Chef Patron Michael O'Hare reacts as The Man Behind the Curtain retains status as only Michelin Star in Leeds

The Michelin Guide 2022 was published on Wednesday (February 16) and it was announced the restaurant on Vicar Lane - opened in 2014 by Michael O'Hare, 40 - had kept its coveted place amongst the stars issued by the guide.

The restaurant was awarded the star in their first year of service, Mr O'Hare told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

He now said he has aspirations to push on and get a second star after a "difficult" two years during the Covid pandemic.

Speaking after the announcement, Mr O'Hare said his team were "really happy".

"If I am honest I didn't think we would lose it", he said.

"The goal has been to retain and not to push on for that second star.

"We have not been in the right climate to do that.

"With Covid but also with staffing issues, we have not struggled on numbers but there is not as many career driven [types of chefs] that there once was within fine dining where we have that perfect team on the same wavelength like I had at the start.

"I have a good team but it is not necessarily their sole focus in life, so until we can build that up and inspire enough to get people in that want to push with us and get the second star which is my ultimate goal, to have two stars for Leeds, the intention has been keeping the level and it has been difficult."

Mr O'Hare said Covid had been "challenging to say the least".

"Seven years is a huge achievement to have the star and to get the second is the ultimate goal."

In the Guide's general recommendations, around 50 Yorkshire entries are included this year, including new openings from 2021 such as Bantam in Helmsley and Homestead Kitchen in Goathland.

Leeds chef Elizabeth Cottam's restaurant HOME and Boston Spa bakehouse CORA are both included, the latter for the first time, but her Kirkgate Market venture The Owl, which has appeared previously, has been omitted.

Tharavadu in Leeds no longer features in the Guide and former Michelin star holder Matt Healy, whose restaurant The Foundry x closed in 2020, has yet to win inclusion for his new venture, The Forde in Horsforth.

Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, Hull, Scarborough and Doncaster are not represented in the Guide at all.

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