Whilst many UK cities boast a thriving Chinatown as a symbol of culture and community at their core, Leeds is somewhat lacking in this department.
To bridge the gap, we have well-loved gems including Wen’s, Noodle House and Blue Pavillion serving up authentic Chinese delights to foodies seeking a culinary adventure East. Though the food at the aforementioned establishments satisfies the stomach, it’s that soulful and infectious, celebratory buzz of communities and stalls all jumbled up in a colourful blockade which we still yearn for.
Originally inspired by Hong Kong’s buzzing Ladies Market, Mans Market on West Point Wellington Street is the bold, bright and unapologetically fun piece of theatre we have been missing all along. With its neon lights, playful quotes, and modern, anglicised take on traditional Chinese cuisine, the concept has gone down a storm in Leeds City Centre. Think fat juicy dumplings, Salt & Pepper Spice Bags and Nutella Bao Buns. The restaurant is as much about the experience as it is the food – and it wants you to leave with both your hunger and your spirit thoroughly satisfied.
The drama of the abundantly draped lights, the bright-red hanging lanterns, bustling open kitchen and industrial backdrop bundle together to create an ambience which is both uplifting and expectant, and the unique ordering system adds to the fun. Our waitress explains to us that rather than ordering in person or via a barcode, we are to hang an embarrassingly bold “Feed Me” card from a peg placed precariously above our hungry heads, on which we write our order numbers, each of which corresponds to an individual dish on the menu.
The menu is an Anglo-Chinese powerhouse, with some Northern dishes and “naughty slushies”, crisp Asian beers and cocktails to boot.
Our first round of eats, then, consists of the sharing prawn crackers which were served warm and crispy (the one and only acceptable way to have them) as well as the Mans Market’s famous Popcorn Chicken Salt and Pepper Spice Bag and the Sticky Belly Pork Bites glazed with hot honey. I must admit that I arrived late to the Spice Bag party and only really got up to speed with the phenomenon relatively recently – I, like many poor souls before me, was baptised by enthusiastic friends on a drunken ‘Spoons visit some Fridays ago.
As you’d expect, the sharing Spice Bag at Mans Market was a cut above my previous experience. This kind of chicken became popularised by night market stall owners in the late ‘70s, as they tried to recreate western-style chicken nuggets, but what they ended up with was a boneless, deep fried, bite-size version or what we now call popcorn chicken. The Mans Market version is made complete with Wok- tossed chips, onions, fresh chillies, garlic and the gaff’s “secret Chinese seasoning”, with a mandatory pot of exemplary curry sauce. All I can say about the seasoning is that it was addictively salty and I fear that my deliberately vague, half-hearted New Year’s resolution of a “fitter, healthier me” is already forfeit before we’ve hit day two. Shame on you, Mans Market – a girl must have sustainable goals.
The pork was tender and not overly salty, well balanced with the warm honey and a good choice when it comes to umami depth of flavour. Also devilishly delicious was the egg fried rice, which we ordered as a side to share to accompany a gigantic steaming bowl of chicken and sweetcorn soup, as well as the tofu Singapore noodles.
The soup was deeply comforting and received a big thumbs up from my dining partner, who considers himself a true connoisseur of this dish. Whilst I would personally recommend the rice dishes over the flat noodles, there is a good choice of customisable proteins available for meat eaters and vegetarians and the noodles came with a generous helping of sliced peppers, red onion and beansprouts, which was well needed to balance the mountain of golden carbs before us. Finished with fried garlic and toasted sesame seeds, the dish has a pleasantly nutty flavour, which gradually builds in spice. Perhaps controversially, if I was to return I’d skip the dumplings and noodles altogether and instead opt for a mix of the more flavoursome sharing dishes which the restaurant has become famous for.
Family friendly yet vaguely raucous, sharing style yet easily individualised, Mans Market is pretty much hitting every box in its quest to exude and embrace the spirit of East Asia.
To top it all off, they’re attempting to sashay away our January blues by offering a 50% discount on all Mains, Noodles and Grain dishes, Sunday to Friday throughout January (using the code Jan50.)
Tempted? You’d be daft not to be. You can stroll on down as a walk-in or book a table via their official website here.
Photography by Amy Mortin.
