Thiccc Sauce is behind (almost) all of Leeds' best sauce combos, but the local independent has now secured a huge collaboration project with burger chain Honest Burgers and Makers Mark Whisky.
Starting from humble beginnings, Thiccc Sauce is one of our favourite lockdown success stories from Leeds. Since beginning the sauce company, founder Luca has collaborated with some incredible Leeds talent, including the likes of Friends of Ham, Little Bao Boys, the Savvy Baker, Mozzafella and more.
Now the independent sauce company is involved in a huge collaboration project with Makers Mark whisky and Honest Burgers.
The national restaurant chain will be stocking a special Thiccc Sauce from Tuesday 3 May - Monday 30 May 2022 and have even created a burger featuring Leeds' own sauce.
Honest Burgers have said: "If you're going to make a BBQ sauce burger like no other, you have to start from scratch. For us, that meant calling our friend Luca, aka Thiccc Sauce and jumping on a train to Leeds to work on a recipe.
"We created a fine sauce- sweet and smoky- adding chipotle peppers and a slug of Maker's Mark Kentucky bourbon for woody vanilla complexity... The result is fruity and tangy with a kick of chilli heat: it's addictive stuff".
There's even a special burger to go with it: the BBQ Sriracha Burger is an irresistible combo of Honest beef patty with candied bacon, double American cheese, Bourbon BBQ Sriracha sauce, crispy onions, confit garlic mayo, lettuce and pickles.
All burgers comes with homemade rosemary chips, coleslaw or salad from Tuesday 3 May - Monday 30 May 2022.
Image: Supplied
Thiccc Sauce has explained how the concept came to life: "So it’s been a year in the works. Honest Burgers reached out as they started their plans to open a leeds venue so wanted to work with a local indie business. Myself and Adam from Honest stayed in touch and carefully and slowly planned what sauce we wanted to make. He then came up to Leeds early this year and we developed the sauce together.
We wanted to blend two of our favourite styles, BBQ and sriracha [so] I then travelled down to London to help develop the burger with the sauce on. The partnership with makers mark join along the way to amplify the flavour of the sauce. [I'm] Extremely happy with how the whole project has turned out and an honour to work with two such amazing brands and give Honest a very warm welcome to Leeds."
Big collabs = big mixing pots. / Image: Thiccc Sauce
This month, Honest Burger announced that the Camden-born burger joint would be expanding over into West Yorkshire and opening their first branch in Leeds. Little information has been released, other than the company plan on joining Leeds' Cloth Hall Street in the near future.
You won't have to wait too long to try out Honest Burger for yourself though. The chefs have just taken over the kitchen at Northern Monk refectory over in Holbeck and will be serving up their famous beef patties for the next three months.
As for the Thiccc Sauce burger: there's no update just yet to say whether it'll be on the Leeds menu, but the home-grown indie sauce will be featured in over 50 of their restaurants across the UK- including nearby cities like Manchester.
Image: Supplied
Read More: The best Leeds indies X Thiccc Sauce collaborations in 2021
To try out Thiccc Sauce's other delectable creations, you needn't travel too far: the indie sauce company regularly features at pop-ups across Leeds or you can find their sauce in person at Bottle Chop in Headingley, amongst other stockists.
Feature Image- Supplied
Eats
A slice of New York has arrived in Leeds – and the pizzas are 18 inches wide
Popular pizza pop-up Edges Pizza has opened a permanent home in Leeds city centre.
Last summer you may have had the privilege to enjoy a slice of Edges Pizza at one of their many pop-up residencies across the city.
Their longest stint was at the sun-drenched roof terrace of Green Room, and it's safe to say their pizza went down an absolute treat.
Since then they've been a little quiet, but all for good reason. Edges Pizza has just opened a permanent new takeaway under the arches in Holbeck, and it's absolutely class.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Owners Grace and Edge who are from Harrogate opened Edges two years ago, taking inspiration from trips to New York over the years.
They've completely transformed the space into a proper love letter to the big apple. It will operate mainly as a takeaway, but there is a small seating area where you can perch and tuck into your pie.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The menu is perfectly curated, consisting of eight pizzas and three dips. And trust us, they are absolutely massive.
We opted for the American Hot with spicy pepperoni, banana peppers and parmesan as well as the mushroom pie topped with garlic creme fraiche and chestnut mushrooms.
Drizzled and dunked into moreish hot honey, it's rivalling some of the best pizza in the city.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
For now, grabbing a pizza from Edges operates through a pre-order system. Pre-orders open at 12pm the day before via their website, you can pick your collection time and then you simply have to rock up and get your pizza.
There's loads of parking available nearby and if there are any remaining slots available you can pre-order up to an hour before collection.
We've got a feeling they're going to very busy indeed.
Dishoom announces official opening date for new Leeds restaurant
Clementine Hall
It's the moment we've all been waiting for, Dishoom is coming to Leeds.
The whispers of Dishoom's arrival in Leeds city centre have been going on for a while now, but over the past few weeks it has started to feel very real.
Taking over the beautiful old Flannel's site on the coveted Vicar Lane, signs started to pop up for Dishoom and work was cracking on fast.
Well now, we have an opening date - and we don't have long to wait.
Dishoom Leeds will open on Monday 3 August, with guests being able to enjoy 50% off food during an initial soft-opening period, ahead of the official opening on Friday 14 August.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
As with every Dishoom café, the Leeds restaurant begins with a story. This one takes inspiration from the extraordinary true events surrounding the explosion of the SS Fort Stikine in Bombay Dock in April 1944, a wartime disaster that sent gold bars flying across the city.
Legend has it that some of the missing gold was never recovered. Some was discovered embedded in walls and rooftops across Bombay. Other pieces quietly disappeared into the hands of lucky citizens, melted into bangles or hidden away in drawers.
Dishoom Leeds reimagines the fortune made from the gold bars and guests will discover subtle references to the glamorous mid-century details through the interiors and artwork, giving playful nods to Bombay’s golden age.
With all day dining available, guests can dine on the beloved breakfast right through to late evening feasting, with the café will serve a lovingly curated menu of Bombay comfort food inspired by the city’s cafés, grills, street stalls and family kitchens.
Shamil Thakrar, co-founder, also known as Head Babu, at Dishoom, said: “Leeds is a city with tremendous warmth, creativity and character, full of people who know the value of gathering together over good food and drinks. Bringing Dishoom here has long been a dream for us.”
"The story behind this café is rooted in one of Bombay’s most extraordinary moments – the day gold bars fell from the sky after the explosion of Fort Stikine in 1944. Amidst the tragedy and chaos, there were also tales of unexpected fortune, human resilience and hopeful reinvention. We were captivated by this, and we cannot wait to welcome Leeds into the café that pays homage to the heritage of Bombay.”
Sophie Smith -
2nd May 2022 
