The back streets of Leeds hold many surprises, some a little more savoury than others.
But anyone meandering behind Briggate’s House of Fraser could be in for a treat if they stumble across Little Tokyo.
Stepping inside feels like a journey into the back of a certain renowned wardrobe.
But instead of Narnia one finds themselves immediately transported away from the evening party goers of nearby Call Lane to a Japanese style garden restaurant, complete with its own waterfall and pond and staff dressed in kimonos.
But perhaps even more of a surprise to some is the menu, which despite including the traditional sushi dishes that are now springing up in Leeds’ food spots almost as fast as Greggs once did, has a large selection of vegan options on offer.
Little Tokyo, for over 15 years now has, perhaps bizarrely to some, being pushing the diet since it first opened in 1999.
And we are not talking just mushroom and aubergine noodle dishes here – Little Tokyo is the place to go for lovers of fake meats, – those made with soya, beancurd or wheat gluten that look like the real thing and save animals from butchers.
It also has an impressive selection of curries, soups, salads and a vegetable sushi section, with the menu pointing out that all a dish needs to have to be classed as sushi is vinegared rice’.
As a vegan who is lucky to find even one vegan dish on a menu, especially in Huddersfield, being faced with so many options required a large glass of plum wine to give me some dutch courage to make a choice.
In the end my dinner date Will and I decided to share dishes to cover as many bases as possible and sat back to enjoy the eclectic Far East soundtrack - which veered from lilting melodies to more J-pop esque sounds.
Despite it being a busy Friday night, we did not have to wait long before our first taste of our vegan banquet, which for starters included deep-fried bean curd spring rolls and vegan ‘chicken’ legs, served with a barbecue sauce.
The bean curd rolls were pleasant enough, but it was the fake meat that stole the show. Made out of breadcrumbed soya strips with a crispier style ‘bone’, a long forgotten texture for us veggies, they did not stay on the table for long.
Little Tokyo used to be known to some of us Loiners for its often impromptu mid meal shows, which featured a brilliant several waiter sword dance team.
It was based on an old Samurai routine but had been hilariously updated to include flashing expanding light sabres instead.
According to the waitress I spoke to though, sadly the new recruits have stopped the show due to being a lot more self conscious – more sake needed, perhaps?
Instead though we were treated to a happy birthday performance instead, full of gong bashing, traditional singing and a bowl of sparklers.
Our main courses arrive in boxes so large we could have happily gone without the starters – if only they had not been so tasty.
Fortunately, splitting the different dishes into four sections did something to lessen the food mountain effect.
Each had ginger salad, tempura vegetables, white rice with sesame, all, despite the size, light and flavoured well, although a zingier sauce could have given the tempura the wow factor.
The last sections in our boxes were reserved for our fake meat experience.
Not wanting to pass up a rare opportunity, I plumped for the steak, which was made out of tofu that seemed to have been braised.
The texture, although not what Will, a more recent veggie convert, associated with the meat version, was pleasantly chewy – not a texture I can conjure up within my own dinner attempts.
The sauce was a thick soy style gravy – a hint of chilli or more spices would have really hit the spot but it did not harm the meal.
Will went all out and picked the most expensive fake meat dish on offer, the vegan roast duck with mango sauce.
Seemingly made from wheat gluten, it had a firm texture and even included a skin-like part on the top.
Realising he was not a fan of sweet sauces, Will found it hard to eat it all but I took no time to swap some of my steak for his – it was to me the best dish of the night.
Full to bursting, we passed up the option for dessert, settling for a wholesome ginseng tea instead.
A great culinary feast for vegans, I could not help but thinking how great it would be if the owners took the plunge to go all out vegetarian or vegan or at least resolve the issue mentioned by other vegans who have dined there - the decision to keep fish in their pond.
While growing up around a family of staunch meat eaters, I do not have the same problem of eating at a meat, fish and vegan restaurant as some but using the inside of a restaurant in Leeds as a home for lively carp to spend their years seems an unnecessary decision to have made.
Yet despite this, surely fellow veggies would agree that its decision to promote its vegan selection should be lauded in an age where you cannot turn around without bumping into yet another h0mogenous steak house.
24 Central Road, Leeds, LS1 6DE
Tel: 0113 2439090
Website: www.littletokyoleeds.com
Opening hours: Monday to Thursday from 11.30am to 10pm and Friday and Saturday from 11.30am to 11pm. Closed Sundays.
Children: Welcome
Disabled access: No disabled toilet
The bill: £46.38 including drinks
Would you go back? For the food, definitely – there’s so much to try out.
