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Restaurant Review: La Cantina 44, Cross Gates, Leeds
Everyone’s got their own particular version of it.
Whether it’s an old pair of PJs, a tatty jumper or a massively unfashionable pair of tracksuit bottoms that you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing out in public.
We’ve all got some form of that super-comfortable, reliable outfit that, whilst certainly not the most aesthetically stunning ensemble, you’ll invariably slip back into when you know you won’t be judged and want to feel cosy, relaxed and, above all, at home.
And while I wouldn’t dream of doing Cross Gates’ La Cantina 44 the disservice of comparing it too closely to any of the above, the little Mediterranean has nevertheless carved something of a similar niche for itself as a place to go in east Leeds if you want to just pop out for a nice meal without any of the hassle of glamming up for a trip into town.
Small and nothing special to look at (it’s tucked away between a carpet shop and a church), these days its almost always packed with locals no doubt attracted, like myself, by the feeling of being able to relax somewhere familiar and that isn’t pretentious or uncomfortable.
So when my companion and I arrived, we weren’t at all surprised to see the restaurant completely full.
Unfortunately, despite booking, that meant we were told we’d have to wait for our table.
Not a massive issue in a place with a bar area to take a seat in but at La Cantina, it meant we had to wait on the tables outside.
Ok, it’s not the middle of winter but, in the evenings, it’s hardly tropical either and that meant we got rather chilly in the intervening 20 minutes.
We did get the chance to look over the new menus and have a drink while we waited but it did feel a tad like the restaurant had become something of a victim of its own success here.
When we were eventually shown to our table we’d already made our choices so ordered straight away.
To start, I ordered pork ribs in a homemade barbecue sauce.
A generous portion, the ribs were meaty and delicious, with meat that fell pleasingly away from the bone, and which was served in a powerful sauce which was sticky and sweet.
My companion opted for the chicken liver paté with port, brandy and fresh orange.
The paté itself was rich, meaty and smooth.
But the toast it was served with proved rather too crumbly to spread the pate on.
And the accompanying cranberry sauce was far too sweet to eat much of, making the dish as a whole a bit of a miss.
There’s a good selection of other starters too though, including some seafood and vegetarian options, as well as aubergine stuffed with shallots, mushrooms and smoked bacon and a tasty-sounding sautéed king prawn with chilli, garlic and tomato.
Starters are mostly priced at around £6.
Main courses were a big hit last time Oliver paid La Cantina a visit and there were some good-looking options to be had this time, along with a promising specials board.
For my own main, I ordered a fillet steak wrapped in Parma in a red wine and brandy sauce topped with baby mushrooms.
The dish was well-presented, the sauce was fantastically rich and creamy and the baby mushrooms a delicious little extra.
And the Parma ham added an extra hit of fabulous saltiness to each mouthful.
The steak itself, which I’d ordered medium/rare, was, unfortunately, just the wrong side of rare- not quite undercooked enough to warrant sending back but just enough to add a black mark to what was an otherwise wonderful dish.
My companion, always a big seafood fan, ordered the swordfish piccante.
A good-sized swordfish steak, topped with a white wine, chilli and tomato sauce, the fish was tender and well-cooked, with the sauce having just the right amount of spice.
As sides, we both ordered some very tasty sautéed potatoes.
Fruity
There’s a big range of mains to choose from, including lots of the usual pizza and pastas as well as a good choice of specials like pork fillet with mushrooms and onions and a braised lamb shank in a red wine, amaretto and rosemary jus.
To go with our mains, we also ordered a fabulously fruity bottle of Australian white from the good-sized wine list.
Desserts are usually something of a stumbling block for little locals like La Cantina, and sure enough we experienced something of a mixed bag.
For my own, I ordered a meringue and coffee ice cream with a centre of coffee liqueur.
it was incredibly rich, but the sugary meringue was balanced by the bitterness of the coffee.
My companion ordered a bannoffee ice cream.
Looking slightly forlorn in a small earthenware pot, rather than being fruity and rich in equal measure it was it was disappointingly bland, unappetising and, alas, went mostly uneaten.
Along with a couple of coffees, the bill came in at just over £82 which was pretty reasonable.
And in spite of a number of bumps in the road, La Cantina really does still have a lot going for it.
It still has that same familiar, warm, comfortable feeling that it’s built up over the past few years.
But it really has to guard against being complacent after becoming something of a big fish in the relatively small pond of the east Leeds dining scene.
FACTFILE
La Cantina 44, 1a Austhorpe Road, Leeds, LS15 8QR
Opening hours: Tues-Sat 5.30pm-10.30pm, Sunday 12.30pm-9pm
Tel. 0113 368 0066
www.lacantina44.co.uk
STAR RATING
FOOD............................... **
VALUE.......................... ***
ATMOSPHERE............ ***
SERVICE ..................... ***
***** EXCELLENT **** VERY GOOD *** GOOD ** AVERAGE
* POOR
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