We're onto our final Trinity Kitchen residency for the year, and there's plenty of familiar faces to choose from...
Back to draw the 2023 kitchen season to a close, you'll find festival favourite Eat Like A Greek alongside Yorkshire Cheese Grill and Big Mouth Gyoza. Jimmy Macks return this year with those viral birria beef tacos and Nelly's Barn has some wonderful winter warmers to check out.
Open for the next nine weeks, Trinity Kitchen shared the announcement this morning, stating "These friendly faces will be serving up their finest festive feasts until 14th Jan 2024".
Keep reading to find out The Hoot's recommendations for all the Trinity Kitchen vendors this season...
Nelly’s Barn
Vegan chicken and chips with gravy. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Those looking for a burger fix will be delighted to see Nelly’s Barn making an appearance at Trinity Kitchen over the 2022 period. There’s cheeseburgers, bacon and cheeseburgers or the Whoa Nelly- the double burger with cheddar and crispy bacon to choose from- plus plenty of sides. Think popcorn plant-based ‘chicken’ with fries and sauces like southern-style gravy, sweet BBQ, garlic mayo and parmesan garlic.
Hoot recommends: Vegan 'chicken', chips and gravy - it's a great winter warmer
Big Mouth Gyoza
Mushroom gyoza. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Big Mouth is serving up two different gyoza options, mushroom or pork belly, each of which that are packed with flavour, and generous servings of the brand’s secret sauce. Choose from either a bento box with four gyozas in saucy, sticky rice with sesame, spicy, cheezu or curry toppings and house pickles sprinkled on top, or opt for the gyoza tray, which serves a whopping six gyozas in different styles.
Hoot recommends: Mushroom gyoza bento box with sesame rice and as much secret sauce as you can get your hands on
Eat Like A Greek
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Now if you haven’t spotted Eat Like A Greek from previous previous takeovers, now’s your change to grab a bite of the gyros that’s kept festival-goers well fed and warm throughout the summer season. The van returns after a long stint across the UK to bring signature gyros, with options like halloumi, pork and chicken to the table.
Jimmy Macks
Roast squash and black bean tacos. / Image: The Hoot Leeds
Normally, Jimmy Macks is all about the tacos, but since its Christmas, the slow-cooked specialists will be putting on a special festive menu packed with favourites from God's Own County. That's right, the Yorkshire Pudding wrap is up for grabs at Trinity Kitchen, plus some immense pigs in blankets, brie and cranberry and even a festive loaded fries.
Hoot recommends:
Yorkshire Cheese Grill
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Naan bread, rolls and big bits of bread toasted to perfection and dripping with Yorkshire cheese- that’s exactly what to expect from returning favourite Yorkshire Cheese Grill. Whether you want a bite on your lunch break or something to warm up your stomach on a cold wintry day, you’ll find something to love here.
Hoot recommends: Naan bread and Yorkshire cheese - it's a winning combo
Eats
Salon Madre – a new tequila bar and pool hall is opening in Leeds this month
Manchester's favourite Mexican bar is about to become your newest nightlife destination in Leeds.
It's been a long time coming, but Salon Madre is officially ready to open in Leeds.
Although we may have to wait a little bit longer for Madre, the day-to-night eatery that has made waves over in Manchester and Liverpool, Salon Madre, its lively tequila bar and pool hall sibling, is officially opening on Friday 20 February.
Salon Madre, which will be located just around the corner from Madre at 114 Wellington Street, is where the party really gets started.
Image: The Manc Group
Expect tequila-fuelled nights, pool tables, lively DJs and Lucha Libre on the big screens.
There will also be plenty of tacos being flung out the kitchen to keep you going until the early hours.
If you’ve ever visited one of their venues in Manchester or Liverpool, you’ll know it’s an absolute riot and we can’t wait to welcome them to the city.
Images: The Manc Group
Co-founder Sam Grainger, inspired by countless trips to Mexico, says: “Mexico is alive with passionate artisans and cooks, mastering everything from street tacos to regional delicacies. It’s a world where traditions blend and evolve and we’ve built that ethos into the heart of both Madre and Salon Madre.”
Madre Leeds will open soon and you can even grab yourself a free margarita by signing up to their newsletter here.
We’ll keep you up to date with their opening times but for now, we'll see you at Salon Madre for a boogie, margarita and game of pool next week.
Award-winning Leeds restaurant announces shock closure just months after opening
Clementine Hall
Emba in Leeds will be closing its doors with the owner blaming rising costs and pressure on the hospitality sector.
Back in April last year, one of Leeds' top restaurants The Owl closed its doors.
Run by renowned Chef Liz Cottam, The Owl was reimagine into Emba - a trendy restaurant tat bridged 'the gap between cosy bar and vibrant dining room'.
To open Emba, Cottam opened a Crowdfunder where supporters would be awarded with prizes such as VIP dinners and merch depending on how much they donated.
But sadly just months after opening, Emba is to close permanently.
Cottam confirmed the sad news with a statement shared with customers over the weekend, saying she was completely "heartbroken".
She said: “This is no longer the right time to own independent restaurants like Emba,” she said. “Under the current conditions they cannot survive and the recent budget confirmed what so many of us already knew: no meaningful help is coming for hospitality.
"The experience of being here and the harsh financial reality of running a business here no longer stack up.
"Being award winning, popular, admired and loved no longer means profitable and as an industry if we’re honest most of us have not truly been okay since Covid."
She signed off the statement promising to return to the restaurant world, she said: “What I do know is this, I am not done. I will keep cooking, keep creating and keep finding ways to do the thing I love.”
Sophie Smith -
20th November 2023 
