Restaurant review: Aperitivo, West Park, Leeds

Not very long ago, driving through West Park during rush hour, I was surprised - possibly a little disappointed - to see work going on at what used to be Dough Bistro.
PIC: Jonathan GawthorpePIC: Jonathan Gawthorpe
PIC: Jonathan Gawthorpe

A lovely little restaurant, it had long held a special place in my heart, not least because of its quiet elegance and the fact it never really seemed to fit in with its surroundings, flanked as it was by a laundrette and a pizza take-away. Yet the food there was always out of this world, the atmosphere warm and welcoming. It was a haven of calm, an outpost on the culinary map of Leeds which dared to bring a touch of dining class to the area.

The combination of sheer determination, attention to detail and seriously impressive food did not go unnoticed. The first year of our Oliver Awards in 2009, chef and owner Luke Downing was crowned Best Chef. The following year, Dough Bistro notched up a Best Suburban award, a title it reclaimed in 2013 and again last year, with plaudits going to its head chef Laura MacLeod.

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So seeing the restaurant full of workmen and the sign partially covered felt a bit dismal. Had Dough Bistro gone out of business? Had the dreaded ‘market forces’ suddenly intervened?

Oliver................. Aperitivo, Spen Lane, West Park, Leeds.
Seared King Scallops.
4th January 2018.Oliver................. Aperitivo, Spen Lane, West Park, Leeds.
Seared King Scallops.
4th January 2018.
Oliver................. Aperitivo, Spen Lane, West Park, Leeds. Seared King Scallops. 4th January 2018.

The answer is no. While it’s true Dough Bistro is no more, the people behind it - Luke Downing and Laura MacLeod - are still very much in charge, with Laura now director and the operational manager at Aperitivo. So, Dough has become Aperitivo, a transformation which seemed to happen in the blink of an eye as far as the business world is concerned.

If Dough was ever a refuge from the banality of food, then Aperitivo has gone two steps further, laying on the kind of exquisite service you’re only likely to find at exclusive hotels. This point is worth belabouring, because seldom have I observed such effortless, polite and distinguished customer care - even some of the cities finest restaurants would come up short. This was evidenced from the moment we stepped through the door, greeted by the head waiter, whose name I believe was Christian, a stout, immaculately turned-out man with a disarming smile and a quiet, assured confidence that immediately set us at ease.

The menu is small but full of wonderful combinations, the idea being you come and take your time, luxuriating in the whole experience, the wonderful thing about tapas being that, because these are dainty dishes, if you’re still peckish after three or four, you can order one or two more. So this is small elegant (sometimes quite pricey) dishes of absolutely sublime food. And no wonder, with a menu set by Luke and his head chef at Vice & Virtue, their flagship fine dining restaurant in the centre of Leeds, Kevin Kindland, formally executive chef of the Ripley Castle Group with Three Rosettes and Marco Pierre White’s head chef.

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We began with drinks - a G&T (£5.50) for my dining partner and a Morena beer (£4) for me, plus a lemonade (£2.50) and diet coke (£2.25) for the kids. To begin with we ordered home made bread (£2.95), olives (£2.50), some chips for the table (£3.50) and makrel pate (£6), all good, the bread especially.

Oliver................. Aperitivo, Spen Lane, West Park, Leeds.
Bucatini and Scallops.
4th January 2018.Oliver................. Aperitivo, Spen Lane, West Park, Leeds.
Bucatini and Scallops.
4th January 2018.
Oliver................. Aperitivo, Spen Lane, West Park, Leeds. Bucatini and Scallops. 4th January 2018.

Quite possibly we went overboard on the remaining dishes but, wow, what flavours. Seared king scallops were the most expensive, coming in at £10.50, served on a bed of black pudding crumb, with dabs of lemon oil and basil pesto: truly superb, the scallops soft, slightly sweet and contrasting wonderfully with the deep, rich saltiness of the black pudding.

Beyond that we had giant meatball (£6), a dish so good we ordered it twice, there was also octopus (£8.50), seafood and squid ink linguine (£8.50), every mouthful a joy, with soft mellow hints of garlic and chilli.

The beauty of this kind of dining is you get to sample so many different flavour combinations, so while there’s no getting away from the fact some of these dishes are expensive, their quality and the skill with which they are prepared and presented is peerless. That said, this is West Park, not the first place you might think of as having a fine dining restaurant.

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Desserts were a wonderfully soothing pistachio frangipane (£6.50), tiramisu (£6 and the best I’ve had in ages) and ice cream (expensive at £5 and came with sauce on despite this not being mentioned). We did also order a chocolate pizza (£6.50) but sadly this was not delivered on time and in the end, because the rest of the puddings were gone, we cancelled it. In total, for four people, we spent £99.65.

Oliver................. Aperitivo, Spen Lane, West Park, Leeds.
Octopus Salad.
4th January 2018.Oliver................. Aperitivo, Spen Lane, West Park, Leeds.
Octopus Salad.
4th January 2018.
Oliver................. Aperitivo, Spen Lane, West Park, Leeds. Octopus Salad. 4th January 2018.

Quick word on the decor: it’s quaint, homely and has a kind of elegant charm about it, not unlike the head waiter.

Verdict: Aperitivo is a true gem. I can think of one other fine dining place in Leeds which is so much more expensive, where the lighting is dire, the service questionable and whose food will leave you scratching your head. Give me the simple, rustic charm of Aperitivo any day.

FACTFILE

Address: 293 Spen Lane, Leeds, LS16 5BD

Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday 5pm-11pm, Sunday & Monday closed

Telephone: 0113 278 7255

Website: www.aperitivoleeds.co.uk

Ratings:

Food *****

Value: ****

Atmosphere: *****

Service: ****

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