Chino Latino – the best restaurant in Leeds?

We often get asked by our guests where our favourite places to dine in Leeds are and I always struggle to answer. Partly because we’re boring and are going out less, or because we’re only going out to other supperclubs! One place that does stick in my mind is Chino Latino, which I went to for my birthday about three years ago. I was pleasantly surprised by the innovative pan-Asian flavours. So… my friends are about a month away from baby D-day so they are desperately trying to do as many adult things before it’s too late. Yesterday was the last day at work (before maternity leave) for the preggers one so it seemed apt to have a celebration meal at Chino’s.

First off we met for cocktails in the Queen’s Bar in the Queen’s hotel (mocktails for woman with child!). I can safely say that the Queen’s do the best martinis in the whole of Leeds. They come complete with Cointreau, which is a stroke of genius and makes them really tasty. However it transpires that because I like my martinis shaken it’s not actually a martini at all. The process of shaking chemically changes it into a ‘Bradford’. So I’m not martini man at all but Bradford man! Susie and I have more in common than I thought, haha!

Dinner at the Manor’s Spanish Menu

We are bringing a taste of Spain to the Manor in just over 2 weeks’ time! We’ve thought long and hard about the menu and we think that these dishes, selected from Rick Stein’s Spain showcases an array of Spanish regional foods.

Expect bold flavours, tasty offerings and fabulous surroundings!

Let us know what you all think!

Ottolenghi and Innis & Gunn take over the Manor

Guests from as far afield as London and Edinburgh, (and a US and Canadian expat!) joined us for our vegetarian feast inspired by Ottolenghi’s Plenty with beer pairings by Innis and Gunn. The Manor was once again taken over by mountains of fresh herbs, lovely spices and piles of vegetables, grains and pulses. Our veg of the weekend was aubergine and we’re pleased to report we got through 20 of them!

We enjoy the events where we cook food from foreign lands. Mainly because it gives diners something new and interesting to eat and it gives us an enjoyable challenge. This month we showcased food from Turkey, Morocco, Japan and China (amongst others).

Dinner at the Manor Summer Dates

We’ve had an amazing 2012 so far! 182 6 course meals served to some lovely, wonderful folk who I hope enjoyed eating as much as we’ve enjoyed feeding. We’re still a bit stunned by the amount of interest in our events and we very much hope this interest continues.

We’re happy to announce our next couple of summer 2012 events at the Manor. We have picked themes which we think will get you excited for summer and also showcase some interesting flavours and we’d love to know what you think!

Saturday July 14th – Jamie Oliver
The Manor will play host to a range if international influences taken from Jamie Oliver’s Jamie Does… Sorry, this event is fully booked

Saturday August 18th – River Cafe
We’re doing something slightly different in August and and we’ll be hosting a River Cafe inspired garden party! Sorry, this event is fully booked

Jamie Does…Dinner at the Manor!

Saturday July 14th 2012 – Sorry, this event is now sold out!

A few weeks back we held a poll on the site to see whether there would be interest in a Jamie Oliver themed event and the results were a resounding thumbs up!

Everyone has a Jamie Oliver book in their collections. His simple, no fuss approach to food inspired us all in the late 1990’s and he’s still a stalwart of British cookery years later.

The book we’ve chosen for this one is Jamie Does… and we will be showcasing dishes from across Europe and beyond. Expect rustic French flavours muscling up to the delicate flavours of Sweden, with a bit of Morrocan spice thrown in for good measure. We want to show that this lesser known book is a revelation!

£30.50 donation per person will provide a 6 course menu and welcome drink. A £15.00pp deposit secures you place now!

Sorry, this event is now sold out 

The Manor’s summer garden party with River Cafe

Saturday 18th August 2012
Sorry this event is fully booked

Weather permitting (as these things are at the height of a British summer!) we’ll be hosting a special garden party with recipes from the revolutionary River Cafe Cookbook, published in the early 90’s. Ruth Rogers and Rose Grey really changed the way we viewed Italian cookery in the UK and they ensured that many of the unusual Mediterranean ingredients they were using at the time, we now take for granted.

We’ll be serving a range of exciting and substantial canapés at a drinks reception in the Manor’s garden. This will be followed by a delicious barbecued dinner served in the Manor’s ubiquitous dining room. Think of great quality meat, fish and vegetables cooked simply and served with taste tingling salads, salsas and sauces. £30.50 gets you 3 delicious courses and drink on arrival.

This event is now fully booked

The Manor Goes to Tea

Afternoon tea came to Dinner the Manor this weekend. We’re not about to diversify just yet but we had a private event on and a tea seemed a nice casual way of feeding everyone without stretching ourselves too much a week before our veggie feasts.

Readers will know that we LOVE Dan Lepard’s Short and Sweet book, which is mainly recipes from his popular Guardian column.

Dinner at the Manor for Hire

At our monthly events, Dan and I want to ensure that as many people as possible get the chance to come to the Manor and try the supperclub experience. We have been approached by a number of people who have asked if they can book a large number of spaces and we have always said we’d rather not restrict our events to large groups, as dining with strangers is one of the exciting parts of the underground ethos.

However, in the past few weeks we have been approached by a few of our previous guests to see if we would be interested in hosting private events for special occasions, and we are pleased to say that Dinner at the Manor is available for private hire.

Below is a menu for our upcoming private Dan Lepard inspired afternoon tea event

Ottolenghi and Innis & Gunn Ale Event – Menu

Yotam Ottolenghi and Innis & Gunn are coming to Dinner at the Manor on the 20th and 21st of April! We hope our guests are looking forward to it as much as we are!

We have been drooling over the beautiful book Plenty for inspiration and we want to showcase some beautiful, tasty food which can be enjoyed by veggies and meat eaters alike.

We also have some wonderful beers from Innis & Gunn which we think will compliment the food on offer.

Have a look at the menu and let us know what you think!