Eats

The British fusion chefs opening their first kitchen in Meanwood

"We are very excited to be able to make this dream come true".

Sophie Smith - 15th August 2022

Coming to Leeds in September.

Taking over the kitchen inside Number 8 in Meanwod, Dijon Boys is the new foodie pop-up that landed themselves a permanent kitchen residency- all less than six months after their first pop-up event.

Bringing quality dishes to a relaxed setting is something that the Dijon Boys have been wanting to bring to the table for a long time, and with 18 years of combined experience between them, they know a thing or two about how to bring it to Leeds.

Having started less than six months ago with a pop-up dinner at Boot and Rally in Meanwood, the Dijon Boys have secured themselves a permanent kitchen residency just over the road from where it all began.

The kitchen takeover begins in September. / Image: The Hoot Leeds

Jamie Layall, Cameron Sohel and Nicko Lachica, make up the team heading up Number 8's kitchen- and are all aged just 22 years old. The impressive achievement of taking on a permanent kitchen residency in such a short time appears to be through a series of successful pop-ups and before taking on their own venture, through mentorship and guidance from local restaurants.

Between the three Dijon Boys, they've worked in The Ivy in Leeds and Manchester, as well as The Woods, The Mustard Pot and Sukhothai. Business and Operations Manager Jamie gave the latter a humbling nod to: "huge thanks to Pat from Sukhothai Chapel Allerton – couldn’t have had a better first job to learn and understand service and how to run a restaurant".

On the menu, you can expect small sharing plates of food, all inspired by British classics. The menu is ever-evolving, and will highlight the best of seasonal produce but is set to feature plenty of charcuterie, sweet and savoury plates, as well as smaller bar snacks.

The new opening will specialise in small plates of British fusion. / Image: The Hoot Leeds

Beginning as a pop-up only kitchen, the Dijon Boys have operated under the name Herencia, which means integrity and legacy, and gives a humbling nod to Head Chef Nicko's family restaurant in the Philippines, which operates under the same name.

Previous menus have seen the likes of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory themed events with some seriously swoon-worthy dishes.

Diners will be able to pair the menu with cocktails, wines and beers from Number 8 Cocktails. / Image: The Hoot Leeds

Think Wild venison steak with purple sprouting broccoli and chocolate mole sauce, tandoori monkfish with spiced hung yoghurt and carrot sauerkraut and oyster mushroom yakitori with cabbage and sesame salad wasabi gel, tempura spring onion and mushroom broth.

The Dijon Boys said that their relationship with the Meanwood restaurant blossomed after hosting a private event: "After hosting a private dining event at Number 8 Cocktails we established an excellent relationship with the owner, James Ince. From there we continued to discuss future events and it became evident that we both had similar intentions".

Dijon Boys Jamie, Cameron and Nicko. / Image: Dijon Boys

Adding, "James is such a nice guy and believes in our project and we are thrilled to be able to grow our business with him on board".

"We have always dreamed of having our own kitchen and a permanent location and we are very excited to be able to make this dream come true. We will now have a base to cook from and serve customers – there will always be a location where our customers can find us and try our food.

"We are still planning on doing pop ups moving forward but we are very grateful to James at Number 8 Cocktails for giving us this opportunity to be able to represent our style and what we can do".

Dijon Boys will serve from Number 8 Cocktails in Meanwood. / Image: Dijon Boys

Although the kitchen takeover will be running for good on Friday 23 September 2022 inside Number 8 Cocktails, you can grab a Sunday roast in advance of the official opening to give the new residency a taste test.

We’re talking herb and fennel stuffed pork loin with onion gravy, 12 hours braised short rib or beef with red wine jus and a butternut squash and olive stuffed cabbage leaves with veg gravy, plus a Yorkshire pud, roasties and seasonal veggies on the side. There’s starters, sides and desserts on offer too.