One of the UK's best cocktail bars is hosting a sandwich kitchen with a unique menu of simple, but wholesome dishes that have been completely reinvented.
Beloved Roland's was recently placed in the prestigious list of 'Top 50 cocktail bars in the UK', but the bar has long been a favourite for Leeds locals.
The cocktail bar effortlessly fuses laid-back drinking with quality ingredients, killer cocktails and an incredible sun-trapped beer garden on the rooftop: there really isn't anything else quite like it in Leeds.
Whilst many frequent here for the inside-knowledge on Margaritas, or want to sample the award-winning drinks menu, the kitchen here is quickly becoming a stand-alone reason to head over to the Call Lane watering hole.
Roland's is one of the UK's top 50 cocktail bars. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Taking over the kitchen here is Don't Feed The Dog: a kitchen leading the 'sandwich revolution' with a small, but carefully considered menu of hoagies, subs and rolls.
Three sandwiches and four small plates: that's all they need to keep you coming back.
The sarnies here couldn't be further from your boring ham and margarine combos: served with seemingly endless toppings, the flavours are unique blends you're unlikely to have heard of before.
Mushroom Bahn Mi Sandwich. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Take the Mushroom Bahn Mi for instance, the vegan delight is made up of crispy fried oyster mushrooms with peanut butter, pickled daikon, carrots, fresh mint, fresh coriander, fresh chilli, peanuts and Sriracha mayo- delish.
The meaty alternatives are just as flavoursome: the Buffalo Chicken Sub comes with Panko crumb chicken breast, Franks hot sauce, blue cheese sauce, shredded lettuce and pickled: a simple but delectable fusion of classic sandwich toppings.
The Bunga Bunga is the only remaining sarnie and comes with a serious dedication to the Italian foodie scene. Think Italian cured meats, mozzarella cheese, Guardinera, shredded romain lettuce, cheese crack, drizzled with mayo.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Whilst Don't Feed The Dog is known for its standout sandwich selections, the side dishes deserve their own bragging rights.
There's even more Korean-style fried oyster mushrooms served without the slices of bread, with a dipping vegan hot sauce, as well as 15 hour cooked chips: which come as wafer thin layers of potato pressed with butter then cut into fat chips.
Served with a sage and parsley salsa verde, these carbs sit perfectly alongside the wackier options like deep-fried olives stuffed with oregano cream cheese.
Korean-style fried oyster mushrooms / Image: The Hoot Leeds
If that's not enough: there's breaded black pudding served with mustard mayo. Named black pudding bonbons, these tiny balls of meat are unlikely to be found on any other menu around Leeds- but that doesn't mean that they shouldn't be.
Served Wednesday - Sunday, serious sandwich conesseuirs and casual foodies alike will be obsessed with this one.
To get your hands on a hoagie, sub, roll or test out the sides, Don't Feed The Dog can be found inside Roland's five days a week until their stock runs out. Alternatively, you can preorder your sarnies to guarantee yourself a sarnie on the Don't Feed The Dog website.
Feature Image- The Hoot Leeds
Eats
Beloved Leeds takeaway Souvlaki Corner to open new restaurant in Morley next month
A new Souvlaki Corner is set to open in south Leeds.
If you're a Leeds local who loves food, then you'll have most likely heard and dined at Souvlaki Corner.
It's an absolute gem of a restaurant and takeaway, situated in Wortley selling fabulous authentic Greek food at a great price.
And now they're opening a new site in the nearby town of Morley which is going to be even bigger and better. Get in.
The new site will feature a bigger space with more seating, offering both dine-in and takeaway options, as well as a brand-new bar.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Now you're talking our language.
Souvlaki Corner told The Hoot: "We’re excited to confirm that Souvlaki Corner will be opening a new site in Morley, Leeds. Our targeted opening is in around four weeks, although we don’t have an exact opening date yet and will confirm this closer to the launch.
"One of the highlights of the new restaurant will be a traditional Greek spit where we will cook whole lamb in the proper Greek way. It will be cooked over charcoal to give the authentic Greek flavour that people would experience in Greece.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
"Our chefs are Greek, bringing authentic knowledge and experience from Greece. The interior design will also reflect the style of the Greek islands, so when people visit they will feel like they are stepping into a little part of Greece."
They continued: "Souvlaki Corner was created to bring authentic Greek street food to Leeds, focusing on freshly grilled souvlaki, gyros, and traditional flavours served quickly and affordably. Since launching our first location, the response from customers has been fantastic, and Morley felt like the natural next step as we continue to grow."
Neighbourhood Leeds bistro hailed as ‘a bit horny’ and ‘brilliant’ by national critic Camilla Long
Clementine Hall
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.
Sophie Smith -
18th April 2022 
