MasterChef star launches new pasta bar which brings fresh and flavour-forward food to Leeds city centre
The new Leeds pasta bar describes itself as a “modern trattoria”
A new pasta bar which promises fresh and flavour-first cooking is launching in Leeds city centre today (April 5).
Lunara, founded by former MasterChef: The Professionals quarter-finalist Bobby Geetha, will open inside Nesso Café on 42 Merrion Street.
Bobby, who also runs contemporary restaurant Kerala Canteen in Leeds city centre, came up with the idea based on his passion for pasta.
Bobby said: “I love pasta and I love simple pasta - how it’s supposed to be. The proper Italian way is very simple.
“There’s a pasta bar wave in London, Manchester, and even in Italy, to focus on really good pastas, so we found a great supplier and began.”
Lunara is founded based on a simple philosophy: ‘great pasta, done properly, without the fuss.’
“Any great thing in the world is simple, we make it complicated,” Bobby said.
“A pasta with just olive oil, chili, and garlic, can taste amazing. Simplicity comes from skill and confidence. We know the quality of the pasta and we know the end product - it’s that simple.”
Lunara will be open on Tuesday to Saturday, with service from 12pm - 2pm and 5pm - 8:30pm.
The menu, which will change each season, offers a variety of pasta shapes with minimalist yet bold flavours.
Bobby’s personal highlight is the bucatini carbonara which features guanchala, egg yolk and pecorino to stay loyal to the traditional Italian style of making the classic dish.
Lunara will also serve a half spatchcock roast chicken with onion gravy as their standout signature dish to replicate the traditional Italian style of dining where diners often eat protein separate from the pasta.
Diners at the new pasta bar can also enjoy cocktails, wine, and beer, and indulge in desserts such as tiramisu and cannoli siciliani.
Bobby describes Lunara as a “modern trattoria”, a casual Italian-style restaurant which offers home-style cooking at a reasonable price.
He hopes that the new pasta bar will deliver diners in Leeds a taste of Italy.
Bobby said: “(At Lunara) you feel like you are eating in Italy or that you are eating at home. That’s what you want: the memory, the experience.”