Uyare Leeds: I tried the new rooftop restaurant that everyone's talking about - here’s my verdict
It feels as though everyone in Leeds is angling for a table at Uyare, the new rooftop restaurant that has just taken up residence in Victoria Gate.
Brought to the former Issho site by the same team behind Tharavadu - a team that knows its way around top-tier Keralan cuisine - Uyare is its high-flying cousin, quite literally. It perches above the city, offering sweeping views from a stunningly designed bar.
From the moment we entered, it was clear that Uyare meant business. The design is sleek and polished: marble and wood finishes, plush furniture, and a dining room tucked discreetly behind the bar. It’s a bit of a Tardis situation - what initially seems like a swanky cocktail lounge soon reveals itself to be a sprawling 300-seat dining room.
And despite its size, service is impeccable - the kind that makes you feel immediately welcome rather than overwhelmed.
Our meal began, as all good meals should, with snacks. The pre-meal selection included a delightfully crisp array of poppadoms accompanied by an array of chutneys and pickles that had us scraping the bowls.
Between the three of us, we sensibly shared starters, which included the Vada Bonda - a golden lentil doughnut crowned with a spiced potato bonda and served with tomato and coconut chutneys. It arrived bathed in a vibrant pool of sauce - as pretty as a picture and just as delicious.
The Chick-Chick Chaat looked like something Jackson Pollock might have whipped up in a particularly enthusiastic moment, a riot of colour and texture featuring crisp samosas, tender chickpeas, yoghurt, and tamarind and mint chutneys.
Meanwhile, the Kanava Kurumulagu Fry offered tender squid slices stir-fried with Kerala spices, onion, bell pepper, garlic, curry leaves and black pepper.
Mains continued the high-flying theme. My Meen Chatti Curry was a dream of a dish - a Kerala-style fish curry cooked with coconut milk and aromatic spices, its sauce a deep sunset orange-red. Even the bowl it was served in looked like it had been sculpted by an artist.
The fish itself was perfectly cooked, falling apart at the slightest nudge of a fork. My dining companions were similarly enamoured with their choices, which we enjoyed with flaky parathas ideal for mopping up every last drop.
At the end of the meal, the bar beckoned us for one final hurrah. I opted for a mango margarita, which arrived in a vibrant orange hue and was packed unapologetically with chilli. Sweet, fiery and dangerously drinkable, it was the kind of cocktail that could easily lead to another - or three.
Uyare feels like a love letter to Kerala’s cuisine with its breathtaking views, meticulous plating, perfectly balanced dishes and effortlessly charming service. If Tharavadu is the beloved older sibling, Uyare is the stylish, slightly mischievous one who’s just arrived in town and stolen the limelight.