Changes are afoot at The Wardrobe’s inimitable Soul Kitchen and it’s all down to the work of recently appointed restaurant manager Samantha Ibrahim, who recalls: “When I arrived it felt as if it was a four or five star restaurant because we had the napkins, the cutlery and it felt intimidating for a lot of people to come in and eat, especially when you had the bar on the other side. So after I arrived that people didn’t treat it like a Soul Kitchen where you’re supposed to just get in there, tuck in, get messy and enjoy yourself.
“So I changed the whole layout of the tables to make it more comfortable and easier for people to come in and the use of the restaurant has doubled. It’s made people a lot more aware of The Wardrobe. Visually we’ve lightened the place up a bit by putting more lights in, decorating it a bit, just to make it feel more homely and comfortable for people. It’s as if they’re sitting at home having dinner, getting messy, without feeling embarrassed. That’s the feel that I want to bring. The response that we’ve had is that people have enjoyed it and feel more comfortable here.”
The menu, however, is more or less the same, and for Samantha this is a good thing: “A lot of the dishes that we’ve got on the menu like the Creole jambalaya are dishes that I cook at home,” she enthuses. “So it’s like I’m a critic for the chef to tell him if it’s wrong or right. Because it’s coming from a point of view that I know and from friends and family it’s just taking little twists, trying to change it slightly so it’s more authentic to us. The gumbo, which we give to customers complementary, that I test every single day before it goes out to customers. So it’s just little tweaks that I’ve done, I haven’t changed anything major.”
So indeed, when we enter the Soul Kitchen space it is just as welcoming as the friendly staff under Samantha’s supervision. But as promised the menu remains the same and, purely for quality control purposes of course, I order the same dishes as on my previous visit. So after the delectable and totally free gumbo I order the crispy whitebait which comes with green Tabasco mayo and lemon in a generous portion that is very moreish. Holly’s chicken bingo’s three huge wings comes with a spicy hot sauce with red pepper salsa and green Tabasco mayo.
These leave us in keen anticipation of the mains and, indeed, we are not at all disappointed with the beautifully displayed Creole jambalaya and from the specials board surf’n’turf (a crafty combination of lobster and beef). The Deep South flavours certainly most authentic and once more the servings are big enough for the most voracious appetite. In the jambalaya the mixture of chicken, smoked Caribbean sausage and succulent king prawns is a real treat, while the surf’n’turf is a real taste-tingler too.
I’m rather nutty today so I have the peanut butter cheesecake (you can just imagine an American family tucking into this) while Holly can’t resist the red velvet cake, three layers of sheer delight. So Soul Kitchen is ideally situated for all the Quarry Hill venues and can be proud of great value, indisputable quantity met with unbeatable quality. It’s as if a Deep South chef has taken over in the creative quarter of Leeds and certainly the management can be proud of the venue, their staff and its glorious food.
Text: Rich Jevons @richjevons
Photos: Holly Spanner @amosquitobite