Canal Club Leeds: Meet the chef behind the quirky menu at the day-to-night bar

But the man behind the menu, head chef Mark Jackson, admits his presentation hasn’t always been this snazzy.

The ex rugby player served up a lot of “big chunks of food on the plate” before he refined his techniques over the years.

Born in Yeadon, Mark’s early introduction to food was through his Hungarian-Jewish grandmother, who survived a concentration camp during World War II.

“My grandma was massively into cooking,” the 42-year-old told the Yorkshire Evening Post.

“She made very traditional Hungarian food; lots of baking more than cooking.

“Some of the stuff she cooked I wouldn’t eat - it was old people's food! But the cakes were brilliant.

“Most of the time I grew up on your normal after-school dinners - fish fingers, chips and beans.”

Mark didn’t plan to become a chef; he studied Geography at university before moving to Canada, where he travelled and worked in sales.

But to stay in Canada he needed a skill, so he took a job as a kitchen porter at a restaurant chain.

“Within a year and two months, I was the head chef,” Mark said.

“It was like cooking-by-numbers, it was pretty easy, but it was busy and I enjoyed it.”

Mark returned to Leeds in 2016 and went back into sales, before joining the kitchen team at the Fox and Hounds in Bramhope.

He then moved onto Red’s True Barbeque, before taking on agency work to try his hand at fine-dining, ending up at Monk Fryston Hall Hotel near South Milford.

Mark said: “I wanted to learn different cooking techniques and how to plate food better.

“I’m an ex rugby player, so my presentation was nice, but it was big chunks of food on the plate.

“It looks more dainty and there’s more finesse to it now.”

Although Mark wasn’t keen to stay in the world of fine dining, the experience meant he was perfectly poised to open the Canal Club kitchen at the end of last year.

The waterfront venue in Granary Wharf combines a cafe with a late-night bar and dancefloor, serving food inspired from around the world.

Mark said: “I try to follow food trends, so our tacos are quite popular, as well as our jerk chicken.

“Then we’ve got some pan-Asian dishes, vegan, Mediterranean and a little South American.

“It’s a real mix. And I’d like to push it even more next year, trying a really unique dish that’s further afield.”

Canal Club’s best-selling dish is its Greek skewers, marinated chicken and halloumi served on a Greek-style salad with tzatziki.

Not far behind is the trio of sliders - beef, pulled pork and chicken - which is included in the bottomless brunch menu.

But Canal Club is as much about the atmosphere as it is the food, Mark said.

“It’s getting a reputation and a name for itself now,” he added.

“People are coming back more and more, we see more regular faces every couple of weeks.

“In the week you can have a chilled out business lunch or date night, then on the weekend if you want to party - it’s perfect for that too.”