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Sunday, September 30, 2007

Dos Amigos - Tapas bar none...

I'll be honest here; I couldn’t hide trepidation as we drove through Kirkstall. I loved Amigo's. It was a special place, a warm, authentic Tapas joint in a city that sadly lacked them. Inside the new ‘Dos Amigos’, little has changed. The same charming, tiny room, the same friendly staff (well, in attitude, anyway), the same Mediterranean music bringing back memories of holidays in Spain, Greece and Turkey. But what of the food?
I am pleased to report the standard has not slipped one ounce since the slight makeover and name-change.

The menu now sports a slightly Italian flavour, as well as Spanish - We opted for: Spiedo di Gambas Mixta – grilled Langoustine, The ubiquitous Polpette di Maiale (meatballs), Fried Calamari, Peperoni Ripieni, Patatas Bravas, chicken croquettes and some Pollo El Ajillo…and don’t forget the Pan Catalan – thick, olive oil-drenched bread rubbed with garlic and fresh tomato.

As our table was laden with what seemed like a million earthenware dishes, the feast of food really hit the spot. And for me, the piece de resistance was the draft Cruzcampo – my favourite of all Spanish Cervezas – bar none. Icy cold, it washed the feast down perfectly.

The star of the show was a dish that I had not tasted before – Peperoni Ripieni. Peppers stuffed with rice and veg are commonplace but this whole, sweet pepper, charred on the outside, stuffed with spicy, close-textured minced pork was outstanding, and a dish I can recommend heartily. This was the best meal I had enjoyed in a while.

So what do we have here?
A genuinely local restaurant, proud of its location, that stands apart from the hustle of inner-city Leeds. A place where authenticity has served it well, and the locals will patronise it for a long time to come. A place where the noise, the conversation and the wine is as important as the food.
Or, quite simply, the best Tapas in Leeds? Visit, and decide for yourself.

http://www.dosamigos-leeds.co.uk/
68-70 Abbey Road (opposite The Abbey)
Kirkstall,
Leeds

tel: 0113 228 3737

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have to agree i went when they opened in the summer and havnt stopped since!!! Deffinatly the best tapas in Leeds

Unknown said...

I would love to write a review about the food at this establishment but regrettably, for myself and Dos Amigos, all I can do is write about the worst service I have ever experienced.

I called up to book at 20:40 on a Friday night and was told there would be no problem with a table. As we were in the vicinity I and my partner arrived within 10 minutes. We were shown to a table and give a menu.

At 21:10 the waitress finally actually took our order, despite sitting at the table with our menus down trying to get her attention for about 15 minutes. We ordered a couple of drinks and our meal.

We then sat there until 22:05 awaiting our food, eventually we managed to talk to a waitress when we noticed someone who had come in after us eating. We were told that they had lost the order and nothing had been done on our food. A very curt apology was offered.

At this point I paid for my drinks, left and ate at a different restaurant. Needless to say I will not be visiting again.

I would have understood if the restaurant was particularly busy, but there were 16 people in the restaurant (I counted, I had plenty of time). The waitresses simply believed that having a nice chat behind the till was a better use of there time.

Robb said...

Best Tapas I have found in Leeds is El Bareto in Chapel Allerton, but I shall make a point of trying Dos Amigos to compare. Cheers for the tip.