Opening officially on Monday 30 October 2023, Blue Pavilion is set to bring together century-old traditions and combine with modern flavours for a what has been dubbed an 'unforgettable foodie experience'.
Blue Pavilion has been in the works for quite some time. Having first advertised its opening well over twelve months ago, the restaurant is now ready to open to the public, having poured £3 million into the Merrion Centre restaurant space.
From the owners of Japanese dining experience Blue Sakura, Blue Pavilion hopes to build on its raving reviews from foodies across the city and expanding its offering with a menu packed with Chinese culinary favourites.
Images: Supplied
Whilst the menu hasn't yet been released, hints have been dropped that both the A La Carte and set menus will offer a "rich tapestry of flavours, textures, and aromas that reflect the diverse regional cuisines of China".
The drinks menu also includes a range of fine wines, including Chateau Haut-Brion Pessac-Leognan 1996, premium cocktails like the Jiuzhaigou Hu, a combination of Roku, Aperitif Wine, Blue Curacao, Lemon, and Bitters.
There will be three private rooms in addition to the restaurant space, for more formal occasions, all of which adjoins K-CUBE, the latest karaoke bar to open in the city.
Opening back in July, the karaoke bars has space for up to 65 guests with each room able to take on 6, 8, 10 or 20 ‘aspiring rockstars’ at a time.
Image: Supplied
Speaking about the opening of Blue Pavilion, Director, Jack Lin said: "We are excited to announce the official opening date of Blue Pavilion in Leeds. We can't wait to welcome guests to our beautiful venue and provide them with an unmatched experience.”
Chiu Tong Huang, Director at Blue Pavilion, added: "Our team has worked tirelessly to create a truly unique dining and entertainment experience that showcases the rich flavors of Chinese cuisine and the joy of karaoke.”
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Blue Pavilion will open from Monday 30 October 2023, booking are now live and can be made on the Blue Pavilion website here.
Feature Image - Supplied
Eats
Neighbourhood Leeds bistro hailed as ‘a bit horny’ and ‘brilliant’ by national critic Camilla Long
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 -
19th October 2023 
