Table 26 in Swillington has been crowned the Restaurant of the Year award for Yorkshire and Humberside at the English Curry Awards.
Knowing where to get a decent curry from is an essential part of British life.
All the poppadoms, onion bhajis, pilau rice and not to mention the array of flavoursome curried dishes available in Leeds can be overwhelming at times: there are over 60 different options on takeaway apps in the city centre alone.
But officially, Table 26 is the the best place to get your bhaji fix. The curry house was crowned Restaurant of the Year in Yorkshire and the Humber this week at the English Curry House.
The popular restaurant has been open for less than two years but has already made a huge impact on the Leeds foodie scene.
Describing their journey so far as a "rollercoaster ride", the local eatery were recognised for both quality and customer service and chosen by members of the public.
Table 26 received their award from the National British Curry Awards earlier this week. / Image: Table 26 Restaurant
The award has specific categories that restaurants must show in order to be considered for the award, these include obvious signs of hard work, determination and impeccable service. The markers also ensured that any restaurant considered were creating and serving "delicious dishes at an excellent standard".
Table 26 were up against five other highly-ranked curry houses across Yorkshire including Curry Corner, Shama Bingley and Shalimar Restaurant Harrogate but outsawarded their award by English DJ and Presenter, Tommy Sandhu.
The Swillington restaurant is popular with locals but also receive a lot of traffic from Morley, where their previous restaurant, Table 27, was based.
Table 27 closed just before the initial lockdown when Covid-related restrictions were enforced as the owners wanted to downsize.
Table 26 opened in January 2020 and fought through the open-then-close difficulties that the pandemic brought.
One of their famous dishes is the Agni Karahi, a smoking hot dish that comes still covered by flames, a delight to many customers.
Leading up to the festive season, the award-winning curry house have now launched their Christmas menu, offering the perfect opportunity to put the now-famed curries to the test.
The menu consists of four-courses, with poppadoms, sizzle mix starters and any main course dish from the menu. Finish your Christmas dinner off with a sundry, chapati and traditional Indian sweet.
For £32.95, it's a steal that even the Grinch couldn't turn down, but with business booming after their recent award, tables are booking up quickly.
A Yorkshire-born and bred artist and his creative team have earned the huge honour of creating the official FIFA scarf collection for this year's World Cup.
Nothing short of massive for anyone from our part of the world.
The local legend in question is Tom Pitts, who was born in Sheffield and is now based just beyond Leeds, leading the campaign right from the helm.
Hand Drawn Pixels is a graphic design and digital studio based in Otley, and while you'll see plenty of folks wearing football shirts and even the odd scarf on the town's famous pub crawl, these lot are venturing on an entirely different kind of run this summer.
In fact, the work has very much already started, with Tom and co. collaborating directly with FIFA and US manufacturers, Global Scarves, to create the World Cup collection.
With this year's tournament obviously taking place across America, Mexico and Canada, they've joined up with a big LLC, but they describe themselves as "a true English custom scarf company with American parents."
In their words, "We knit scarves for clients all over the world", with a presence both near Leeds and over in Seattle, Washington.
The fixtures themselves kick off next month (England's first game coming against Croatia on 17 June), and so Hand Drawn Pixels have been hard at work meeting the briefs for each of the nations taking part.
Here's a quick breakdown of how the opportunity came about, their vision for the project, and how everything starts for them as a whole process.
You can see more of their work HERE, but as the brand name would suggest, it's pretty simple to begin with: nothing more than a pencil.
It's worth noting that the 2026 World Cup also featured the largest number of teams in the competition's history: 48 qualified national squads, to be exact. So, technically, they've had even more designing to do than they theoretically would have in any of the previous years, too.
Tom confessed that winning this bid is obviously a big deal on its own and that seeing his creations being worn in person by supporters at the stadiums will be a "surreal" experience.
Speaking exclusively with The Hoot, he said: "It’s been an amazing creative challenge for us to truly reflect the individuality and diversity of the nations competing in this prestigious tournament on such an iconic product as the football scarf."
He went on to add that "the whole project has been a huge learning experience, gaining deeper cultural insight into every nation involved."
We can't wait to cast eyes upon a sea of colour and finely crafted fabric in unique but somehow universally familiar patterns, all designed right here in 'God's Own Country'.
Award-winning Sardinian restaurant Domo announces Leeds opening date
Clementine Hall
Domo will officially open the doors to its Leeds venue this summer.
Get ready for Domo Leeds, a Sardinian independent born in Sheffield that is loved by many for its delicious food, inviting atmosphere and stellar service.
Run by Raffaele Busceddu and Sarah May Elliott, Domo serves a range of traditional Sardinian specialities from homemade pasta dishes to show-stopping grills.
They've also got a banging cocktail menu full of signature serves and refreshing spritz, perfect for enjoying with friends over some delicious sharing plates.
Images: The Sheff
Domo has confirmed it will officially open the doors to its first Leeds venue on Friday June 5, so we really don't have long to wait.
Located at the iconic Tower Works development, Domo Leeds will offer a vibrant new canal-side destination, perfect for the summer months.
Alongside the main restaurant menu, there’ll be a dedicated bar food menu designed around relaxed dining and carefully crafted small plates designed to pair with the drinks offering creating a more informal way for guests to experience Sardinian flavours.
Domo co-founder, Sarah Elliott-Busceddu, said: “We’re incredibly excited to finally open the doors and welcome people into Domo Leeds. From day one, our vision has been to create a space where everyone feels welcome and somewhere that brings people together in the true spirit of Sardinian hospitality.
“Whether it’s an evening out with friends, a relaxed catch-up over drinks after work, or a big family celebration, we’ve designed Domo to feel warm, inclusive and full of life. We can’t wait for people in Leeds to experience not just the food and drinks, but the atmosphere and sense of community that sits at the heart of everything we do.”
Sophie Smith -
22nd October 2021 
