Kino may be a new Leeds restaurant funded by Opera North, but it is much more than a pre-theatre venue

We spent most of the evening talking, not about theatre, but about food and in particular the difficulty of running a restaurant where everyone wants to eat at the same time and be fed quickly. He told me how difficult it was to get non-theatre-goers through the door and that however good the food was, it was hard to make it work.

I note that today, the exemplary Eat Me café in Scarborough has taken up a residency at the Stephen Joseph and appear to be running the restaurant successfully. Maybe leasing it to a restaurant takes the headache out of a theatre running a restaurant.

At least this seems to be the thinking behind Kino (the name refers to the location's former use as a cinema), a new restaurant sitting between the Grand Theatre and the Howard Assembly Rooms and part of an £18 million investment by Opera North creating an orchestra studio, rehearsal space, education centre, box office, refurbished Assembly Rooms and a 100-cover restaurant.

They’ve done a terrific job on Kino. Big windows have been installed within the Victorian arches of what was once a row of derelict shop units. Inside it’s been given an industrial look with RSJs and exposed pipework, quartz composite tabletops and modern café chairs. It’s all linked to the Assembly Rooms by a fabulous four-storey atrium.

When Kino opened in July, they began by serving simple cheese and charcuterie boards, a gentle way for everyone to settle in. Then in September, they invited Sheffield-based MorMor, known for its street food and pop-up restaurants, to take up the first residency. They will remain there until the new year when another operation (they are not saying which), will take over the space.

MorMor describe their food as Eastern Mediterranean/Levantine - think dates, aubergine, dukkha, tahini, za’atar, couscous and labneh. The kind of thing you’ll find in any Yotam Ottolenghi cookbook, and who by a neat coincidence is on stage next door in the Howard Assembly Rooms giving a talk on his cooking and writing.

He would recognise the food here, a mix of small and large plates made for sharing which seems to suit the relaxed Kino vibe. The deal is a bit complicated, so listen up. Choose three plates for £18 (two side plates and one main) or four plates (three side plates and one main) for £24.

We calculate that between the three of us we can eat the whole menu. Our server is a bit taken aback, ‘that will be a lot of plates on the table,’ she says. We reassure her this won’t be a problem for us and with a raise of her eyebrow she cheerfully enters the whole menu into the iPad slung around her neck.

Then the dishes start coming … and coming. Tabouleh with pomegranate and baby gem; orzo with fennel, feta, orange, peas and za’atar. A fresh little salad of heirloom tomatoes peeled then showered with mint and sumac and dressed in good olive oil. Falafels sit on muhammara, a punchy tomato sauce, straight from the school of Ottolenghi made with walnuts, red peppers, pomegranate molasses, breadcrumbs, spiced up with cumin and Aleppo pepper. We need some greens and here comes sautéed spinach mixed with maftoul, the giant Palestinian cous cous and carbs from batata kezbara - spicy spuds to you and me,

We make space for some luscious mains that have been cooked over coals. Butterflied king prawns in their shells with harissa butter and chilli; kebabs of oyster mushrooms, crispy kale and chickpeas and marinated chicken skewers with a mild Turkish Lombardi pepper and more giant couscous.

By now the table is piled with plates just as we were warned and our servers appear to be quietly amused at bringing us such a feast, though it’s only after we have ordered that we learn we have been given the pre-theatre menu rather than the full dinner menu. This we see has all the dishes we have just eaten and many more. Roast aubergine with dates and almond dukkah; rack of lamb and spiced chermoula; guinea fowl roasted in sumac; seabass with chicory. It sounds excellent but we are sated and satisfied. The only disappointment is dessert, a lemon tart topped with a vibrant raspberry sorbet. The lemon and the sorbet are fine but are undermined by pastry that may once have been crisp but is damp and sad. My guess is that it’s been stored too long in the fridge.

By now Kino is virtually empty. The pre-theatre diners have taken their seats, the same problem that Sir Alan reported all those years ago. Though when I popped in a week later I was assured they had bookings all evening.

Kino has every chance of success, a prominent position on the street, big windows, where passers-by can see what’s going on rather than being tucked away in the depths of a theatre and importantly and this may sound obvious, it serves good food. That’s not always a given. We all know of a place where trillions have been spent on design and décor only for the food to be a let-down.

MorMor’s food felt right for this setting though it remains to be seen whether, having built up a reputation with MorMor, customers will be ready to embrace the change to a new residency in a few months, with totally different cuisine. Richard Mantle, the General Director of Opera North has said he wants Kino to be more than a pre or post-theatre venue but a destination in its own right. So far he has his wish. Kino has cracked it.

Kino, 34 New Briggate, Leeds, LS1 6NU

T: 0113 223 3700 E: [email protected] W: www.kinoleeds.co.uk

Open: Wed/Thur 5pm-10pm Fri/Sat 12 noon-11pm Price: dinner for two inc bottle wine and service £85