Tada, Headingley: Bento boxes and ramen shows there is more to Otley Road than pints and fancy dress

What sets it apart from most other boozy trails is the custom of donning fancy dress costumes and making a day (and night) of it.

Pass through Headingley on any given Saturday afternoon and you’ll see folk out doing their shopping, or catching up with friends over a coffee, but don’t be surprised if you also catch a glimpse of the characters from Scooby-Doo, or a group of strapping back row forwards dressed as Minions. It’s become something of a rite of passage for generations of students and in doing so has helped put the area on the map, to the chagrin of some locals.

So if you’re looking for a decent pint then you can certainly find it here, but there is much more to Otley Road than bars and people in fancy dress, just as there’s a lot more to Headingley than students and the cricket. Within a short walk you can take a culinary world tour that takes in Indian, Italian, British, Thai, Greek and Turkish food. And now you can add Japanese to this ever expanding list thanks to Tada.

Opened this summer by business partners Thomas Chiang and Katlin Akerman, Tada (like me, you may have an irresistible urge to go ‘ta-da!’ every time you say the name out loud) occupies the former home of the Dare Cafe, a popular little haunt that had been going for well over 20 years. All good things must come to an end, though, and now Tada fills a Japanese-shaped space in Headingley’s culinary jigsaw.

Split across two floors, the upstairs restaurant takes its cue from the Japanese dining scene while downstairs the vibe is more along the lines of a traditional sushi bar – with a menu that includes ramen and yakitori skewers along with a decent list of cocktails, sakes and whiskys.

We’re seated downstairs and I prefer its intimate feel and lighting – plus I have a soft spot for booths whether it’s in an atmospheric old boozer, a tapas joint, or, in this case, a Japanese restaurant.

The menu at Tada is divided into sections including ‘small plates and starters’, ‘Uramaki and house special rolls’ and ‘Bento boxes and ramen.’ At first glance it’s a little baffling as to how much food you should order but thankfully our friendly waitress is on hand to talk us through it.

We plump for the Chicken Karaage (£7.50) from the small plates and starters menu, and the Beef Fillet Gyuniku Kushiyaki (£4.50) from the grill to begin with. The tender pieces of Japanese fried chicken served with mayonnaise and lime are stonkingly good and if they ever start serving them in a small bucket as a take-away option then I’ll be at the front of the queue – I could quite happily pass a leisurely Sunday afternoon gorging on these while sitting on the sofa watching the footy or reruns of Columbo.

The Gyuniku Kushiyaki doesn’t quite reach the same heights, though the beef, a bit on the chewy side for a fillet, is rescued by a lip-lickingly good teriyaki glaze. If that’s slightly underwhelming the Tada Bento Box (£24.90) and Crispy Salmon Ramen (£14.50) that follow are anything but.

The beauty of Japanese cookery isn’t just the symphony of flavours it’s the importance placed on presentation and the sense of ceremony that accompanies it, and if teppanyaki – all theatre and flame – is your rock ‘n’ roll, then Bento boxes are more like a string quartet.

These compartmentalised containers, usually filled with rice, vegetables and meat or fish, are famous both in Japan and abroad. They are great for packed lunches or picnics and here they’re elevated to an art form – looking as pretty as a picture and hitting all the right notes. Each morsel is sublime with the salmon nigiri, king prawn tempura roll and wakame salad particular standouts, while the edamame beans might well be my new favourite snack.

The crispy salmon ramen with egg, wood ear mushrooms, spring onion, sesame seeds and seaweed is no less delicious. A good ramen lives or dies on the quality of its broth and the cooking of the noodles and both are on point. The pan fried salmon is soft and unctuous and the broth has a depth of umami loveliness that would have had me licking the bowl clean at the end had I been on my own and the lights turned down low.

Oenophiles among you might be disappointed by the brevity of the wine list, there’s only two reds and three whites (including a plum wine) and a single rose, but the house white (Chardonnay) we have is more than quaffable. Besides there are many other drinks to explore, including sake. We also try a carafe (180ml) of Ozeki Junmai, the house sake, which stands up to the myriad flavours thrown its way. The fact it’s served in a tactile earthenware jug along with a couple of tiny sake cups only adds to the sense of quiet ceremony.

The bill comes in at under £85 (£81.51 to be precise), including service, which is staggeringly good value for what we had. Tada warms my heart because it’s a reminder that great food presented with precision and panache doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.

Chef and co-owner Chiang says he wants to offer a casual dining experience and “a place where everyone can come together, feel welcome and eat well.” I’d say it’s mission accomplished… and not a fancy dress costume in sight.

Tada, Otley Road, Headingley, Leeds. LS6 3AB. Tel 0113 805 6173. www.tadajapanese.com