Curry Leaf

Great curries, ask for an extra plate if the curries you are sharing include a Thali. Fish curries may be a bit too fishy but chicken and lamb curries are fantastic.

Now, as a curry lover I know it may seem like I give all of these places high stars (I’m scared to look back at my reviews of curry places now, in case this is true!!), but the food, atmosphere & staff here deserve this recognition.
I booked for a large group of around 15 people, and we got a pretty reasonable deal, so that’s always a bonus!
We got a huge amount of food for the mixed starter, and all very tasty — including the increased volume of veggie options for our group.
Unfortunately there was quite a delay between the starters being cleared away and the mains being served, so this prevented me from giving 5 stars. However I can confirm that the food & the variety was worth the wait, the lamb & chicken was mouth watering & just melted away when bitten into.
The only other disappointment we had on the evening was the serving staff not being able to tell us what the dishes were as they were brought out (other than chicken, lamb or veg) — so bit difficult to know what you’re eating when its a banquet option & you haven’t specifically ordered individual dishes.

Upon finding that the Thai place we wanted to visit was closed, my friend suggested that we try Curry Leaf. In the history of good calls, this was up there with the best!
We were greeted by a lovely lady and waited to be shown to our table. Even though she appeared to be working on her own and was very apologetic about the fact we had to wait, I think it was more in her mind than in reality as I didn’t feel like we waited any longer than we would do anywhere else.
When we came to order food my friend and I both ordered a thali curry as it seemed like an interesting idea having so many different things in one dish… It… was… brilliant! If you’re going for the first time definitely go for a Thali.
I think this restaurant is pretty perfect for cheeky mid-​week tea out. Nice place, nice food, nice people; I will certainly be visiting again soon with friends in tow.

I cannot praise this new and exciting place where the old Shabab was based enough to justify how much we enjoyed it!
i was interested in the Sri-​Lankan theme
From entering the service was attentive, if a little too attentive in places (the young lad took away a bottle of wine which wasn’t finished!!) and we found no area for fault (except the stairs).
I’d bought us a groupon deal to sample the food here and was also being a bit daring in taking the parents who are well travelled and have sampled some of the best cuisine possible!
They let us book in for a Friday 8pm sitting which I was surprised at and with the previous reviews here I was really looking forward to going.
The deal was 4x Thalia dishes with a wine/​beer or soft drink to accompany.
The Thalia choices were– Veg, Prawn, Chicken, Lamb or Fish and i knew from previous reviews that the fish was bony so none of us opted for that!
2 of us (the men!) decided the starters appealed very much so they ordered and regretted it when the mains arrived! Lol!
The starters we deep fried sardine & Mutton balls– both were delicious and delivered on all taste fronts!
The Thalia dishes were served and it was a party for the eyes!!!
11 individual dishes all featuring something different, a chapati & a poppadom to shovel it all in.
The manager talked us through the usual eating style which is to empty all the dishes onto the banana leaf and eat it all together– he wasn’t bloody wrong!
The explosions of taste, spice, texture in my mouth was second to none and I dreaded being too full to have to stop eating.
The inevitable happened though and I couldn’t finish it, damn!
The men-​folk in their need for greed with the starters also came a cropper and could not finish.
This place is a taste wonder!
The décor is very much the old Shabab décor with a slight touch of updating, the setting is comfortable and relaxed and I love that you can now see into the kitchen at the excitement of this food being created!
We will be back, again and again I’m sure as this place is a big hit with me and the prices are very modest for the actual amount you get to eat.
Welcome to Leeds Curry Leaf, it’s great to have you!

We went here after reading all the glowing reviews here on Unilocal!We have been trying to get out of our usual rut of the same old places recently and this seemed like a great place to start.
I loved the décor, I felt most Middle Eastern (possibly Bedouin) perched at my table. Excitingly we were next to a window that looks onto the kitchen, meaning that we were treated to a flash of flame every so often. There were some dishes that I was familiar with but I decided to be brave and adventurous and went for mutton cutlets to start and a vegetable Thali for my main. My boyfriend had something else. I don’t know what. I only had eyes for my food.
I was a little concerned that I had over ordered having read Sara T’s review stating that I didn’t need a starter. She was right but I don’t care. My mutton cutlets were so delicious, not cutlets in the traditional (British) sense, but fried balls of mutton and potato and spices that were just divine. Two balls actually and quite sizeable, but they were great so I didn’t hold back. They also came with a super selection of pickles. The Thali then. So exciting. A platter with several mysterious little dishes and a banana leaf in the middle for a plate. And poppadoms AND a chappatti. My dishes included various chutneys and curries and a yummy rice. My favourites were probably a paneer one and a potato one, but the lime pickle was outstanding. Rowena H really tells it like it is on that one! Also, the service was lovely and the whole thing very reasonably priced. Definitely I will return.

