Banyan Horsforth closed: Kirkstall Brewery announces plans for Leeds bar with craft beer and Dastaan food

The Leeds-based brewery has taken over the former Banyan Horsforth on New Road Side, which closed down last month, and has now announced a collaboration with Adel restaurant Dastaan.

At a five-course menu tasting event held at Dastaan yesterday, the brewery announced that it will be working with the renowned restaurant at their new venue, which is currently under refurbishment. The working title for the collaboration is Karobar, meaning business in Hindi, and the two companies hope that uniting their areas of expertise will bring something new to the people of Leeds.

The brewery’s owner, Steve Holt, told the Yorkshire Evening Post that the restaurant’s reputation caught his eye when it opened its doors in Adel last year, and he immediately knew he wanted to sell beer to Dastaan. “That’s how our relationship started,” said Steve. “We sold our beer, we came to the opening event, got to know each other and started talking about opportunities to work together."

Sanjay Gour, co-founder and head chef at Dastaan Leeds, said: “When we opened, we didn’t expect such an amazing response – it’s been busy from day one. We saw his passion, obviously he sees our passion. We thought, ‘Let’s see if we can do something together’ and that’s how the ball started rolling and then Horsforth came up.”

When the brewery secured the Horsforth location, Steve said he wanted something to make the venue distinct from other bars and pubs – and his mind went to Dastaan. He saw an opportunity to serve small plates and tapas-style food with craft beer.

"We know the concept works really well,” Steve added. “To have something that is accessible, in terms of affordability, and give them really good quality – that was an important part of it. We pride ourselves on making really good quality beer, Dastaan pride themselves on making really good quality food.”

While the menu is still in the works and there is no set opening date, the two co-founders of Dastaan and Steve express their excitement for what is to come. Sanjay said: “It’s something different. We keep the classics because you can’t go away from them, but we try and bring something else.”

“It’s something new,” Steve added. “One of the things that excites me is pushing the boundaries. As Sanjay said, we want to keep pushing forward. We don’t want to keep making the same things. The exciting part about business is going into new areas and territories.”

At the beer and street food menu tasting event, the restaurant served uniquely made dishes alongside the brewery’s own beer. The Indian classic pani puri, filled with chickpeas alongside extra pale ale, Three Swords, was served first and was followed by potato tornado chaat and Virtuous beer. More pale flowed throughout the night, served with assorted pao sliders with potato, fish and chicken options.

The lamb seekh kebab and tandoori soya chops were accompanied with the brewery’s Belgian Blond and Mango IPA and Spokane concluded the night alongside fresh tacos with jackfruit, paneer and pork fillings. The new venue, Karobar, promises to have something for everyone and will not only serve beers but also cocktails made with Indian spices and wines.