DINNER WITH FRIENDS

The Leeds Guide 19th March 2008

Dom Dwight heads to Salvo’s Salumeria for ‘Cenare Con Amici’

It’s such an institution that telling most Leeds folk about this great Italian in Headingley called Salvo’s is like telling fish about this great thing called water. Of course, that doesn’t stop us from occasionally reminding people about why it’s so popular, but for once that’s not the focus here. Instead, we‘d like to talk about the Salumeria, the Salvo’s-owned delica-tessen/cafe that’s just a couple of doors down from the main restaurant.

There’s something really remark-able in the way that the Dammones have created a companion space that retains just enough of a sense of the Salvo’s ‘brand’ (sorry to use that word) but still has its own unique character. It’s a small cosy space, where the walls are lined with shelves groaning under the weight of countless deli items rang-ing from the delicious and familiar to the intriguing and authentic. The feel is somehow effortlessly informal, like being invited into a friend’s home for dinner — only this friend can cook up a storm and has access to the best olives you’ve ever eaten.

Nowhere is this relaxed approach more evident than with their Wednesday, Thursday and Friday set menu evenings ‘Cenare Con Amici’. Translated as ‘Dinner With Friends’ these evenings offer a set menu only, where £16.50 per person gets you six pre-determined courses.

Some might baulk at the idea of not getting any choice, but we revelled in it. As long as you’re not too picky, and you’re generally just a fan of all good food, you are effectively handing the decision-making responsibility over to the masters. Gip Dammone and the kitchen crew put their heart and soul in sourcing fabulous ingredients and building a menu based on what’s best at that point in time. You’d be crazy not to trust them with your tastebuds.

On the evening we visited, our food tour began with pancetta with pears, a novel combo for us but a perfect match, where the subtle tartness of the pear offset the creamy, smokey ham.

This was followed by another very simple starter: ricotta and roast pep-per crostini, where success depended entirely on top quality ingredients. It didn’t disappoint. Last of our three (!) starters was a bean salad with tuna dressing, which was superbly light and fresh.

A broth of cheese tortellini followed, soup and cheese pasta being another new pairing for us that turned out to work perfectly. A final savoury dish of roast chicken with rosemary and potatoes pizzaiola came next and demonstrated why you shouldn’t underestimate chicken’s ability to be very good indeed - when sourced well and cooked by an expert.

Pudding, described on the menu as simply ‘a sweet thing’, turned out to be a decadent chocolate mousse cake paired (perfectly, once again) with summer berries.

With drinks, the whole thing came to less than £40 for two people , which is decent for any reasonable quality meal out. For something this special, it’s an absolute steal.