening this summer
The Guardian has described their restaurant as “food of the subcontinent elevated way beyond its uninspiring location – Mayfair cooking at mundane prices”.
The new Michelin-guide recommended restaurant is opening in North Leeds later this month.
Dastaan has been offering something quite special down south since its beginnings in 2017, but now the award-winning Indian restaurant will be finding a second home right here in Leeds.
Headed up by award-winning chefs that have taken both London and Surrey in their stride throughout their career, Nand Kishor and Sanjay Gour are promising us here in the north a taste of "Mayfair cooking at a fraction of the price" from Wednesday 27 July 2022.
Image: Dastaan
Described by The Guardian as “food of the subcontinent elevated way beyond its uninspiring location – Mayfair cooking at mundane prices”, Dastaan opened in Epsom some five years ago near the capital and has since landed itself a place in the prestigious Michelin Guide, including earning and retaining a Bib Gourmand since its first year of opening.
This comes in addition to recommendations from the likes of Hardens, AA Guide, the Good Food Guide; placing in The Times' top thirty places to have a curry and landing a spot in Squaremeals' top 100 restaurants for 2022 just a few months ago.
Now opening a second Dastaan with a new menu, there will be ample opportunity for diners to experience a whole host of exotic flavours paired with regional specialities- each with a modern twist that is set to show Leeds exactly why the original Dastaan Epsom is worthy of its many accolades.
Acting as a culinary tapestry to showcase the best of fine-dining Indian cuisine, the Dastaan Leeds menu will offer a swoon-worthy list of a la carte dishes, such as Tellicherry Lobster Dosa, whilst also adding a tapas-style bar menu with smaller plates like chicken lollypops, pink prawns and pani puri.
Celebrated chefs Nand Kishor and Sanjay Gour have had a lifetime of cooking up at some of the biggest names in the UK. Both have been former Head Chefs at Gymkhana where Kishor's dishes like Muntjac Biryani, Keema Pao and the Roe Deer Chops went a long way in announcing the Michelin-starred venue as Restaurant of the Year in 2015.
Image: Dastaan
Meanwhile Sanjay Kishor, an accomplished pastry chef, has created bespoke desserts for events like the BAFTAs, GQ Awards and leading restaurants across the world, including with Angela Hartnett at Murano.
The menu will be paired with a collaboration with Cobra lager and well considered alcoholic drinks list with a Gin Library, vegan and organic wine options and even a cocktail menu inspired by the chef's ingredients inside the kitchen.
Establishing relationships with local independents is an integral part of Dastaan's reputation, and so Kishor and Gour look forward to welcoming Leeds' own Kirkstall Brewery and local supplier House of Wine as collaborative partners.
"We were looking to open a new restaurant and Leeds is the obvious choice - the food scene here is really good. But we want to make it even better. We are bringing something new, an upmarket Indian dining experience," says Anurag Singh, who will be responsible for Dastaan Leeds.
Image: Dastaan
He added: "We don't plan to open a chain of Dastaan restaurants all over the country. We don't believe in mass produced food. We want to deliver something personal, that we can manage ourselves".
With this in mind, the new menu intends to expand from the original by elevating the flavours and providing a more "upmarket" backdrop, compared to Epsom's open kitchen.
"The restaurant itself is at a great location and looks beautiful and we can’t wait to start serving up some fantastic new dishes.”
Dastaan Leeds will open on Wednesday 27 July 2022 in Adel, but in order to allow for staff to settle in the new premises, the restaurant will only open Wednesday - Sunday for the first few weeks with limited seating.
For more information, including how to book a seat at the table for yourself, visit the Dastaan website.
Feature Image- Dastaan
Eats
Posh bakery chain Gail’s is finally coming to Yorkshire
Gail's has finally set its sights on Yorkshire for the first time, with a new bakery set to open this year.
