Latest opening: Home
What: A new home for the once Leeds city centre restaurant, which is now located on the banks of the River Aire in the Brewery Wharf development. Home mark 2 has open kitchen in the centre of the striking circular dining room, a wine room and an outside terrace and is described as a ‘more polished’ and grown-up version of the Kirkgate original.
Who: Chef Liz Cottam, a semi-finalist in the 2016 series of MasterChef, and Mark Owens, former head chef at the Michelin-starred The Box Tree in Ilkley, originally opened Home in 2017. The pair have since gone on to open The Owl gastropub in Kirkgate Market and last summer Cottam launched contemporary bakehouse, dining room and wine cellar, Cora, in Boston Spa.
The food: Diners who like to pore over online menus weeks in advance of a booking to whet their appetites will be disappointed here. Instead, Cottam and her team like the element of surprise with no information about the menu provided except that there are two available – an eight-course ‘short’ tasting menu and a longer 10-course one. The short menu lasts an hour-and-a-half with the longer one taking up an additional hour. Customers can expect some striking dishes and plating, however, with Cottam taking influence from the Yorkshire landscape – previous dishes have included venison cooked in beef fat with burnt raspberry, liquorice and salsify that is is inspired by a wet autumn day on Kirkgate; and a dessert that epitomises the ‘rugged beauty’ of Malham’s rock formations. A dessert of smoky cola and chocolate, reminiscent of the autumn sky, is one dish that has been developed for the new restaurant.
The vibe: Home’s circular building has windows all around that let in light, but the design is equally about shadows and mood, light and dark. The décor is distinctly dark, with dark wood furniture, wood-clad and black painted walls with much of the crockery used also being black and granite by design. Tables are adorned with tactile, shell-like ornaments with the overall design intention seemingly to make diners feel close to Yorkshire’s distinctive environment and terrain.
And another thing: Diners looking after their pennies should get in quickly. As of next year, prices will increase by around with 15% with the short menu rising from £70 to £80 and the longer one increasing from £90 to £110.
3 Brewery Place, Leeds, LS10 1NE
https://www.homeleeds.co.uk
