First impressions of Leeds betray brazen hostility toward Manchester and its residents, with many a night on the town featuring some suitably obnoxious group of veritable hooligans beginning an ingenious chant along the lines of ‘Manchester, Wank, Wank, Wank’. Indeed such rivalry is perhaps to be expected, given that the two cities have competed for such titles as ‘Capital of the North’ (as The University of Manchester website proudly labels us) and ‘Britain’s second city’ for some time now.
But a night out in Leeds has just as much to offer as Manchester-based festivities, and if you’re from Yorkshire, I’m sure you’ll say it has rather more. At only an hour away on the train, you could even pop over for an evening and catch the last bus home at around 2.30am. Though considerably smaller than its Mancunian equivalent, Leeds’ little Chinatown is as good a place as any to begin the merriment, perhaps with a nice meal. With a population of over 4,000 Chinese people, any oriental influence you do come across is bound to be authentic.
After eating, a great option for drinks is Boutique which, hailed as Leeds’ best kept secret and tipped to be the best new bar in the UK by Theme magazine, leaves you spoilt for choice when it comes to its impressive selection of over 70 cocktails, ranging from the legendarily-named Dirty Ginger Bird to the likes of the Forest Hump. Achingly trendy and arguably pretentious, Boutique is pricey, pretty and packed on a Saturday night when the music, though tuneless pap, still manages to encourage a fair number of revellers onto the dance floor. At a mere few minutes’ walk from the station, you’ll be on the train before dawn, and bragging about your Leeds-based adventures by morning.
Comment
Have your say, tell us what you think...