From the people that brought us pyjama parties, bar blanket forts, 4am charcuterie boards and tales of lost Crocs that deserve their own Cinderella story.
The Watermark bar is back with another exciting event- and this time it's all about chocolate.
If you ever needed a drool-worthy night that marries sophisticated alcohol pairing with belly laughs and food aplenty, this is it.
On Thursday 12 May 2022, The Watermark is transforming itself into a rum and chocolate heaven, hosted by Diplomatico Rum & Chocolate- the creators of a sipping rum that is made almost entirely from sugar cane honey.
The rum itself is blended from 80% pot still rum and 20% light rums aged for up to 12 years- so it's well worth getting down to Cross Belgrave Street for this one if you know a thing or two about spirits.
Diplomatico's Rum Ambassador, Dean MacGregor will guide guests through each neat expression and which chocolate it is paired with. Costing £35 per person, each ticket entitles guests to four expressions perfectly paired with four chocolates, served on a board with other nibbles.
If that's not enough, Diplomatico cocktails will be served all night long as a palette refresher between courses (or sips) of the rum and choccy offerings.
Image: The Watermark
If you can't make it down to the one-night-only affair, The Watermark is a regular cocktail bar that serves up an incredible selection of spirits, charcuterie and cocktails- if anyone knows how to pair flavours, it's these guys.
The critically acclaimed bar regularly receives five star reviews, described as ‘consistently amazing’ by their regular customers for its service, food and drinks.
Inspired by the owner’s home bar in Beeston, the interior is cosily decorated throughout, complete with classic board games and quirky wall features.
Food critic Camilla Long visited Leeds for her latest review for The Times with her sights set on Horsforth's finest - Bavette Bistro.
Ever since opening back in 2024, Bavette Bistro nestled in the leafy suburb of Horsforth has made waves across the country for its sheer brilliance.
It's pretty much received five star reviews across the board and been handed awards from left, right and centre. And rightly so.
The Good Food Guide crowned Bavette the best local restaurant of 2024, and Michelin handed them a well deserved Bib Gourmand - so it's safe to say it's not just us who think it's really something special.
So it was only a matter of time until The Times popped in for a review, and this one is truly glowing.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The review labels Bavette as "warm, unmannered and unpretentious" as well as "authentically French".
Long describes the food as "gorgeous, confident, surprising" with a menu that "isn’t too long" and "filled with sturdy, noble dishes, whiffing mightily of the sea and the soil."
It continues: "All of it made with generosity and cheer, served fast by nimble waiters, with a long, if slightly eccentric, wine list. To bang out French dishes with this much fiddly detail and to do it to a full room is not easy. Yet all four courses came in under two hours, for about £75 a head, which in London terms is nothing.
"It’s not that this place was perfect, it’s that it was decidedly not perfect. A bit too much chat about the menus; the oeufs in the meurette not quite runny enough. But the point is: it didn’t matter. All of it came charmingly together. It felt relaxed, just right."
The review is then wrapped up with a pleasing five stars, the cherry on top of the cake.
It's a review only restaurants can dream of, and we can't think of a more deserving team - congratulations Bavette.
Team behind Headrow House and Belgrave to take over and reopen Woodside just one year after opening
Clementine Hall
The foodie-favourite restaurant and bar is now under new management.
The eagle-eyed amongst you may have noticed that Woodside has sadly been closed for a few months.
We certainly have, and ever since December we've had a Woodside Sunday roast-shaped hole in our hearts that's been gasping for one of their glorious Marmite glazed parsnips.
But luckily, it has now been confirmed that Woodside isn't going anywhere as Superfriendz, the team behind Headrow House, Belgrave and many other top Leeds spots will be taking over. Hallelujah.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Woodside opened at the end of 2024 from the owners of The Brunswick and The Melbourne.
Labelling itself as a 'neighbourhood eatery and bar', Woodside quickly became a favourite amongst Leeds foodies and was known for its smoked meats, great cocktails and stellar Sunday roasts (do I need to talk about the parsnips again).
The menu was fresh and innovative, with oysters topped with kiwi granita and an incredibly garish banana split standing out as highlights.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
We hope that the new management continues to maintain Woodside's brilliance, but mainly we're just so glad that it's sticking around.
Superfriendz take care of a whole host of spots in the city, including proper Leeds favourites Headrow House, Belgrave Music Hall and Waterlane Boathouse.
Announcing the news to Instagram, Woodside said: "After a longer-than-expected winter break, Woodside is back and will reopen on Thursday 19th March!
"Your favourite neighbourhood bar and eatery returns with the same warm welcome, but an all new management team.
"We can’t wait to see you so keep your eyes on our socials for news on great food and drinks, big screen sports, quizzes and more.
"We’d also like to thank Sam and the original team for all the hard work that went into setting-up the venue. We hope we can do it justice."
Sophie Smith -
22nd April 2022 
