In a town full of hens and stags, it’s hard to find somewhere with a bit of soul in Leeds. Enter The Wardrobe.
Located a short walk outside of the city centre, The Wardrobe is a welcome relief from all the chain bars and clubs. The warehouse space is simple; open-plan with a huge bar in the middle, booths to chill in and a stage for when live bands or DJs play.
Me and the Bestie headed down to check it out, but more specifically, to try the Soul Kitchen; the new resident serving dishes from The Deep South – my kind of food.
As soon as we walked in we were greeted by some of the nicest staff I have encountered; super-cheery, polite and full of character – proper Northerners! Already, I felt very at home. And this was just the beginning…
We started things off with a couple of cocktails and beers (well, when in Leeds, or The Deep South, or anywhere…). I went for a Mai Thai while my mate went for a Strawberry Ti Punch (rum, rum, rum and strawberry liqueur) and of course a couple of Red Stripes to help wash down the cocktails.
The menu here is huge, full of home-cooked soul food, inspired by Caribbean and Creole cuisine. It was tough to decide what to go with as every dish sounded like a winner: Shrimp and Grits, Creole Jambalaya and Cajun Blackened Chicken… I wanted it all!
Enter our friendly server. He helped us decide by knowing exactly what we wanted to eat, like some kind of freaky New Orleans fortuneteller.
While waiting for our starters, we were treated to a taste of their house gumbo served in (ultra-cool right now) enamel cups and accompanied by big chunks of bread with honeyed butter. The gumbo was a nice little introduction to the Soul Kitchen’s flavours – it was light, but full of the taste of the South.
We shared the American Bingo Wings, which were huge, juicy, and had the right amount of kick to them, and the Jamaican Crab Cakes; full of spice with a nice hint of lime and served with a coriander mayonnaise.
Then the mains arrived. We both went for the grill, which goes like this:
I went for the double-breasted chicken with a chilli, lime and coriander rub while my mate went for 28-day aged ribeye steak with garlic, lemon and thyme and a honey butter. My friend opted for a side salad to be healthy (ahem…) while I went all out and got the crispy sweet potato mac’n’cheese. Both the chicken and steak were cooked to perfection, while the rubs and glazes complemented the meats beautifully (thank you kind server for your advice!). My only regret being that I didn’t go for some kind of sauce, but I have no one to blame but myself – hindsight is a wonderful thing people. The spiced sweet potato crust gave the mac’n’cheese a nice twist and my mate’s salad was fresh and tasty. This place is all about comfort food; good, hearty dishes that warm your soul.
As well as The Soul Kitchen, The Wardrobe also offers up live music and nightly DJs who spin everything from country, soul and reggae, to funk and much more. If you want somewhere a little different in Leeds, with more soul than the standard All Bar One, then this place is little haven worth visiting.
The Soul Kitchen in The Wardrobe, St Peter's Square, Leeds, LS9 8AH
T: 0113 383 8800