Emba: Leeds chef Liz Cottam reveals story behind her Michelin-recommended new restaurant
A top Leeds chef has shared the story behind her new restaurant after pulling off one of the toughest feats in hospitality - winning over Michelin inspectors just three months after opening.
It’s perhaps the city’s most light and airy dining room, with sunshine flooding through Emba’s floor-to-ceiling windows that frame tranquil views of the canal.
Celebrated restaurateur Liz Cottam opened the doors of this stylish Granary Wharf space earlier this year to much anticipation, bringing with her an exciting, ingredient-led approach to cooking.
Now, just three months after opening, Emba has been named in the latest edition of the prestigious Michelin Guide, with inspectors praising her “hands-on” approach.
They raved over the menu that mixes small and large plates designed for sharing, recommending the set tasting option for a deep dive into the kitchen’s highlights.
For Liz, building the menu was a fresh process. She told the Yorkshire Evening Post: “Tasting menus often start on paper, because it’s like a body of work and you want to get that light and shade across the meal.
“But this time I wanted to start with the ingredients. On our first day, I made a crab and kaffir lime soufflé. Putting crab and kaffir together was a really interesting jumping off point.
“I wanted to use all of the crab, so that pushed me towards creating a crab Kyiv dish next, with confit garlic butter, pandan and almonds.
“I found this different way of creating dishes that connected with one another, so there’s almost like a harmony that goes through the menu. There’s a symbiosis there.”
She continued: “I’ve got these North Atlantic giant prawns which are enormous and I’ve used the heads to make a bouillabaisse. I want to use every bit of the produce.
“That’s not even from a sustainability or economic point of view, it just makes sense logically. I feel like I'm discovering new ways to fall in love with being a chef.”
Wine is treated as another ingredient, with a carefully curated list complementing the food.
Emba’s journey has been shaped by resilience and adaptation, which follows Liz’s other ventures in the city.
She opened her fine dining restaurant Home in 2017, and later co-founded Kirkgate Market’s first gastropub The Owl. It was a vibrant, heart‑and‑soul affair inspired by Liz’s childhood experiences with her parents, who were publicans.
“I remember being dragged through Kirkgate Market for them to get all of the produce they’d use,” she said. “It was full of vibrancy and colour and life.”
After securing a meeting with a boss at the market, she took over a site and launched The Owl, which was an overnight success - until the pandemic hit.
The impact forced a change in style and offering, shifting toward tasting menus rather than a la carte due to space limitations and restrictions.
Meanwhile, she was preparing to move Home to a new location when pandemic-related curfews forced The Owl to close early, prompting the decision to relocate. That’s when Emba’s canal-side space came into view, as Liz recalled: “We just fell in love with the view.”
But the hospitality landscape remained challenging. She continued: “Everyone in the city knew there were some worrying patterns when it came to the amounts people were spending.
“Heads were down and everyone was working hard to get customers in. It was uncomfortable, but we thought maybe this is a reaction to the bounce back after pandemic and things will return to normal. But no. We realised it was a war.”
Rising costs hit hard, with bills at Home soaring into the thousands and ingredient prices rising alongside them. After months of battling, the restaurant was forced to close.
Liz went into consultancy, but returned to cooking after missing the “warmth” of the industry. She said: “I wanted to do something new. I was nervous about it, because I couldn’t allow myself to go through what I’d just gone through again. But I was motivated, I had to do something.”
Emba reflects a return to the heartfelt and approachable vibe Liz first created with The Owl. The airy, bright space contrasts with the market’s hustle but carries the same heartbeat - delicious food that makes people happy.
Asked about the restaurant’s name, she said: “I’m hoping we’ll have a charcoal range to cook on soon, but that’s not the full story. The idea was that we’re sort of rising from the ashes after the closure of Home. I also think it sounds nice.”
She added: “We’re just trying to make really good food that we’re proud of, and offer an experience that makes people feel special. I’m not trying to create a restaurant that’s too casual, but nor is it overly theatrical.
“I want to inhabit that little space between, where people can come in for drinks or dinner, with food that tastes banging and service without any pomp or faff.”