Healthy Food in Leeds

[grendelyn]

Hi guys!

I am working in Leeds for the next, oh, eternity, and it seems like someone is holding all the salad in Yorkshire hostage!

Can anyone recommend some places in Leeds, or the UK in general for quick, healthy food? I am looking especially for lunch places, in the £5-15 range. Vegetarian is not required, just something not deep fried. Please help, I can't take any more Tampopo!

[Bapi]

Hi guys!

I am working in Leeds for the next, oh, eternity, and it seems like someone is holding all the salad in Yorkshire hostage!

Can anyone recommend some places in Leeds, or the UK in general for quick, healthy food?  I am looking especially for lunch places, in the £5-15 range.  Vegetarian is not required, just something not deep fried.  Please help, I can't take any more Tampopo!

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Healthy Food? What's that then? Certainly no point in asking Gary about healthy food. He has't had a salad since the 1980s. Yin may be able to help though.

[grendelyn]

My 'healthy option platter' at the Crown Plaza last night consisted of some fatty turkey on a white baguette (undercooked, I might add), three lettuce leaves smothered in dressing, and a handful of crisps.

The situation is getting dire.

Normally, I wouldn't mind too much, but I have a wedding dress to cram myself into in May. After that, it's totally back to tetley's and chips.

[MartinGill]

Not that I often eat healthily, but how about the Arts Cafe, their lunch plates used to be great value though I haven't been for a few months. There is also Roots and Fruits in the arcade near the Grand theatre. It is veggie and vegan, but certainly passed the healthy eating test when I took my wife at a similar stage in the pre wedding diet.

[YKL]

Agree that Arts by the Corn Exchange is a very good choice - the only problem might be tearing yourself away to go back to the office!

Have not gone back to Tampopo for several years since a number of mediocre meals. A far better soup noodle option would be Fuji Hiro up by the Merrion centre, or even Little Toyko behind House of Fraser.

If sushi works for you - Sisushi have now opened a branch in Central Leeds (orginal website is here). Have always had pretty good stuff from the original Chapel Allerton branch - but think this one does more than just sushi, and of course, there is always Yo Sushi in Harvey Nicks now.

Actually you could go to Harvey Nicks restaurant - surely they must do the ladies who lunch thing properly. But I will admit my bias and say that you would do better at Anthony's at Flannels (website all day menu here) - where I am sure you could find something nutritious but non fattening.

Otherwise - reasonable Italians for light pasta or salads - well Bibi's is an institution (website here), but Casa Mia on Millenium Square or Brios on George Street are pretty good as well.

You'll have the usual places offering sandwiches in the centre of town but since I've not worked in the centre for years, am not sure where would be best - and some of them change hands pretty frequently! The Food Emporium on York Place looked to be interesting - but Gary Marshall would be best placed to advise on that.

Umm .. that's all I can think of at the moment ....

hope that helps

Yin

[Gary Marshall]

healthy eating isn't really my specialist subject, seeing as if i'm not out for lunch i'm tucking into a calorie laden pret with crisps n latte!

the japanese places yin mentions might be your best bet i did have lunch in little tokyo last friday which did place a lot of emphasis on healthy eating, i obviuosly ignored it and had a curry.

i'm going to try fuji hero for noodles and si sushi, both recommended by anthony's who seem to get a lot of their staff meals from there, mind you prior to that they lived on mcdonalds

other than that i can't really think of much, you've got to get out of the crown plaza though! on wellington street alone you've got a few decent places, nawaab indian, la grillade (french bistro) and if you have expenses to burn number 3 is only 5 mins away and anthony's not much further either, just past the train station.

cheers

gary

[Weasel]

(Holding myself back from a rant along the artificial distinction of some foods being "healthy" or "bad" and it all being about relative intakes...)

A few ideas, Red Chilli up in the carriageworks nr Millennium Square is great for a wide range of fresh and authentic chinese dishes and has a good selection of vegetarian options. I've tried sisushi in the same building but wasn't impressed by lukeworm noodles, uncooked lumps of uninspired mushroom and a soup base of outstanding blandness.

There is a great new spanish-slanted deli which has recently opened on Swinegate (opposite Malmaison) http://www.saltsdeli.co.uk. Very reasonable prices and a wide variety of sandwiches with excellent quality fillings and breads as well as a choice of 2 or 3 fresh soups daily and a small but good selection of hot meals and salads to take away - today for example there was lamb tagine with couscous and an interesting salad of fresh mackerel with fennel (sarnies and soup about £3 and main dishes about £4 - 5 and all can be taken back to the office in microwaveable containers and big portions). This place is a real boon for Leeds and just what I'd have liked to open if richer.

Yo sushi at Harvey Nicks is good for some fast salad/raw fish.

Whenever I feel the need to lose some lard I go for the tuna nicoise salad at Pret - it's filling, well balanced and tastes ok (if you add all the garlicky oily dressing) and manages to stave off mid-afternoon crisp cravings.

Piccolino on Park Row is a new branch of the NW chain and pretty good - I haven't tried the salads but they look appealing.

Another good lunch place for takeaway is the sandwich shop on Park Place whose name I forget but it begins with P - does a huge range of sarnies made to order as well as soups and salads and does good smoothies and porridge to set you up right in the morinings (better start than a mcmuffin).

[YKL]

A few ideas, Red Chilli up in the carriageworks nr Millennium Square is great for a wide range of fresh and authentic chinese dishes and has a good selection of vegetarian options. 

There is a great new spanish-slanted deli which has recently opened on Swinegate (opposite Malmaison) http://www.saltsdeli.co.uk. 

Piccolino on Park Row is a new branch of the NW chain and pretty good - I haven't tried the salads but they look appealing. 

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Red Chilli is definitely very good indeed - and will be comfortably within your budget indicated above.

Salts looks great - and keep meaning to make a proper visit.

Think Piccolino was recommended by Olga at Anthony's the other day - which is high praise in my book!

Otherwise, you could always fall back on Marks and Spencer!

Cheers

Yin

[grendelyn]

Thanks for the ideas, guys. I *love* salts! Yummy snacks to try while you're waiting, and a great selection of spanish meats! Yum!

I will def try art's cafe, and some of the others.

I know, I know, relative intake and all that. Still, the same old pret everyday isn't good for anyone, no matter how delicious and convenient.

My favourite place for a sandwich is Fifty-six. It's right across from the hospital, on the same street as the big church with the crypt (St. George's?) and the Virgin Active. They do great coronation chicken, and anything else you want, as well as wonderful homemade cakes, all for under £4.

[Weasel]

My favourite place for a sandwich is Fifty-six.  It's right across from the hospital, on the same street as the big church with the crypt (St. George's?) and the Virgin Active.  They do great coronation chicken, and anything else you want, as well as wonderful homemade cakes, all for under £4.

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Ooh, ta for that recommendation Grendelyn I haven't tried that one as I don't get up that end of town very often but a pre-prandial walk would probably be a good thing for me. Hoopla for homemade cakes.

[grendelyn]

sorry, weasel, it's called fifty-nine -- fifty-six is the noodle place.

I got out and went to nawaab last night. I had some bbq chicken and lychee stuff. It was alright. Nothing life changing but better than undercooked roomservice!

[YKL]

The Aagrah by the Playhouse is pretty good - but may be a bit of a trek for food.

Yin

X

[Gary Marshall]

The Aagrah by the Playhouse is pretty good - but may be a bit of a trek for food.

Yin

X

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aagrah is nearly always worth the trip!