'I’m already proud of myself': How Tori Nori overcame backlash to become one of Leeds’ busiest new restaurants

As soon as news broke that a new restaurant was taking over the former Old Red Bus Station on Vicar Lane, the backlash began.

Despite the bar and music venue having closed long before she signed the lease, chef Fern Lattawan - better known simply as Fern - suddenly found herself blamed online for “ruining history” and “damaging” a much-loved Leeds spot.

“Someone said I damaged the history,” said Fern. “I had about 20 bad comments when I posted on Instagram. They said, ‘Why is she doing this? Why is she changing this building?’”

But if the early reaction stung, it has not stopped her pouring everything she has - emotionally and financially - into Tori Nori, her new charcoal grill and robatayaki-inspired restaurant.

The venue opened on April 10, which also happened to be Fern’s birthday.

“Now we’ve been open for over a month,” she told the YEP during our visit to the restaurant. “The first month is so hard.”

Almost all of the prep work - around 98 per cent, she estimates - was initially being done at home. Inside the restaurant, the new team were also adapting to a menu built around charcoal cooking, which does not lend itself to quick service.

“If you work with wok or sushi, you can control how long it’s going to be,” Fern explained. “Sushi, two minutes, one roll. But the grill takes around 15 minutes for one order.”

Support from Leeds was immediate.

“We’re always full,” she said.

But that popularity created problems of its own. Hot dishes from the grill took much longer than tempura or sushi, orders backed up, and services became inconsistent.

“We had a few problems with service,” Fern admitted. “New restaurant, new team. Sometimes I cannot control the charcoal. When the grill is ready, they can serve, but tempura and sushi are really fast. The first month, we had a big problem - everything in the restaurant.”

It showed online. Tori Nori was hit by a wave of one-star reviews during its opening weeks, some of which Fern believes were driven more by misunderstandings than the food itself.

One table, she said, accused the restaurant of using fake Wagyu beef and poor-quality fish - claims she strongly denies.

“They said we use fake Wagyu, impossible,” she said. “They said the fish is not fresh. I showed them what we use, I showed the bill, everything. We use good quality, fresh, high-quality ingredients.”

Fern also claimed customers posted photos of her on social media and encouraged others to leave negative reviews.

“They posted my face on TikTok, on Instagram, telling people to give one-star reviews,” she said. “That is harassment.”

Despite the difficult start, Fern said the restaurant quickly adapted. By week four, a new executive chef, general manager and bar team were in place.

The difference, she believes, can already be seen in the ratings.

“We started with one-star reviews,” she said. “Now we have around 400 reviews and 4.9 stars. Everyone understands what we do here now.”

Tori Nori marks a major shift from Fern Modern Sushi, her first restaurant in Leeds’ Central Arcade.

“Fern Modern Sushi is sushi, ramen and Japanese street food - easy to eat and not too expensive,” she explained. “At Tori Nori, it’s charcoal grill, robata-inspired. All the food is fusion, even the yakitori. We have our own taste.”

There is another challenge hanging over the business. The building is earmarked for redevelopment, meaning Fern currently only has a short-term lease.

“My landlord told me this building is going to be gone,” she said. “No one’s going to be crazy like me - spend nearly £350,000 renovating this building for maybe two years. But I already calculated it. If I hit the target, maybe it will give back.”

She is already planning a third project and insists her staff will not lose their jobs if Tori Nori eventually closes.

“I commit, no one will be without a job,” she said. “If anything happens here, we move people there.”

For Fern, who moved from Thailand six years ago, trained under Japanese sushi masters and worked in some of Leeds’ biggest restaurants, the journey has been far from easy.

“I work seven days a week, no day off,” she said. “I’m just a woman, my English is not very good, I came from no money. I saved, and now I’m running two restaurants by myself.”

Despite the rocky start, she remains confident Leeds will continue to support independent businesses like hers.

“Leeds people always support independent business,” she said. “The restaurant is beautiful, the food is homemade, the flavour is different.”

“At least if we open for one year or two years,” she added, “I’m already proud of myself.”