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A sure sign of a really good restaurant is when it’s packed to the rafters, even on a Tuesday night. And with Salvo’s recently receiving a ringing endorsement from one of the country’s top chefs, it’s no surprise the Italian restaurant is experiencing a boom in popularity. The family-run venue was crowned Britain’s Best Local Italian Restaurant in the new series of Gordon Ramsay’s F Word, with head chef Gip Dammone and colleague Chris Jackson battling it out against an eatery from Bristol to win the coveted accolade.
And judging by Oliver’s latest visit to the restaurant on Otley Road in Headingley, it’s a prize well deserved for Gip and his brother John, who run the venue established by their father Salvatore in 1976. Famous for rustic Italian dishes cooked in a traditional way, Salvo’s prides itself on “cooking food like Mum used to make”, with both Gip and John – who runs the business side of the restaurant – citing their late mother Nunzia as one of their greatest influences. Many of their recipes originate from Nunzia’s home city, Salerno in Italy, and in the 33 years since it first opened, the venture has gone from strength to strength, with additions including Salvo’s Cafe and Salumeria and Enoteca Nunzia, a bar and art gallery.
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In Oliver’s experience, Salvo’s has always been an immensely busy cornerstone of the Headingley community – but at a time when restaurants tend to be suffering financially, even we were shocked when we walked into the crowded venue last Tuesday. Clearly, praise from tough-to-please Gordon Ramsay has helped boost business. Families, couples and friends packed out the dining and bar areas, filling the restaurant with noise and laughter, while staff scuttled here, there and everywhere as they rushed to cope with the demand. After collecting our ticket from the greeter and being told we would have to wait 45 minutes for a table, we went upstairs to Enoteca Nunzia – a cosy bar area where Nunzia’s scooter takes pride of place on the wall – and predictably, that was also packed out. Salvo’s doesn’t take bookings and my dining partner was a bit miffed at having to wait – but a few bottles of Peroni lager eased his hunger and I reassured him the wait would be worth it. And it was, because our meal was almost 100 per cent perfect. As we perched on the edge of a booth in Enoteca Nunzia, we took the opportunity to browse through the menu and order our food. For a restaurant which cooks everything fresh, the menu is surprisingly large, with a full range of starters, more than 35 main courses of pizza, pasta and meat and a long list of specials – around half a dozen starters and the same number of mains.
To start with, I chose a dish from the specials menu and I had high hopes it would be delicious, because it included two of my favourite seafood ingredients – mussels and clams, in a tomato and garlic sauce (£6.25). My dining partner went for an Italian classic, Mozzarella Al Forno (buffalo mozzarella wrapped in prosciutto ham and baked, served warm with herbed olive oil – £6.50).
Charity
For the main course, I opted for another Italian classic, Carbonara Nostrano (spaghetti carbonara – £9.75), which I chose partly because it raises money for charity. A total of 25p from each dish sold goes to Christian charity Caring for Life, based at Crag House Farm in Cookridge, while the dishes are also made using the farm’s free range eggs. For his main course, my dining partner chose the Maiale Al Aceto (twice cooked Campania-style belly pork in a sweet and sour red pepper and caper confit – £13.95). By this time, our stomachs were rumbling with hunger – but luckily, five minutes after placing our orders, the waiting was over and we were called to our table downstairs. One of the first things any diner will notice is the seating arrangement. The tables are crammed so closely together it would be virtually impossible to share a private conversation, but personally, we felt the design added to the family feel of the restaurant.
Prints of photos from the Dammone family album adorn the walls, and although the staff buzz around like bees, squeezing past the tables in a constant rush, they all wear big smiles on their faces, like they are proud to be part of the Salvo’s family. A few minutes after sitting down, our starters arrived, and my mouth started watering as soon as I looked at the mussels and clams heaven which was placed in front of me. The mussels were fat and juicy and tasted absolutely perfect. The sauce was delicious too, with plenty of garlic – good for me but bad for my dining partner, who couldn’t find a single fault with his buffalo mozzarella.
There was quite a long wait between the starter and the main course but we were more than happy to take our time, as it shows that the meals are prepared fresh, rather than heated up in a microwave like you see at some restaurants. Quite simply, the spaghetti carbonara was the best I’ve ever tasted. Usually when I eat pasta, I tend to get full quite quickly, but there was something very moreish about this dish and I couldn’t put the fork down until every mouthful had gone. My only tiny, tiny complaint was that there was slightly too much black pepper, but otherwise, it was perfect. Home-made Again, my dining partner wolfed down his pork with no criticism, with the exception that the portion was smaller than he expected – if we went back, I think we would order a side of vegetables to go with our dishes. Salvo’s offers a wide range of desserts, coffees, liquors and dessert wines, and after some deliberation (and arguing), my dining partner chose the Torta Di Limone Di Sicilia (Sicilian lemon cheesecake with mixed berry compote – £4.75) while I went for three scoops of ice cream (also £4.75). Ice cream is ice cream and I wasn’t expecting anything special, but it really was delicious and obviously homemade. I thought I had gone for the lighter option but it was served in an enormous glass with fruit on top, which made me feel a bit like a pig. I tried a few spoonfuls of my dining partner’s cheesecake, which was also heavenly, and he said it was his favourite course of the night. Dining at Salvo’s really is an experience – we were there for well over three hours in total, and we loved every second. The Dammone family obviously places a high value on the traditional Italian way of cooking and eating – slowly, with plenty of laughter and conversation. The meal cost a reasonable £70 including a service charge. Salvo’s isn’t the cheapest but nor is it the most expensive, and the quality and quantity more than justifies that price for tasty, high-quality, authentic Italian fare. After more than 30 years on the Leeds restaurant scene, it’s obvious why diners are still flocking to Salvo’s. With a new admirer in the shape of Gordon Ramsay, the venue clearly has star quality – and if it’s good enough for Britain’s most hardto- please chef, it’s good enough.
Star ratings
+++++ (5)
++++ (4)
+++++ (5)
++++ (4)
+++++ EXCELLENT ++++ VERY GOOD +++ GOOD ++ AVERAGE + POOR
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