OUT AND ABOUT | CAFE MOOR

Following on from my previous post of eating in Kirkgate Market, this is also another gem which anyone who lives in Leeds would be happy to tell you about.

Cafe Moor serves up North African and Middle Eastern influenced street food and has a rather impressive stall situated into the left hand front entrance of Kirkgate Market.

Run by Kada, he says that "this is a great place for people who love good food, great value and authentic flavours and the market is the ideal location for us because we focus on affordable, fresh food made to order right in front of the customers, from really fresh ingredients".

If the food on display and wafting smells of shawarma and tagines aren't enough to get you going then their menu will do the trick. Affordable starters, meals, wraps and sandwiches are available from Monday-Saturday from 10-5pm, making this the perfect stop for a cheap and tasty lunch on the go.

On this occasion I ordered a wrap and went for the Falafel King (£4). A souped up falafel wrap containing falafel, grilled haloumi, roasted aubergine, chips, humous and gherkins served in an Arabic flatbread.

Placing my order I was given a complimentary cup of their mint tea which served as a refreshingly sweet palate cleanser.

With a quick service my food was made fresh before my eyes and served to me within five minutes. The wrap itself was stuffed full of all its components and looking pretty damn good!

All the flavours worked really well together however it was quite dry due to all the stodgey ingredients and could have benefited from some extra sauce. Despite this it was bloomin' tasty and made for a nice change to what you might come across from your favourite sandwich haunt.

I can also highly recommend their Humous Salad Wrap (£1.50) which is bargainous and great value for money and also healthier on the waistline too!

Have you been to Cafe Moor?

Do you have any other favourite places to eat in Kirkgate Market?

OUT AND ABOUT | CARIBBEAN CAFE

Situated at the top of Butchers Row in Kirkgate Market is a Caribbean food haven which I finally got round to trying the other day.

Caribbean Cafe, opened a few years back and is run by Dean Cuffy and serves up a selection of fish, chicken, meat and vegetarian dishes as well as wraps and a breakfast menu.

I went with my sister an her boyfriend last week as I was showing them round the wonderful market. We decided to stop for a spot of lunch at the Caribbean Cafe and squeezed are way into the tiny cafe.

Greeted immediately we were asked what we wanted. I wanted the oxtail but unfortunately it wasn't on that day. There was however lots of nice chit chat with the staff and we all ordered different dishes with s selection of rice, salsa's and salad on the side.

We ordered the Stewed Saltfish with spicy rice and tomato salsa, the Callaloo and Fried Plantain and Jerk Chicken with rice and coleslaw - these were all £5 each.

All were very generous in portion size - a very large lunch indeed but it was welcomed with wide mouths on that cold and rainy day. Our rice came with optional gravy on the top which was a nice little extra and the salsa's were fresh and in a light marinade.

My saltfish was chunky and in a tomato sauce with onions and peppers. It was slightly spicy and had a good peppery kick.

The jerk chicken was marinated and roasted. Again a slightly spicy sauce which wasn't too sweet with the chicken thighs very moist and juicy.

The callallo (no picture I am afraid as my camera battery died!) was delicately curried in a light sauce which made for a tasty vegetarian option with the fried plantain.

We saw a few students coming in to buy some wraps and these were piled high with delicious fresh fillings for a bargain of £3. I will definitely be going back to purchase a wrap to take out in the near future and to also try their other dishes.

It's a great little cafe with friendly vibes and feel food Caribbean food. You can't go wrong for the price and there is definitely something for everyone here. Why not give the Caribbean Cafe a go next time your in the market?

OUT AND ABOUT | TRINITY KITCHEN - ROTATION #4

On Tuesday evening I was invited to come and try out the new rotation of traders at Trinity Kitchen. Joining us from further afield until the 30th March is The Meat Wagon, Dorshi, Harajuku Kitchen and then two Leeds based traders Cafe Moor and Love Rouge Bakery.

I have been to a Trinity Kitchen bloggers event before (see my post here) and was expecting a similar informal street food based affair with lots of tastings and chatting to the vendors. This time however was a different set up, a more formal vibe with a sit down dinner and menu style event.

Handed a glass of fizz, we were sat down and given the menu which had two options on offer from each of the traders in Trinity Kitchen, the new ones that had just arrived but also options from the the permanent traders too.

Unsure as to what to pick as it was a one meal option, all I knew was that I wanted to try a bit of something from all the new vendors if possible. I opted for the Pork and Shrimp Gyoza from Harajuku Kitchen and my friend went for the Shawafel from Cafe Moor. Wanting to try all the new vendors I was looking to sneak in a side from the Meat Wagon, however they didn't do chips and we were offered chips from Chip + Fish instead.

