New 80 seater South Indian coastal boutique eatery, Ma-Hé, is set to open inside the Merrion Centre this summer.
Ma-Hé will bring a unique style of South Indian coastal cookery to The Merrion Centre later this year.
The new restaurant will showcase five different cuisines from India's coastlines, with a carefully crafted menu containing an array of small plates from five main regions including Goa, Mangalore, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra.
The innovative concept is not only the first of it's kind in Leeds, but in the whole of the UK.
Image: Supplied
And it's not just about the food, guests will enter a dining room designed with the essence of the botanical waters of Coastal India, with natural interiors, fresh plant installations and rattan lights emitting a golden sunset glow for diners to experience the ambiance of warm and joyful Indian nights.
Ma-Hé is the brainchild of a partnership between founders Shyam Sundar Bhaskaran, a fine dining chef with 5-star hotel chains in India, Manoj Varma, who has more than two decades of experience within the hospitality industry, alongside eminent local business partner, Mason Asgha, who had travelled across India for over 20 years.
Image: Supplied
Manoj Varma, founding partner, Ma-Hé, said: “This is a passion project for the whole team at Ma-hē. Shyam is a first-class chef with his knowledge of the Indian peninsula spanning more than 20 years meaning he is a true pioneer in this style of food.
"I consider myself a very passionate foodie with a vast knowledge of Indian peninsula food. I’ve been eating and cooking this style of cuisine for more than 35 years and have visited some of the top restaurants within the region. I am excited to bring the very best selection from all five places onto our menu and relish introducing to the people of Leeds and beyond to this unique culinary experience.”
To find out more about Ma-Hé, take a look at their website.
If you've got a seriously sweet tooth, then you're going to love this new opening.
It seems like there's been a flurry of new bakeries popping up in and around Leeds recently, and we're certainly not complaining.
Introducing Crumbb, a beautiful new bakery that has just opened its doors on Hyde Park Road just moments outside of the city centre.
Owner Naila started the businesses as a wholesaler six years ago, stocking up local businesses from far and wide with sweet treats.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
Since then, Crumbbs opened its first location in Bradford just a few months ago that has been nothing short of a resounding success. So much so, that Crumbbs 2.0 was born right here in Leeds a few days ago.
Right, let's talk you through what's on offer.
For the sweet toothed out there, there's a whole myriad of treats for you to enjoy. We're talking giant NYC-style cookies, fluffy cinnamon buns topped with gooey icing, brownies slices, cookie muffins, rocky road, flapjack, the list is truly endless.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
You can even get warm cookie trays and hot brownies to enjoy in house that can be topped with ice cream or thick custard.
And it doesn't stop there, Crumbbs also whip up freshly baked savoury focaccia slices as well as cheese twists, pizza slices and savoury rolls filled with creamy mozzarella and herbs.
They've also got a fabulous drink selection on offer including matcha, coffee and hot chocolates.
Located in Headingley, we've got a feeling this spot is going to be a huge hit with students and locals alike looking to get their sweet treat fix. But they'll have to beat us to it first.
The hidden Leeds bakery serving giant cheese twists, pickle sausage rolls and chocolate focaccia
Clementine Hall
This spot in the city is baking up some weird and wonderful creations.
But you'll have to act fast if you want to get your hands on them, as it's only open one day a week for all your doughy desires.
Introducing Fold, a focaccia-focused bakery by the talented team behind The Cheesy Living Co.
Rewind to this time last year and with three restaurants flourishing across Leeds, the team needed a space to bake all their bread and sweet treats in-house to supply to sites.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And this is where Fold came in, located underneath the arches of Brussels Street on the outskirts of the city centre - it may take a while to find this spot but once you have, it'll be worth it.
And they're making some of the most inventive bakes that we've seen.
Of course there'll always be a focaccia on offer, with flavours ranging from crispy chilli oil, sesame and spring onion to kimchi, cheese and pistachio.
Images: The Hoot Leeds
And it's not just savoury focaccia, you'll even find gooey chocolate and banana focaccia as well as Biscoff waffle focaccia....yep, seriously.
Elsewhere they specialise in gigantic footlong cheese twists with more crispy bits than soft, as well as chorizo and cheese stuffed sausage rolls and a range of freshly baked bagels for you to go home and smear in your cream cheese of choice.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Some seriously spectacular specials have been the gochujang cookies and the 'pickle roll', basically like a sausage roll but with...pickles.
It seems there's really no boundaries for where these bakes will go, and you can guarantee that every visit will be different than the rest.
Only open on Saturdays from 10am - 1pm, Fold are changing the baking game. Pop in and say hello, you won't be disappointed.
Clementine Hall -
14th July 2023 
