Much-loved local brewers Kirkstall Brewery has joined forces with five star Indian restaurant Dastaan, based in Adel, to bring together a fusion of Indian street food and IPAs, in a brand new setting.
Kirkstall Brewery announced it would be taking over the former Banyan site on New Road Side in Horsforth last month.
But this new opening is going to be far from your usual suburban boozer.
Karobar, the working name for the new bar partnership, plans to bring together the best of Kirkstall Brewery's beers with 'modern fusion' Indian street food that's been inspired by trends seen back in India.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
The idea is that all of the food on the menu will be based on Kirkstall's IPAs and the flavours for each dish will be shaped around the beers - a rare but exciting way to work, and by working in tandem with the flavours in both food and drink, it promises some seriously exciting pairings.
To give a glimpse of what lies ahead for the new bar concept, Dastaan has begun to work on an impressive street food menu with innovative dishes like Pani Poori, puffed semolina shell with chickpeas paired with Kirkstall's 3 Swords and potato tornado chaat with white pea ragda, herb yoghurt and taramind chilli chutney to serve with longtime Leeds favourite Virtuous, an Aromatic Session IPA with grapefruit peel, lemon and lime.
Like the rest of the award-winning menu Dastaan has to offer at its restaurant in Adel, everything is homemade, right down to the whole wheat tacos individually filled with pulled masala jackfruit, Punjabi paneer bhuriji and pulled masala pork before being garnished with pickled ginger, raw mango marmalade, Tekhi chutney, tadka yoghurt, onion tomato kachumber and potato salli. Naturally there's a Mango IPA and more crisp, bitter West Coast IPA, Spokane that goes perfectly.
Homemade tacos in three flavours.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Hoping to bring some of the food trend spotted on a recent trip to India, the team at Dastaan is working on fusing together popular street food items with the more traditional Indian curries found on the menu.
"Bao buns are trending, tacos are trending - but you're not seeing that in the UK yet and it takes time for things to filter through" a spokesperson for Dastaan told The Hoot Leeds.
Elsewhere on the working menu, you'll find Pao Sliders with potato vada, Amritsari fish and Chicken 65 pakora inside, as well as Tandoor Se, a lamb seekh kebab or tandoori soya chop as a plant-based alternative, with sirka onions and mint chutney, ideally paired with a Belgian Blond.
Tandoor Se. / Images: The Hoot Leeds
Pao Sliders.
Kirkstall Brewery announced that they "believe in tradition, authenticity and innovation and this is an opportunity to show us what we can do" with their new partnership with Dastaan.
And for those wondering about the name, Karobar translates to 'business' in Hindi and is the popular term for street food stalls, amongst other businesses, in India. "When you put a shop on the street, it's 'your Karobar', it's your business" - so it perfectly encompasses the partnership between Kirkstall Brewery and Dastaan, as well as hinting at the street food element of the menu in a single word.
Work is now underway to bring Karobar to life, with plans to open this summer - and we can't wait to hear more.
Feature Image - The Hoot Leeds
News
Plans to turn one of Leeds’ most historic buildings into padel courts approved
One of Leeds’ most iconic buildings is set to be brought back to life.
Plans for a brand-new padel and leisure destination at The Roundhouse on Wellington Road have been approved by Leeds City Council’s West Plans Panel.
Consent has been granted for Ollo Padel to transform the Grade II* listed Roundhouse into a state-of-the-art sport, fitness, food, drink and community venue subject to conditions and completion of a Section 106 agreement.
Built in 1847 for the Leeds and Thirsk Railway Company, The Roundhouse was once home to the steam locomotives that powered industrial Victorian Leeds. In recent years, the building has stood largely unused.
Image: Supplied
The approved plans will restore and protect the landmark building and give the site a new, long-term future as one of the city’s most distinctive leisure destinations.
The three-acre site, located on the edge of Leeds city centre, will include nine outdoor doubles padel courts under a 10-metre canopy, plus a dedicated indoor coaching court within The Roundhouse itself.
At the heart of the site will be the Ollo Clubhouse; built around an all-day kitchen and bar, it will combine a comfortable lounge and co-working space, meeting rooms and live sport and events spaces.
The kitchen and bar will be run in partnership with Southbank Provisions, the independent Leeds hospitality team behind Headrow House, Belgrave Music Hall and Galleria whilst the gym will be operated by fitness and performance specialists Northbound, who will bring strength and conditioning practice, Hyrox training and pilates classes to The Roundhouse.
Image: Supplied
Construction is expected to begin later this year, with the venue aiming to open in early 2027.
Luke Gidney, Founder & CEO Ollo Padel: "This is a huge day for Leeds, for The Roundhouse and for Ollo. The Roundhouse has been part of the city’s story for nearly 180 years. It’s an incredible building but it needs people, energy and purpose again. Our plan is to bring it back to life as a place where people can play, eat, work, meet friends and feel part of something.
"Padel is growing so quickly because it’s fun, social and easy to pick up. But for us, this is about more than just the courts. We want Ollo to become a proper community destination for Leeds, somewhere welcoming, joyful and full of life.
"We’re incredibly grateful to Leeds City Council’s planning team, our case officer, the wider council team and everyone who has supported the project to this point. This has been a complex project but the sport and engagement throughout has been brilliant. Now the real work starts and we cannot wait to open the doors for you.”
New study crowns Leeds as one of the friendliest cities in the UK
Clementine Hall
New research has revealed a global ranking of cities with the best customer service, with Leeds taking one of the top spots.
If you've been wondering which cities across the world are the friendliest of them all, then look no further because MoneySuperMarket have done the work for us in a new study.
In a world where social media culture plays a huge part in people's lives, online customer reviews are pretty important to local businesses.
To uncover the global locations that are home to the best customer service, the businesses insurance experts analysed over 100,000 reviews of leisure and hospitality businesses in 107 cities worldwide.
They looked at the language in the reviews to see how often friendly workers and staff were mentioned, building a global ranking of the cities where customer service truly stands out.
Out of a whopping 107, Leeds came in at a very respectable number 12. Now we think that's pretty good going.
Outside of the UK, Hanoi, Paris, Montreal and Abu Dhabi were highlighted for their friendly customer service whilst Edinburgh tops the global ranking, with Liverpool, Birmingham and Bristol also making the world’s top 10.
The top 10 cities in the UK with the best customer service are as follows:
Edinburgh
Liverpool
Birmingham
Bristol
Belfast
Leeds
Glasgow
Cardiff
Manchester
London
Alicia Hempsted spoke on the study: “As businesses grow and engage with more customers, it’s important to make sure they’re protected. Public liability insurance is an important safeguard for those working with the public, helping to cover costs if something goes wrong, while also showing customers that their experience is taken seriously - from the moment they walk through the door to long after they’ve left.”
Sophie Smith -
5th May 2023 
