There’s something special about being in a stylish restaurant, surrounded by good friends and plates of delicious food. Enter the OBA Bottomless Brunch.
Leeds has its fair share of restaurants offering this dining experience, and OBA is the one of the newest restaurants to turn its hand to the popular offering.
OBA is a Korean-Japanese fusion restaurant. You will find it perched on the edge of the Merrion Centre, having been open for a few months, serving a selection of contemporary plates and tantalising cocktails to those seeking authentic food with a twist.
Recently, however, OBA have extended their offering to Bottomless Brunch, which is available from 12pm-4pm every day. Over the course of two hours, guests can enjoy 2 courses with sides and bottomless drinks for £30 per person.
We visited on a grey and dreary Monday afternoon, and there were already a few tables taken by people enjoying lunch. The bright and stylish interior quickly pushed the bad weather to the back of our minds. We were greeted with a smile and offered drinks almost as soon as we had taken off our coats – some venues offering Bottomless Brunch can be slow with the booze, so this was very much welcome! As neither of us was drinking, we opted for the raspberry lemonade – a refreshingly fruity and not-too-sweet mocktail – well balanced and delicious. For those taking full advantage of bottomless alcohol, prosecco and a green apple sour cocktail are available.
The 2-course menu consists of a sharing platter of starters. Nuggets of Korean fried chicken arrived in a little gold basket, sticky-sweet and savoury. The Kara-age fried chicken wings looked a little pale, and I was concerned they may not be cooked, but they were perfect, the meat meltingly tender and seasoned throughout. We both agreed that the kimchi spring rolls were the standout starter – shatteringly crisp pastry encasing an umami-rich blend of funky, savoury kimchi. Cucumber maki and tempura whitebait completed the mix and were both equally excellent.
There is a number of mains to choose from, all served with rice or chips. We opted for the tofu katsu teriyaki which arrived in the crunchiest breaded coating. The teriyaki sauce was served on the side so as not to sog out the dish, and was rich, sweet and salty. My ginger pork belly was served in paper-thin strips – hot pot style. I do find that belly pork can be too fatty if not rendered out, but this preparation kept the pork light, perfectly textured and packed full of flavour. It came fried with spring onions and sesame seeds and paired with the rice side dish perfectly.
Our waiter was warm and attentive, and quick to refresh our drinks when needed. Considering the volume of food offered, in addition to 2 hours of bottomless drinks, OBA’s Bottomless brunch is one of the best for value in the City. We both rolled out of there extremely sated and content.
Thank you OBA – we will see you soon!
Unit 2 Wade Lane Merrion Centre, LS2 8NG, 0113 244 2956, https://www.obaleeds.co.uk
Photography by Asli Champion.