It's one of the UK's most famous bakeries, launching in London in the early 1990s to supply restaurants, before opening its first retail site and cafe in Hampstead in 2005.
Gail's founders set out on a mission to bake bread as it used to be baked: by hand, using quality ingredients and time-worn artisanal methods.
While Gail's has expanded aggressively into the north, opening around a dozen bakeries in Greater Manchester and its surrounds, it hasn't made the journey across to Yorkshire just yet.
All that looks set to change, with job ads now listed for roles within a brand-new Yorkshire branch of Gail's.
Based on the job advert, Gail's is heading straight to the spa town of Harrogate - which is a fairly predictable move.
It looks like Gail's is heading for HarrogateGail's will make its Yorkshire debut
It had previously been reported that Gail's would be going to Knaresborough, but the job posting appears to hint that Harrogate will be the first Yorkshire location.
When it does open, you'll find loaf choices including classic white and brown sourdough, Gail’s ‘wasteless’ loaves (made using a specially-created recipe designed to incorporate unsold bread crumbs), alongside seeded varieties, baguettes and batons.
Must-tries include Gail’s famous cinnamon buns, still-warm cheese and ham croissants, chocolate chip cookies, and – given the weather we’re having this week – iced coffees, all day long preferably please.
But given the number of fantastic local bakeries all over Yorkshire, the question is, does anyone want Gail's?
Kirkstall Brewery and Little Bao Boy unveil new Leeds taproom
Daisy Jackson
You know the venue, and you know the operators behind it, but things are looking a little different over on Sovereign Street.
Leeds' very own Kirkstall Brewery has teamed up with street food legends Little Bao Boy to totally reinvent the city centre taproom formerly known as North Taproom.
At the all-new The City Taproom, you'll find a way cosier space alongside their sun-soaked terrace, as they aim to reimagine a traditional city centre pub.
Across 16 tap lines there are loads of Kirkstall Brewery classics, like Kirkstall Pilsner, Virtuous and Judicious, plus a rotating selection of guest beers from top British breweries - and Guinness, of course.
The City Taproom will also feature two new cask lines: one serving Three Swords as a staple, and the other on rotation starting this month with Golden Hour.
There's a bigger kitchen for Little Bao Boy too, which means an even larger menu of bao and Asian street food, like loaded fries, noodles, and rice bowls.
Little Bao Boy was founded 10 years ago by James Ooi, specialising in home-made bao buns and traditional Asian street food with a contemporary western twist.
Kirkstall have injected the huge space with the traditional essence of a proper Kirkstall establishment, with that kind of cosy atmosphere you know them for at the brewery's other sites.
Little Bao Boy at City TaproomKirkstall Brewery pints and cocktails
This is yet another of the local brewery's openings in the city centre, joining their recent renovation of The Victoria & Commercial in partnership with Whitelocks, plus their stewardship of the historic Tetley brewery building.
James Ooi, founder of Little Bao Boy said: "We have been part of this venue since day one, through COVID, outside seating, and new owners, and we are so excited for this refurb.
"On the food side, expect more collaborations, faster service, and a better overall customer experience. We are extremely grateful Kirkstall saw the value in this refurb and can't wait to get back open."
Steve Holt, founder of Kirkstall Brewery, said: "We're delighted to unveil a new presentation for the Taproom on Sovereign Street.
"It has been named The City Taproom after a famous but long-gone Leeds pub known as ‘The City’, which was situated where the statue of the Dortmund Brewer now stands. Images of the original City pub are a feature in the new look City Taproom, which can best be described as a 're-imagination' of a traditional city-centre pub.
"The City Taproom celebrates Leeds and its rich pub and brewing heritage. We hope that it will become a popular addition to the amazing and diverse venues that make Leeds such a vibrant City for hospitality and entertainment."
It's all the bits you loved before, just a little bigger and a whole lot better.
The City Taproom opens at 3 Sovereign Street on Thursday 23 April.
Sophie Smith -
15th July 2022 
