Tharavadu, Leeds, had been brought to my attention some time ago. However, it took their recent success in local awards for me to visit. Winning Best Indian Restaurant for three years on the bounce at the Oliver Awards is hard to ignore.
The first thing that hit me walking into the Keralan restaurant, a spit away from the station in Leeds, was just how crazy busy it was. The energy of the place slapped me in the face, and I will admit, for a moment it fazed me. It took some wriggling to get past the queue, anxiously hoping to bag the next empty table. Here, they advise when booking for a weekend to call several weeks in advance, but this was a Thursday, and there wasn’t a seat in the house.
Kerala is a slender coastal strip of southwestern India. It boasts a cuisine built on rice, fish and all things good. The food of this beautiful part of the subcontinent was also the subject of a Rick Stein series which no doubt has ramped up tourism and a fondness for their food. Is this why this place is so rammed, I wondered.
We were a bit disappointed when they palmed us off with what was clearly the last-chance table. Who wants to sit close to the washing-up area and the bathrooms? But, to give them their due (and they had no idea I was reviewing) after a quick word we moved as soon as a table became available. Better still, they couldn’t have been nicer about it.
CONTINUE READING THARADAVU, LEEDS
Dinner for two at Tharavadu, Leeds with three glasses of wine and Kulfi dessert, £73.75. Tharavadu, 7-8, Mill Hill, Leeds , LS 15DQ. 0113 244 0500, tharavadurestaurants.com. Open: Monday to Thursday, 12-2pm & 6-10pm, Friday to Saturday, 12–2pm & 5-10.30pm. Closed Sunday.