They have just opened, so it might be a little presumptuous to give them five stars, but I’ve been twice so far and just have not ever had a better experience at a restaurant, ever.
First, the staff. Friendly from the first moment, bending over backwards for all the diners. Chatty but not pushy and all smiles. Really make you feel welcome in a genuine way.
When I asked for a vegan thali, it was checked and double checked that there would be nothing on it that I couldn’t eat. And when it arrived, well, all I can say is WOW. Don’t order a starter if you’re planning to have a thali because you’ll never finish it all. And it is all GORGEOUS so you’ll want to. Best aubergine I’ve had, ever. The coconut rice is simple and amazing, it comes with 5 or 6 chutneys, all superb. The main curries have been outstanding. And they describe how to have your thali in the traditional way, on a banana leaf (provided) which will enhance the flavours of it all.
Their entire menu looks great, is good for veggies and vegans and if I can ever wean myself off the thali I plan to try some more of it.
These guys haven’t been open long, are independent (just one other small location in Scarborough) and could really do with your support. You won’t be disappointed, I promise!

It’s not often that one gets to discover a new place, and when you do, you always hope that it’s going to be as excellent as it looks. My friend and I had been on an unsuccessful trip out to source a board game expansion pack, and so decided on a whim to eat out. If we can’t geek out as planned, we could damned well eat delicious food. And that is exactly what we did. Our hunt for said game lead us to wander past what used to be Shabab, to discover it is now called ‘Curry Leaf’. New venue, new owners, new everything.
A cursory glance at the menu convinced us to ascend the stairs. Exotic food? Check. Good prices? Double check. It can be an awkward experience, wandering up a staircase to some hidden venue, not knowing what might be in store. But we are intrepid explorers, and are not the sort to back out– we’d committed to it, and we’d eat there no matter what. It’s reminiscent of how I felt walking up the steps into The Maven, and you should all know by now how that pans out.
I looked through the little window, and almost thought them closed. I was nervous, and so like a big coward, made my cohort enter first. Within seconds we were greeted with a warm smile and welcome, asked to take a seat for a moment whilst they readied the table. As we were shown to our seat we got to see the venue in full: the back wall is entirely mirrored, the wall paper is of a velvet stock vintage-​style pattern, there are beautiful gold items of décor in keeping with the Sri Lankan vibe, and a large open window to the kitchen. All very delightful! It would have felt a little cosier had the tables not been arranged for a huge party, but you can’t fault them for that. In fact, it’s the perfect space for a big group, and the floor would make an excellent dance floor…
And so, to the food. Upon being seated, the chap gave us a very passionate and detailed explanation on the menu, pointing out in particular the traditional Sri Lankan dishes. You can, of course, pick out some Indian options but the focus is on the aforementioned cuisine. I was completely sold on the Thali, and opted for lamb. The phrase used, I believe, was that ‘your taste buds will be dancing in your mouth’. How could I refuse? My friend had the fish Lampraise, and we ordered some drinks — usually they have Lion Lager on, but had sadly run out. Apparently it’s excellent, but I’ll have to revisit to confirm that!
Everything is cooked entirely freshly here, which meant about a fifteen minute wait, but this was not an issue. I’m not a fan of ordering and eating within minutes unless I’m having fast food, so it gave us an opportunity to natter and take in the space. It’s worth mentioning, since that day is soon upon us, that this would be a wonderful choice for a romantic meal.
The sheer colour on my plate, as you can see from the picture, hinted at how much my taste buds might dance –but I did not realise they’d go all out and party. Dancing hardly does it justice, my mouth was in a state of all-​night-​rave cum week-​long-​maypole session, and what ever other form of happy groove you can think of. It was as if my taste buds had been hibernating, only to revive with a full on session of Morris, Riverdance, Jambo, Tango, Salsa, Freestyle and Zumba all at once. Sri Lankans know how to mouth-​party, is all I’m saying.
On one mighty tray of delight, I was gifted a dish of lamb curry (the most exquisite I’ve had, ever), a dish of lentils (way more exciting than you’d think), a dish of curried beetroot, buttered cabbage, potatoes, coconut rice, mango chutney, cucumber and yoghurt, the most incredible lime pickle in the world, chickpeas, and mango and apple. The coconut rice was utterly divine, and so delicately flavoured. The curried beetroot was truly beautiful, and the buttered cabbage was perhaps the most impressive I’ve known. I didn’t even know you could eat those vegetables like that. As for the lime pickle — I couldn’t actually eat it without making squealing noises. It sounds stupid, but it was that flavoursome. My mouth could hardly handle it. As for the lamb? Well, I’d not have missed meat eating here, but I don’t think you actually qualify as having an opinion on lamb unless you’ve eaten it here — it was utterly, mouth meltingly scrumptious.
The lesson learned is that Sri Lankan food is beautiful, and that I’m so happy that Leeds has yet another impassioned independent sharing their delights with our good selves. From start to finish the service was fantastic, not merely as they cared we enjoyed our meals, but because they seemed plainly excited to convert us to their cuisine– you could tell they couldn’t wait to see what we thought. And for two beers and two huge plates we paid £30. Bargain! You know what else? We were even gifted a free dessert to try it out. I think you know already how that tasted… Gorgeous. Highly highly recommend — get yourselves down there!