First up is Harajuku Kitchen, a Japanese bistro based in Edinburgh which aims to provide wholesome Japanese food, delivering the authentic flavour of Japan through respecting the ingredients and their natural flavours.

Their Pork and Shrimp Gyoza graced our table in a little black box. Six dumplings drizzled in soy sauce and garnished with coriander. These were extremely flavoursome and great food to eat. Something a little bit different and exciting for me. The flavours were great, however I could have taken a little extra kick or heat from somewhere.

Next up we have Cafe Moor. Whilst also operating just over the city down in Leeds Kirkgate Market, Cafe Moor have taken up residency in this months rotation of traders at Trinity Kitchen.

Offering authentic North African and Middle Eastern street food they are serving up a delicious menu featuring mezze, shawarma, bourek amongst plenty of other tasty treats.

The Shawafel arrived on a platter for us to construct ourselves, which made it great sharing food. A generous serving of marinated chicken, falafel, garlic sauce, pickles and salad were accompanied by an Arabic flat bread. The flavours were fantastic and this is a must-try for anyone who needs swaying away from their greasy Saturday night kebab. This is how it is done properly.

We also got to sample some of their delicious mint tea which was warming and sweet yet a real palate cleanser.

Our chips on the side from Chip + Fish ended up coming with a piece of battered haddock on top and sides of mushy peas and tartare sauce. We were a little overwhelmed but happily dug into it. The chips were fat, being nice and fluffy on the inside with a good crisp exterior. The fish was tasty but the batter was a little bit too chewy for our liking. Mushy peas however were spot on!

To finish, we tried a cupcake from Love Rouge Bakery. Modeled on the 99p ice cream, this was a vanilla cupcake with rich vanilla buttercream, hundreds and thousands and a much loved flake.

Whilst great in presentation, I felt the cake was overpowered by an artificial vanilla flavour and was more style over substance. I will need to have a second taste of a different cake I think as maybe this just wasn't my cup of tea.

Unfortunately The Meat Wagon and Dorshi did not make it into my belly that night (there is only so much food one can eat in one sitting!). Both will however be getting a feature on the blog in the next few weeks as I return for my next Trinity Kitchen feasts.

OUT AND ABOUT | LEEDS FARMERS MARKET ON BRIGGATE

We had some beautiful sunshine last weekend and I couldn't resist taking a stroll down to the Farmers Market on Briggate before going to the Laynes Espresso Brunch at Belgrave Music Hall (see my post on this here).

Always fascinated by the array of local produce on offer, I am particularly enticed by the stall with dead pheasants and game.

Lovely pizzettes, tarts and cakes as big as your head were also on offer from Podge.

Fresh oysters from Tarbett's Fishmongers Oyster Bar.

Fresh raspberry and rhubarb cordials and jams from The Seasonal Larder.

Handmade pies from The Little Yorkshire Pie Company.

A beautiful array of baked goods from Hepworth's Deli.

The Farmers Market is on Briggate every first and third Sunday of the month from 10-4pm and is well worth a visit if you want to explore local produce and buy some treats.

RECIPE | CLEMENTINE DRIZZLE CAKE

Surpise surprise! It's another loaf cake...

This time I've used up some clementines (I have an abundance of the juicy fruit thanks to a great swag at Leeds Market the other day). It's a simple recipe and easy to make. It's also an all round pleaser and makes a nice little change to the traditional lemon drizzle.

Ingredients:

Cake:

175g Butter

175g Caster Sugar

3 Eggs

1 1/2tsp Vanilla Essence

Zest of 2 Clementines

175g Self-Raising Flour

1 1/2tsp Baking Powder

1tbsp Clementine Juice

2tbsp Milk

Drizzle:

Juice of 2 Clementines

80g Granulated Sugar

2tbsp Icing Sugar

 Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 180 and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin.

2. Cream the butter and the sugar together with an electric hand mixer for 2-3 minutes until light in colour and fluffy in texture.

3. Add the clementine zest, vanilla essence and eggs to the mixture and stir until combined.

4. Fold in the flour and the baking powder and mix together.

5. Add the clementine juice and milk to loosen the mixture into a light cake batter.

6, Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake on the center shelf of your oven for 40 minutes.

7. Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and pierce the cake several times with a skewer.

8. Mix together the drizzle ingredients and pour generously over the cake whilst it is still in the tin.

9. Once the cake has cooled and the drizzle has set then it is ready to devour!