While on my YouTube channel I make a living from pulling out my camping table and chair where I sit scranning a takeaway before rating it, many would think that I get bored of eating out and takeaways. When in fact my favourite pastime is ordering food to enjoy with my family.
For most of us all our favourite memories tend to be food related. From my first kebab on a night out in Barnsley to my first date with my now wife at Tattu in Leeds and all the pub grub I’ve eaten over the years with my extended family on special occasions.
I’m lucky as a former butcher, food hygiene consultant and cafe owner turned food reviewer that I know of some of the best places to eat out in West Yorkshire. I look for places that are value for money, use good quality ingredients and have food packed with flavour.
Starting in the city centre you’ve got Blue Sakura, Ivy Asia and Issho for some posh South Asian nosh which is bold and full of flavour.
Trinity Kitchen, Leeds Kirkgate Market and Mans Market are great places to go for your daily fix of street food.
When it comes to memorable food we had us wedding grub served up by Sheepscar Bar and Grill which is located in a former Working Men’s Club on the outskirts of the city centre. While they’re instagrammable with all the flower walls for me it’s all about the grub and I think they do one of the best mixed grills in Leeds. That’s not forgetting the Chinese food we had after the wedding at Joy’s Kitchen which serves up Chinese style tapas aka Dim Sum.
Those who know me know I love a kebab or ten and my favourite kebab after a night out in Leeds is Istanbul Kebab near the Corn Exchange on the edge of the market. The owner here is just so happy and is smiling all the time. I’d say this is the happiest Kebab Shop in the UK, it certainly felt like it when I visited after my stag do where I’d spent the night with the lads at Aire Bar drinking pints and eating burgers. While I love a fresh fluffy naan such as those served up at Nergs in Wakefield with lots of fresh meat, my vegan wife however gets her fix at I am Doner with a “Voner Kebab.” While I like their naans, it pains me to say that t’old wife has fake kebab meat on a salad instead. That said, she has introduced me to some amazing vegan friendly places such as Bundobust near Leeds Train station as well as the heavenly neapolitan pizza place Rudy’s close by and she’s desperate to get me to try Prashad Indian Restaurant in Drighlington.
When it comes to Indian food, while I don’t like anything too spicy, one of my favourite ever takeaways is Abduls in Wakefield for their Chicken Tikka. We had an Abduls delivered to a RBT Video, a secret bar in Wakefield, for my birthday party last weekend.
Sadly some of our children aren’t into Indian food so we often go out for roasts and Italian food. There’s a secret Italian restaurant in a pub in Rothwell called Salute @ The White Swan which is family-friendly but also serves up some of my favourite pasta dishes and meaty appetisers.
While I love eating out or having a takeaway at home, you can’t beat a good old home-made roast with locally sourced ingredients.
When it comes to a Sunday Dinner, we tend to have it at home. We buy in some good quality meat from the butchers and my wife prides herself on making Yorkshire Puddings from scratch but if we’re having a roast midweek as a family we grab a cheap dinner with the kids from one of the chain pubs. I don’t rate the meat there although my wife and I used to go lots when we were first dating as she loves the unlimited veg. I like freshly grilled meat straight off the skewers at Estabulo which has a couple of joints in West Yorkshire or I head back to where I grew up in Barnsley for Favela Brazilian Grill.
While I try not to eat at chains too much, I’ve recently tried Hickory’s Smokehouse in Horbury, Wakefield which has gone from being a ‘2 for £10 menu’ style pub to one of the best places to eat smoked
meat outside of the USA. You’ve got to try the Texas style Brisket as well as the Frickles which are deep fried pickles and there’s plenty of child friendly options too. If we’re dining out without the kids for a nice lunch The Yorkshire Brasserie at the Tileyard North hits the spot with their tasty locally sourced produce freshly cooked. In the courtyard of the Tileyard, there’s also Peddler Market which pops up bi monthly showcasing some of the best vendors in the area.
I do love street food but sometimes you can’t beat a home cooked dinner on a farm. Cannon Hall Farm has a great food festival and I also love breakfast at Blacker Hall Farm. I was surprised when I visited Farmer Copleys however, it was to film a pumpkin picking vlog for my Mr and Mrs Yorkshire YouTube channel but what shocked me the most was all the food which is a solid 10 in my book. Not only did I manage to eat the last of the pick your own strawberries of the season but I got to taste their home made Gelato made in their production kitchen as well as all the jams and chutneys.
I then tried lunch in Moo Cafe where you can get Farmhouse salad boards, afternoon tea and a range of pies, quiche and freshly cooked chips. I had a perfectly cooked steak and chips and my wife had a few vegan options too. They do seasonal specials such as Stephanie Moon’s pumpkin dal.
Another family-friendly place which surprised me as well recently was William’s Den near Hull who do incredible fresh pizzas and a huge menu for all the family including the vegan ones too.
@DannyMalinOfficial 
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