So It's Grim up North? by Tina Walsh

If any city has turned the old maxim that ‘it’s grim up north’ on its head, it has to be Leeds. What was once a grimy Yorkshire town has been transformed into a hedonist’s playground and there are now more shops, bars and restaurants than you can shake a stiletto heel at.

Barely a decade ago, a trip to Leeds meant changing trains at the station on your way to somewhere more interesting. Now, the first thing that hits you as you step on to the platform, is how modern and upbeat everything looks.

Massive financial investment (which, for now, seems to be withstanding the credit crunch) has created a bright, shiny city that oozes wealth and optimism.

Gleaming riverside apartments have sprung up at a rate of knots, grand old civic buildings restored to their former glory and derelict mills and no-go areas like Granary Wharf and Clarence Dock turned into funky shopping and eating areas. Leeds folk have taken to café and club culture like ducks to water, and the only problem you’ll have is choosing where to eat, drink and sleep between bouts of shopping, dancing and gallery hopping.

Spendthrifts are well catered for. A complete blow-out calls for nothing less than Harvey Nichols in the Victoria Quarter, a lovingly-restored 19th-century listed building with gilded mosaic floors, fountains and the biggest stained glass window in Europe, which forms the ceiling.

The arcades are also home to Vivienne Westwood, Jo Malone, Space NK and Molton Brown, as well as dozens of independent boutique shops, hairdressers, designer lingerie stores and hair salons.

Just round the corner on Call Lane is the Corn Exchange, one of the UK’s most iconic Victorian buildings. The three-storey, circular stone structure has just reopened as a “high-class food emporium” after a £1.5 million refurbishment, with the restaurant Piazza by Anthony (who worked at El Bulli for two years) taking centre stage.

Eating and drinking

Leeds after dark once meant a pie and a pint down the local. Now, the choice of restaurants runs the gamut from French to Fusion, Middle Eastern to Afro-Caribbean, all served up with enough after-hours drinking dens to satisfy the most hardened hedonist.

Room is one of the best places to go for cocktails/American “soul” food, where every Friday and Saturday, you can get sweaty dancing to the best soul, funk and hip hop ‘til late.

If you fancy a trip out of town, the Flying Pizza in trendy Moortown is just a 10-minute taxi ride away from the city centre and is one of Leeds’ oldest Italian restaurants.

It’s a firm favourite with the local glitterati (and Jimmy Saville) and walking into the restaurant on a Saturday night feels a bit like walking on to the set of Dynasty. Even though its patrons have long since abandoned their shoulder pads (reluctantly, you feel), a night out here still provides a glimpse into how the other half likes to part with its cash.

When you’ve finished eating, you can have fun totting up the Mercs and Beamers parked outside.

Culture

Henry Moore Institute
A welcoming respite to all those shops, the Henry Moore Institute showcases work by one of Yorkshire’s most famous sons, as well as that of other 20th-century sculptors. Leeds City Art Gallery is right next door, as is the Craft Shop and DesignGallery which sells some wonderful costume jewellery and one-off pieces.

Where to stay

Quebecs
This former 19th-century Liberal club two minutes from the railway station is the last word in old-fashioned luxury. A beautiful stained glass window that winds its way up three floors, gleaming oak panelling, sumptuous bed linen and complimentary goodies from Molton Brown add to the feeling of grandeur.