Bomba Holbeck: I tried Sangria at this Spanish restaurant bringing a taste of the Mediterranean to Leeds
To celebrate the Euro 2024 tournament, we’ve been sampling food and drink from the participating countries – a mission that brought us to Bomba, a modern Spanish restaurant in Holbeck.
Bomba has been bringing a taste of the Mediterranean to the city for the last two years with its homemade paella and vibrant array of tapas dishes, like patatas bravas and pan con tomate. But it was the bar’s enticing ruby tipple that inspired our visit earlier this week.
The energising and fruity Sangria is made in-house with punchy Tempranillo, vermouth and fruit – and it made the perfect aperitif to discuss Spain’s upcoming performance.
The Sangria is served by the jug – and even forms part of Bomba’s Bottomless Brunch offer, which includes two tapas dishes and an unlimited amount of booze for an hour and a half.
Owner Joe McDermott told the YEP: “It’s quite simple to make, you just need to be generous with the fruit. We use a Spanish vermouth, some sugar, some nice red wine and just a bit of lemonade to top it off. It’s the perfect drink to have in the summer especially with our food.”
Bomba started as a lockdown project, with Joe cooking paella at home and delivering it to neighbours in Ilkley by bike. The orders quickly poured in and the enterprise moved to a stall in Kirkgate Market, serving up lots of Spanish favourites.
When the chance arose for him to take over an attractive space on Saw Mill Yard in Holbeck, Joe did not hesitate.
While he adores Spain, he’d still love to see a victory for England in the Euros. He said: “It’s a tricky one. I will support England, but if they get knocked out, I’m definitely going to support Spain.
“The staff here love football. We have the pub just next to us, which is where lots of people go to watch it. There’s a good atmosphere that you can feel building up.”
Spain is in Group B with Italy and Croatia, and faces its first match against Croatia on Saturday (June 15). If, by whatever luck, the Mediterranean weather comes to England for the event, I’d look no further than the Sangria at Bomba as my preferred drink during the game.
With sweet fruit and deliciously rich wine, it’s exploding with flavour – and a far better choice than a warm and lifeless pint in a lacklustre boozer.