&KITH is the latest addition to Leicester’s dining scene as it opens on Granby Street this weekend.
A patisserie and coffee shop by day and restaurant and dry bar by night, &KITH is offering something of a twist on the surrounding businesses in town. We visited for the venue’s soft launch evening and couldn’t have been more impressed with the food and drink on offer.
First up, the concept. &KITH will serve locally roasted coffee, other hot drink options, pastries, beautifully handmade cakes and various light lunch options by day. A perfect spot to work from with your laptop or to catch up with your friends for lunch. They open from 8am daily.
Moving into the evenings, &KITH turns into a restaurant and dry bar. A fully fledged cocktail bar but with everything 0%. No more poor soft drink choices, or thoughtless mocktails, this is the best of a high end cocktail menu but alcohol switched out for the finest 0% alternatives.
Weekends will also be something of an occasion as they run a fabulous sounding brunch menu on Saturdays and Sundays. Expect everything from cornflake chicken thigh and maple syrup pancake stacks or Biscoff Anglaise pancakes stacks to Turkish eggs with merguez and smashed avocado on Hambleton bloomer.
We were lucky enough to sample some of the food on the soft launch evening and let’s just say it far exceeded expectations. The flavours were fabulous, dishes were interesting and it just left me wanting to go back and try more. From the Tenderstem broccoli with miso and seaweed butter to the Lamb rump with spiced romesco, the Aubergine chips and the Lamb merguez Neapolitan stone-baked pizza… it was all excellent.
The menu is built around a central pizza selection with interesting topping choice such as the above mentioned Lamb merguez, Bianco fig & goats cheese with olives and honey, or Dolcelatte Bianco with mushroom, spinach and dolcelatte. Around the pizzas is a menu of small plates, with choices including Teriyaki glazed angus short rib, Charred asparagus with crispy egg, salt baked beetroot with goats curd, burger sliders and more.
Even the sides are exciting with options such as Baba ganoush with lamb merguez and chilli and lime corn.
The owners were keen to point out that they’ve put a lot of focus into the level of quality throughout the venue. The chefs have exceptional backgrounds and the cakes are all handmade by their talented patissier.
Speaking of cakes, the level of detail was wonderful on these, and the taste just as good to match. From the decadent fudgey brownie topped with a sweet cream, to the fruit filled handmade choux bun and the strawberry cheesecake on handmade biscuit. It’s definitely a place to visit if you have a sweet tooth.
Of course, we haven’t yet mentioned the drinks. The inside of their menu reads “Life is too short for hangovers” and that really should be their tagline. Here you get the full cocktail experience but without the alcohol. It’s as simple as that. The bar is styled on a typical NYC style bar with hanging glass rail and everything used is the finest quality. They managed to whip up an excellent non-alcoholic espresso martini and we’ll be back to try more. Dependent on your cocktail preferences if you’re usually a drinker, you can always discuss the botanicals and alternatives used with the bartenders, who seem very knowledgable about the menu options.
Whatever anyone’s reasons may be for not drinking I think it should be celebrated that we’re now looking to offer such high quality alternatives.
The owner told us, “I don’t drink but I still like to go to nice places. I don’t always want to drink milkshakes. I want a lovely food and bar setting but just without the alcohol.” He’s certainly achieved that.
&KITH is open now at 32 Granby Street. Find out more by following them on Instagram.
Opening hours:
8am – 7pm – Monday & Tuesday
8am – 11pm – Wednesday – Friday
9am – 11pm – Saturday
9am – 11pm – Sunday
