As winter comes knocking and the evenings get darker – gone are the sunny evenings with mates in a bustling beer garden or the afternoon backyard barbecues. Personally, we enjoy a cosy dark evening and the romantic atmosphere that comes with it.
Fish Street’s Empire Cafe is the perfect place to escape the cold. Tucked away behind an alley off Kirkgate, you’ll find this gem of a diner. The menu changes often, partly due to the supply of fresh produce from the local Kirkgate Market but whatever’s on offer, rest assured you’re in for a treat.
It’s safe to say that no one is doing it like Empire, they are one of the few restaurants in Leeds where you can dine by candlelight in their atmospheric and intimate basement dining room or upstairs in their vibey bar area. One thing is certain, all of the food that comes out of the kitchen has been kissed by fire on their iconic ‘wall of flame’ and the menu is full of unique, inventive bites. One of these being their spam pakora – deep fried slices of spam topped with a rich egg yolk jam and chilli flakes, genius!
Amongst fabulous dishes like tamari glazed lamb cheek and celeriac pinwheel – the flame grilled rotisserie chicken is the shining star. Available with a range of house made glazes and rubs like the classic garlic, lemon and tarragon or gojuchang and honey. If that wasn’t enough to convince you, as the chickens are cooking on the German wall of flame spit – the delicious schmaltz (chicken juices) drips onto the potatoes below, infusing them with that rich, roast chicken flavour.
Empire Cafe’s versatility is definitely worth celebrating – you can pop down from 8am and grab a flame grilled bacon barm through their streetside hatch or visit for an intimate, gourmet, candlelight dinner with fine wine in the evening. The Breakfast menu alone is like no other, order a traditional steak and egg or even desi chana paired with beautifully crisp roti.
Just to top it all off, they also serve incredible drinks and cocktails, you can select one of the fine choices off the menu or ask the skillful bartenders to whip up a custom. Even the tomatoes for the homemade bloody mary are roasted with fire, proving that The Empire Cafe goes above and beyond for perfection.
Images- @empirecafeleeds
