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Restaurant review: Pera, Roundhay
I've passed Pera a few times recently and on each occasion been intrigued to find out if it's as good on the inside as it looks on the outside.
Having kept promising myself a visit, I decided it was high time I stuck to my word.
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Pera is one of the newer arrivals on Roundhay's dining scene but already seems to have won quite a number of admirers.
I suspect many diners have been drawn in by its rather classy exterior, one that reminds me of an upmarket French bistro.
However, its stock in trade is tapas that has its origins in cultures lying a lot closer to the eastern reaches of Europe and beyond.
Now in my experience tapas is one of those classic examples of an idea often being better than the reality.
As a meal it can seem akin to strapping yourself in for a culinary rollercoaster ride.
Sometimes it's good and other times it's downright terrible. But more often than not you end up with a patchy affair that see-saws from one dish to the next.
It means that while your chorizo may well be top-notch, your patatas bravas really don't pass muster.
So it was with some trepidation that after taking our seats in Pera we studied the menu, eager to dodge any potential stinkers that might sound delicious but end up leaving us with a feeling of familiar disappointment.
Now whether you consider yourself an aficionado of all things tapas or a rank beginner, the menu at Pera will throw up a few surprises. It's tapas, but not as many of us know it.
There is a distinctly eastern Mediterranean and Arabic influence at work here – from the ground meat and aubergine karniyarik to the Lebanese influence of a dish like fattoush.
For those growing a little bored of the same old choices offered up at every tapas place in town then this represents a welcome dash of difference with the likes of lamb tagines and Turlu Turlu stews to sample.
Having finally made our selections, we settled back to take in our surroundings.
In combining functionality with a splash of understated glamour, Pera gets the balance pretty much right.
The emphasis is on impact, with big, striking artworks and huge mirrors adorning the walls.
Though it may not seem the case when peering in from the outside, space inside is at something of a premium.
However, the richly dark tables are well arranged so that it doesn't feel cramped, although the open rectangle that constitutes the dining area does mean that, for my money at least, it lacks a little by way of intimacy.
Seated at a table for two, my dining partner and I once again fell shameful victim to the eyes-bigger-than-bellies syndrome which left our waitress struggling to fit all our dishes on to its surface.
It was a trick she managed to pull off pretty well, although the constant juggling required as new dishes emerge from the kitchen has never been one of my favourite aspects of the whole tapas experience.
No doubt those in the Mediterranean revel in it. Being British, I just find it a bit of a nuisance while I'm busily engaged in the important business of eating.
Still, on that front – the eating bit – Pera delivered pretty well.
We started with warm pitta and Moorish dips, along with marinaded olives. The dips were pleasingly fresh and clearly homemade, while the olives were good despite being presented in a gloopy brine.
The main dishes then started rolling in - and they racked up far more hits than duds.
The white kidney bean and borlotti casserole was warming and substantial, making it perfect winter fodder, while the king prawn piri piri arrived as six meaty prawns smothered in a subtle but surprisingly fiery piri piri sauce.
As good as they were, they were eclipsed by the whole grilled sardines that simply melted in the mouth.
So good in fact that if you closed your eyes it was easy to imagine
yourself in some sun-flooded Mediterranean cafe, as opposed to a restaurant in leaden-skied Leeds.
My karniyarik – the ground lamb and aubergine dish – was decent too, though it might have done with a little more in the way of seasoning.
The fattoush – a sort of finely-chopped salad combining everything from stewed aubergine to mint and pomegranate – was simply terrific and comes highly recommended.
In fact the only real damp squib were the roasted potatoes which were bland and lacking any hint of crispness. A disappointment, but there was enough that was good about the meal to more than make up for it.
Tipped
We finished with the Turkish staple of baklava – the rich, sweet pastry lightly covered in crushed pistachio nuts. It's not on the menu but we were tipped off by our waitress we were mighty glad she let us in on the secret, managing to polish it off despite our bulging tummies.
So next time you're passing Pera it might be an idea to take the plunge and drop in.
If you're looking for quality food that might just reawaken your interest in the art of good tapas then it fits the bill nicely.
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Friday 18 May 2012
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