Why The Swine That Dines attracts rave reviews from Leeds diners

The Swine that Dines is the restaurant incarnation of The Greedy Pig Kitchen, the popular North Street café run by Stuart and Jo Myers, and has carved itself an enviable reputation since it opened in 2018.
By John Grainger
Published 27th Jul 2019, 16:45 BST
Updated 27th Jul 2019, 17:45 BST
Pumpkin, Cashew, Soughdough and Caraway. Cauliflower, Green Olive, Parsley and Lemon. Carrot, Nigella, Chickpea and Miel de Cana. PHOTO: Jonathan Gawthorpe.Pumpkin, Cashew, Soughdough and Caraway. Cauliflower, Green Olive, Parsley and Lemon. Carrot, Nigella, Chickpea and Miel de Cana. PHOTO: Jonathan Gawthorpe.
Pumpkin, Cashew, Soughdough and Caraway. Cauliflower, Green Olive, Parsley and Lemon. Carrot, Nigella, Chickpea and Miel de Cana. PHOTO: Jonathan Gawthorpe.

Its menu is stripped of all superlatives – or indeed description – so it’s difficult to know quite what to expect, but the reviews fall overwhelmingly into the ‘rave’ category.

So when it says, baldly, ‘Seaweed Cured Salmon, Samphire, Buttermilk’, or ‘Lamb Breast, Lentil, Artichoke, Mint’, expect great things.

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As for ‘Peach and Polenta Cake with Basil and Prosecco Sorbet’ or ‘Yorkshire Gold Ice Cream, Spiced Fig, Honey and Almond Biscuit’, they probably speak for themselves.

Stuart Myers originally adopted a tail-to-snout approach to the food, but according to Jo, the emphasis is now more on sustainability.

“We like to know where our produce is from and send as little of it as possible to waste,” she says.

“So we use local, seasonal produce, and a lot of it may not be aesthetically pleasing when it arrives, but that doesn’t matter, because the taste is still there.

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“We don’t do prime cuts, so you won’t find any steaks or scallops here, but we use lesser-known cuts and offal, as well as pullet eggs, which come from immature hens and would usually get thrown away.

“Once we get something through the door we use as much of it as possible, so for example, kohlrabi tops usually get thrown away, but we use them to make a kimchi.

“That all makes financial sense too – it helps keep the margins down.”

It should be noted that this restaurant only just qualifies for inclusion in this slot as it only produces lunches on Fridays and Saturdays, meaning that if you work normal hours and fancy a working lunch here then you’re going to have to book a table for the end of the week.

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The restaurant, which can only seat 18, has also introduced a booking system that requires you to submit your card details in advance – a measure being increasingly adopted to deter the no-shows that can quickly erode the bottom line.

Still, if you’re happy to come on a Friday and you’re sure you’ll turn up, then it’s well worth the while.

The Swine that Dines, 58 North Street, Leeds LS2 7PN. Tel: 0113 244 0387.

Related topics:LeedsNorth Street