Saturday 19 January 2013

Café Moor, Leeds Kirkgate Market

Last time I wrote about the market I was a bit negative about the current state of affairs regarding the redevelopment saga, so it's time to redress the balance and talk about the good things that are happening.

Credit where it's due, the management team (or whoever is responsible for getting stalls let to new businesses) are doing a good job on the food and drink front. The range of places to eat in the market has improved immeasurably over the last year or two, and progress on this front shows no sign of abating.

To add to May's Recipes, Maxi's Rotisserie, the rotating occupiers at the Source, the Turkish stall and the Caribbean one we now have Café Moor, perhaps the most high profile of the recent openings. As an aside, can anyone recommend any of the traditional market caffs, some of them must be good and they deserve attention too?

Café Moor have taken the big stall right inside one of the main Vicar Lane entrances, in the pretty part of the market, and have made an effort to make the place look the part, draping the stall with carpets and putting on an attractive display of hummous, salads and such-like.


Shawarma and falafel are the name of the game, wraps of either are just three quid including salads and sauces. The falafel wrap I had was faultless, as good as any I had in the Middle East the other year. Frying the little balls of goodness to order is the key, the result being fresh, light and nutty as opposed to the leaden, mealy golf balls you end up with when they've sat around all day.

Chilli sauce and hummous were also exemplary, clearly home-made rather than bought in, and the salad extends to at least seven or eight different items including some quality pickles. Good, stretchy wrap bread too.

The guys running the place are friendly, the food is lovely and the price is right. Give it a try.


9/10

1904 Hall
Kirkgate Market
Leeds
LS2 7HY

4 comments:

Gary said...

I buy plenty of fresh food from Leeds Market but never eaten there, gonna have to change that sharpish by the look of it.

Anonymous said...

You mentioned a Turkish stall in the market. What and where is that? Sounds interesting, but I've never seen it myself.

Dave said...

Gary - yep, things are really coming on in this respect. It's definitely worth stopping for lunch when you shop there nowadays. For starters I'd go for falafel then head down to Maxi's for roast meats.

Anon - it's in the 1976 hall sort of half way down. Not sure if it actually has a name but there are pictures of lahmacun, hummous and so on on the walls so you can't really miss it.

Anonymous said...

Breakfast Cottage Cafe on row G - looks like greasy spoon but food - especially all day breakfasts are amazing! Oh and the chips are homemade only - none of your frozen rubbish! Always packed to the rafters - can't always get a seat.

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