Archive for the 'Leeds' Category

Before Christmas I was invited out for a Food Tour of The Light in Leeds. Gone are the days when The Light was a destination for me as a teenager  – a trip to the cinema followed by all you can eat Chinese! The Light is now a foodie destination with options varying from a light snack to grab on the go, to going all out on a special meal with cocktails to follow.

Instead of trying a meal at one of the vast variety of restaurants on offer for eating out in Leeds, we were taken on a tour of restaurants with one course at each destination – a fun way of mixing up your evening out. We started at George’s Great British Kitchen for a cocktail and their amazing sweet shop inspired menu did not disappoint.

Knowing we had a long night ahead of food and drink, I opted for a shorter, lighter cocktail in their Parma Violet offering (who can resist a Parma Violet flavoured anything? Not me!), but the other girls had some amazing candy floss concoctions in the Candy Annie. By all accounts the cocktails were super sweet, but definitely a hit and with a variety of deals on cocktails every day it’s definitely worth a pit stop.

We continued on to FireLake, a restaurant tucked away inside The Radisson Blu hotel, but unlike any hotel restaurant I’ve ever visited. We were seated for our starters amongst their plush high backed booths and chic tiled floor, a mural and hanging fire pit just around the corner. For anyone staying at The Radisson Blu, you’d be mad to order room service to your door and miss out on this incredible decor.

We tried a range of starters from the FireLake menu, which puts a Yorkshire twist on it’s Minnesota roots with locally sourced produce. Unexpected cocktails were served by the most enthusiastic cocktail bartender I’ve ever come across, who brings his signature style into the menu he created. The staff were knowledgable and clearly proud – I think FireLake was my favourite place on the tour and I’d love to try their full menu next time I’m eating out in Leeds.

Next on our food tour of The Light wouldn’t have been a personal choice for me as I don’t eat red meat, but we had a table reserved at Estabulo, The Light’s Brazilian all-you-can-eat offering. We were provided with a token to show the serving staff whether you were too full of meat or hungry for the next round and the meat just kept on coming with pork belly, sirloin steak, sausage and chicken thighs amongst their menu. I was mostly interested in the salad bar, though, that offered fresh sushi, a cheese selection (including this amazing carved beauty pictured below) and some meaty beans which are always my favourite BBQ/grill dish of choice!

We rolled out of Estabulo wondered how we were going to squeeze in a pudding from round the corner at Turtle Bay, but the banana and toffee cheesecake was calling my name. With a colourful Caribbean vibe throughout, Turtle Bay seated us at a long wooden bench with vibrant chairs. Still in keeping with the theme, the puddings were served in worn looking enamel dishes – I was a little upset the end of my cheesecake seemed to have gone missing, but really I didn’t have enough room for that extra bite anyway ;)

The Light is found on The Headrow in Leeds with around 16 places to eat and drink inside.

Loves x xx

It’s still renovation hell at home – I know, I know, what is taking so long? It really is hard to relax there, which is why I’m writing this from my new co-working space at Duke Studios instead of my home office! The idea of a little holiday from DIY hell was just too much to resist and who came to our rescue, but Ibis Styles who asked us to review their new hotel concept in Leeds for a little staycation.

I was chatting to a friend who always goes to stay at Rudding Park for a staycation. She told me she feels silly staying away from home when she’s so close to it, until I told her about our little jaunt to the Ibis Styles Leeds, a mere 4/5 miles away from where we live! There’s something about staying over in a hotel in your own city and we’ve done it a few times; it takes you away into holiday mode. Instead of thinking we needed to get back for the dog, we stayed out for another drink. We got up in the morning and popped into some shops after breakfast, where as if I was staying at home I would have decided I didn’t have time to go out for breakfast and do some window shopping, instead spending that time refreshing Instagram on my phone in my pyjamas… I just know you guys do that too, right?

The Ibis Styles Leeds is Yorkshire themed, too, which made the whole decision to stay a no brainer! When we walked in we were greeted by the most incredible lighting installation, welcoming you to the hotel in Yorkshire’s best way – with language that doesn’t make any sense unless you were brought up here! Haha. Walking up to reception I said hello in my broadest Yorkshire, I don’t know, the place just brought it out in me. We were checked in and even showed around the reception area – the complimentary coffee machines (the hot chocolate was so good!), tonnes of seating areas with classic board games and then shown to the lifts to find our room.

Inside the room the little Yorkshire details didn’t stop, with a welcoming ‘Ay Up’ emblazoned on the carpet as you stepped in and fun Yorkshire slang hanging proudly on the walls. The headboard was incredible, with striking artwork spelling out a bunch of the streets in Leeds. I loved the colour choices too with gorgeous teal and lovely mustard touches and amazing furniture – the bedside tables were so cool! The bathroom was small, but well designed and there was a delightful print on the shower wall, making those early morning showers a bit more fun. The bed was comfortable with plenty of fluffy pillows!

There was a small issue with the layout as the desk area and edge of the bed were really close together and I was severely disappointed that they weren’t serving Yorkshire Tea!! It was Twinings though, which is at least a (not even close!) second to the best tea in the world!

The location of the Ibis Styles Leeds might seem a little far out if you’re new to the city as it’s a good 15 minute walk from the train station, but it’s absolutely ideal for Leeds Arena and there are some great bars (North Bar, The Social, Belgrave Music Hall) and restaurants (Zaap Thai and The Cat’s Pyjamas) within a couple of minutes walk, including Marco’s New York Italian which is attached to the hotel itself. Leeds is a compact city, so as long as you’re somewhere in the centre you won’t struggle to get around.

Breakfast is included with your stay at the Ibis Styles, which is definitely a rarity these days as hotels try to charge you for anything and everything that they can deem as extra, so I was impressed with that. It was only a small continental breakfast selection with toast, muffins and pastries, but enough to put you on or soak up your hangover for first thing in a morning!

I have already recommended the Ibis Styles Leeds to someone coming over for a stay in our city. I think it’s a great little hotel with bags of personality and lovely staff. I would definitely stay there again.

You’ll find Ibis Styles Leeds City Centre on Wade Lane in Leeds
A double room, with breakfast, starts from £64 a night

Loves x xx