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Review Salvos
Good things really do come to those who wait and, as Rosie Birkett discovers, the waiting’s not too bad either
On arrival at Salvo’s we were
greeted by tables of jolly people
sitting outside — over excited by an
entire day of Leeds sunshine — while
the inside restaurant and bar area was
packed to the rafters with enthusiastic
eaters. Salvos is well known for its‘buzz’, and, as you’d expect from a
Saturday night at 8pm, the place was
positively humming. We tried our luck
at asking for a table for two, but were
told it would be at least a 45-minute
wait, so we emerged, slightly put out,
into the steadily chilling Headingley
evening.
Luckily for us, our dampened spirits
only lasted about 30 seconds,
before we came across salvation (or, in
this case Salvo-ation) in the form of
Salvo’s Salumeria, just two doors down
from the restaurant. The year old
Salumeria (Italian delicatessen) is the
most recent addition to the well established
Italian family business, and is
Leeds’ first ever Salumeria. This too
was full to the brim, but we nabbed the
only remaining table outside and
sipped on two rather delicious, cool
glasses of Chilean sauvignon blanc
(£14.75 a bottle). Our wait here was
not spent with rumbling tummies, as
we were generously furnished with a
complimentary plate of pâté on
bruschetta, with a peppery rocket,
sundried tomato and olive salad that
warmed our palettes up nicely.
When a table became available at
the restaurant we left in stern agreement
that we would definitely go there
again, probably for breakfast. Once
inside Salvos, the atmosphere was still
bustling, but we managed to get drinks
and order pretty quickly. Whilst
munching our way through packets of
free bread sticks we decided on a
rather superior Italian pinot grigio
(£19.95), Colterenzio Alto, which was
light and fragrant but had a slight kick
to it. To start with, I went for the
grilled field mushrooms with garlic butter
and a red pepper cream (£5.75) —
the sweetness of which was beautifully
offset by the nutty depth of the rich,
juicy, black mushrooms. My companion
opted for the liver pâté(£5.45),
having taken a shine to it earlier, and
described it as “seriously nice pâté.” It
was served in abundance, with toast,
salad, and an exquisite caramelised
spiced Seville marmalade, which had a
tangy sweet intensity that cut through
the creamy terrine.
To follow, my chum went for the
special of corn fed chicken on a bed of
leek and potato mash with a rosemary
and red wine jus (£12.50), and I decided
(eventually) on the grilled fillet beef
(£16.95) with red wine sauce, garlic
sauté mushrooms and ‘award winning
D.O.P. gorgonzola’ on top. My partner’s
chicken was delicate but flavoursome
and worked nicely with the rich
rosemary and red wine combination.
My beef fillet was melt-in-the-mouth
tender, and exceptionally thick and
juicy, but slightly overpowered by the
gorgonzola — which had a fantastic
flavour, but came in rather overwhelming
quantities.
We ended on a high note with a
final course of Grana Sardinian ewe’s
milk cheese with truffled honey
(£5.95), and an unusual but delicious
mint chocolate cheesecake (£4.50).
Despite the fact that the restaurant
was extremely busy, with every table
taken — the service was fast, friendly
and efficient, and the food fresh and
perfectly presented. The bill came to
just under £80, which is pretty good
for three courses, wine and coffee. If
you haven’t already had a Salvo’s experience,
I recommend that you do so,
pronto — but make sure you get there
early!
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