New to Leeds: Shokupan

Shokupan promises an authentic take on the classic Japanese sando for breakfast and lunch in Leeds city centre.

When husband and wife team Alison and Alan Tang left their jobs at a digital marketing agency and as a mechanical engineer respectively, it was to realise a dream. That dream has been achieved with the arrival of Shokupan on Wellington Street. It promises to take your breakfast and lunch time feasting up a notch with a small-but-perfectly formed menu of Japanese-inspired eats, that has a very special kind of bread at its centre. That bread is shokupan – hence the name.

It’s a kind of milk bread, described in Japan as ‘fuwa fuwa’, or ‘fluffy like a cloud’. As their kitchen isn’t big enough to make the bread in house, they tapped up a local bakery who only supply the freshest loaves to the new cafe. It’s allowed them to concentrate on transforming their new home, which used to be the deli Appetite. In fact, they did the bulk of the renovation themselves and it’s quite the transformation – expect raw wood tables, counters and wall panelling, with industrial lighting and matte black finishings.

“It’s extremely popular in Japan, it’s a really big thing,” Alison told us. “You can go from getting super cheap sandwiches to really expensive, like wagyu beef, that are like £250 for one sandwich. What we wanted to do was bring it to Leeds, there wasn’t anything even remotely similar. And one of our main things we wanted to do was keep as true to its original recipe as possible. The feedback we’ve got from quite a few Japanese people who’ve been coming in and said it’s really good. It’s how it should taste.”

So what can you look forward to eating? They’re open for breakfast, which they serve from 7.30am to 10.45am. There’s a trio of morning-friendly sandos to choose from – you can plump for the more traditional sausage, live a little with the spam version or go meat-free by trying their sweet potato version. It’s bulked out a touch with saucy fresh white cabbage, but you can even add extras to it to make it your own – soft fried egg anyone?

If you’re keeping it light to start the day, you can treat yourself to a slice of shokupan toast lathered with a classic sweet red bean curd. And then there’s one of their specialities, the okonomiyaki hash. This is a frittata-like savoury Japanese pancake that comes adorned with their house tonkatsu sauce and lashings of Japanese mayo. You can even pimp it with fried eggs and bacon if you so wish to keep you sated until lunch comes around.

Which it does at 11:15am when the menu switches, and while there’s only four options, there’s a little something for everyone. The katsu sando sees your choice of chicken, pork or celeriac nestled in between two thick shokupan slices with Japanese mayo, tonkatsu sauce and crunchy white cabbage. Alternatively, their katsu curry or tonkatsu rice bowls promise the same fillings on a bed of fluffy rice. If that doesn’t fill you up, you can order up their furikake fries on the side, with a sweet glaze and their own seasoning.

Whether you’ve popped in for breakfast or lunch, you can pair your delicious feed with a cuppa. They serve North Star Guatemala coffee and you’ll find all the classic styles, alongside specials like the silky smooth matcha latte. If you don’t fancy a big bite, they have that covered too – they source their Japanese-inspired sweet treats locally from local baker Michelle Walker, so you can pair a brew with a mocha brownie, matcha sponge or yuzu drizzle cake.

Shokupan proves that your next breakfast or lunch need not rely on boring cereal or naff sandwiches – they elevate them with their carefully curated menu of Japanese-inspired delights. Give them a try next time you’re passing by.

Shokupan, City Central, 27 Wellington Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS1 4EA. Open 7.30am to 3pm, Monday to Friday.