Tada Headingley: Inside Michelin-trained chef Mandie Chan's authentic Japanese sushi kitchen in Leeds
A small but ambitious Japanese restaurant has taken a Leeds suburb by storm since opening almost two years ago - and its committed head chef has been key to its rise as one of the city’s most celebrated eateries.
Tada, on Otley Road in Headingley, has been shortlisted for three prizes at the Yorkshire Evening Post’s prestigious Oliver Awards 2025: ‘Best Local Restaurant’, ‘Best World Restaurant’, and ‘Chef of the Year’.
It is testament to the unwavering dedication of the team at the heart of the venture, that include owners Thomas Chiang and Katlin Akerman, and head chef Mandie Chan.
Mandie’s remarkable culinary journey began in 1997 at Genroku Sushi, Hong Kong’s first conveyor belt sushi restaurant, before training at Wabi Sabi, a high-end omakase restaurant where he worked with some of the world’s most exclusive ingredients, including fresh seafood and Japanese A5 Wagyu beef.
Later, his pursuit of mastery led him to work alongside some of the world’s most respected sushi chefs. At Sushiyoshi in Japan, for example, he trained under two-Michelin-starred expert Hiroki, an experience that left an indelible mark on his approach to cooking.
But in 2020, the covid pandemic put his career on hold. With Hong Kong facing political uncertainty, he made the difficult decision to relocate to the UK with his wife and three children. It was a leap of faith - and one that led him straight to Tada.
“We received a CV out of the blue - and it was the best fit for the restaurant we could have imagined,” explained co-owner Thomas.
Mandie’s meticulous approach to presentation has brought a new level of sophistication to Japanese dining in Leeds, as Thomas explained: “All of his dishes, regardless of how busy it is, are finished to perfection. The visual was very important for us in terms of what we wanted to create.
“And that’s ultimately down to marketing. Social media is so important now, and we try to post pictures of all of our dishes.”
One of the chef’s standout creations is the chutoro nigiri with caviar, with buttery rich and fatty tuna enhanced only by the sharp saltiness of the roe. He also introduced a tuna bento box for the summer menu, which showcased three different cuts of bluefin tuna, from the leanest to the fattiest.
Mandie was among the first to bring oshizushi - or a pressed form of sushi - to Leeds. Co-owner Katlin Akerman explained: “We have items at Tada that people might not have tried before. One example is the Oshizushi, which has a rectangular shape. It’s pressed to enhance the flavour of the fish. It’s quite dense and gives a really interesting texture.”
Another highlight of the menu is the Tada chirashidon, a dish that Mandie takes great pride in and features almost all of the fish available at the restaurant.
Thomas said: “The visual and the way that he puts it together is amazing. It has white rice topped with salmon, bluefin tuna, yellowtail, red sea bream, sweet prawn, surf clam, scallop, salmon fish roe, Japanese egg omelette, picked radish, pickled ginger and yuzu peel. It’s a really popular dish here - people love the wow factor.”
Thomas and Katlin’s vision for Tada was always to offer an authentic Japanese dining experience - as it was something they felt was missing in Leeds.
“Without disrespecting other restaurants, they were not necessarily serving the traditional style of Japanese food,” said Thomas. “We source a lot of our ingredients from Japan, including fresh fish. Sustainability is really important for us, which is why our salmon comes from Scotland. We always want to keep dishes as fresh as possible.”
The design of the restaurant was equally important. “When I take customers downstairs, they’re always like ‘wow, it’s so beautiful’,” said Katlin. Thomas added: “The design is very Japanese, they use a lot of wood, which is also a trend in Scandinavian design. We wanted to incorporate that minimalist style here.”
Tada’s popularity has continued to grow in recent months, providing a chance for the team to reflect on their success. One of the restaurant’s biggest achievements came over Valentine’s Day weekend, when demand far exceeded expectations.
Thomas said: “A huge wow moment came for us when we saw that we were fully booked all day on Friday and Saturday - with more than 100 people on the waiting list too. That was certainly an amazing moment for us.”
Looking ahead, the team have ambitious plans for 2025 too. “Potentially, we could move to a bigger site - or even open a second one,” hinted Thomas. “Ever since opening, we’ve gone from strength to strength. That gives us the motivation we need to create something bigger.”