Food Review Dos Amigos
Tom Goodhand visits a small corner of Kirkstall that will transport you into sunny Spain
Food Review: Dos Amigos
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It’s a Wednesday night and the 30-odd seats at Kirkstall’s Dos Amigos are all occupied. Quite an achievement for a small Mediterranean eatery sat in Leeds’ outskirts that receives a fraction of the praise and coverage of many of its city centre rivals.
Kirkstall, unlike Headingley and Chapel Allerton, is not known for its culinary delights. The fact that Dos Amigos sits alone at the foot of a steep row of Victorian terraces in a largely residential area, yet remains so hugely popular, is a testament to its quality.
Leeds has a fair amount of chain tapas restaurants, plus a few city centre independents, and Dos Amigos easily sits high up on that list. Entering the intimate restaurant, there’s the instant buzz of a busy venue where the customers are enjoying themselves and the food presented to them. The décor takes in those Spanish stereotypes - posters of bullfighters, Spanish flags, flamenco dancers - alongside large windows, a rustic-looking wooden bar and original exposed brickwork. The menu is impressive with a mixture of the staples like paella, patatas bravas, ibondigas (meat balls) and tortillas, plus some rather fancy specials - the likes of wild boar stewed with prunes and sautéed chicken livers.
We settle down with our drinks - a perfectly good large glass of house red wine (£4.50) and a half pint of the very Spanish Cruzcampo (£1.60) - and work our way through the menu having been advised to order two or three tapas per person, plus perhaps something a little more filling like bread or potatoes. So it is that we real off a list of tasty tapas for us to try.
Tapas being what it is, the dishes come out as they are ready, so we start with a small platter of traditional Manchego cheeses (£4.50), a firm sheep’s milk cheese drizzled with olive oil which has a nice subtle sharpness. Alongside the cheese we get a bread basket (£2.25) with a rich saffron aioli on the side.
The real treat comes when the next four dishes all pop up at once. On the meaty end of the spectrum, we get guisado de jabali (£5.75 - the aforementioned wild boar) a beautifully rich, hearty stew with the sweetness of the fruit setting off the rich, chewy meat and a thick, chunky migas (£5.75 - a Spanish stew of chorizo, pancetta, Serrano ham and beans). Alongside that we take a tapas-sized portion of a full flavoured, smoky vegetable paella (£4.50), with plenty of different vegetables thrown in and menestra de verduras (£3.95) - a proper peasant-style bean casserole. Just to make sure we’re absolutely full up, half way through the meal we throw in a portion of patatas bravas (£3.50) which come in a sauce that initially seems to lack kick, but the spice hits us in the aftertaste.
Of course, if you’re eating out in a small, independent restaurant that’s crammed to the rafters (they’re even turning people away at the door) you’re never going to get the degree of attention from the staff that you might get in a swanky city centre eatery, but waiting is the price you pay for going to a truly thriving eatery. So after a good while of digesting and waiting to make our dessert order we get a great, light, traditional dessert called dulce de Sevilla (£3.95) - an orange cake served in a wonderfully bitter orange nectar. Alongside that we take in a couple of powerful espressos (£1.50 each) - or cafe solo, as the Spanish would have it - and then leave a restaurant that, even around 9pm, is still filling up with new customers.
With food this good and an atmosphere so joyful, it’s not hard to see why.
Posted on Saturday 3rd October 2009
TG
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Sending you to Twitter, hold on... Comments on Food Review: Dos Amigos
Comment by Paul Sutcliffe
Posted on Sat 6th Mar 10 7:58 pm
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.
Comment by Neil Fletcher
Posted on Sat 14th May 11 10:58 am
I am happy to completeley disagree with the person above,I live near by Dos Amigos and have never had a bad experience whilst eating there.
It is popular so the sensible thing to do is go mid week or earlier in the evening.
To sit for an hour and not recieve your food is as much a reflection on the customer as the restaurant.
I have dined here over the last two years, probably six times and its allways been worth while, the wild boar is the house speciality, but watch out for the black pudding and rabbit on the specials board.
The food is excellent, with real thought and care going into the menu, I have also eaten here with a spanish friend who was also a fan, which is enough comment in its self.
Its a real gem and worth the travel from leeds, with an atmospheric setting and is a labour of love, run by an anglo spanish family.
Comment by Sarah Iglesias
Posted on Wed 3rd Aug 11 12:54 am
The worst restuarant I have ever come across in my life. We was a family of 4 we ordered a paella to share for 2 person along side 6 tapas we had to wait 45 mins for the food. When we recieved our food the paella was hot as in very spicy and tasted bad. Im spanish and know exactly how paellas are meant to taste and this was far from nice (terrible) some tapas were ok again nothing special. They also gave me another paella but this time as tapas one but exactly the same paella hot spicy which tasted rubbish. Spanish omlette had no taste what so ever not to mention a fish dish wasnt even cooked the fish was raw. When it came to paying the bill I could believe the bill it came to £40 we didnt eat anything apart from 4 tapas and we had to pay this amount I couldnt believe my eyes. We then went back to complain as we had been ripped off theres no way we should be paying that much when we havent eaten hardly anything. Neway to cut the long story short we spoke to the chef and he got extreemly angry and aggressive with us I could believe this man we said to him that paella too hot/spicy he turned around to say it isnt he put his hand inside the paella picked it with his fingers saying it wasnt hot infront of our faces at the bar not to mention where the customers were all eating. He was extremely bad mannered he didn’t listen to us he spoke very rudely and aggressive. I also told him about the raw fish he says its meant to have that texture thats utter rubbish he didnt have the time and probably did it on purpose to annoy us more so, as we complained. I feel this restuarant is a complete joke theres hardly any staff, one waitress one chef and one extra staff running that buisness the chefs italian who clearly doesnt know how to cook its a real disgrace I want to warn anyone who thinks about going to think twice, the foods dreadful service is appauling. I love la tasca that place walks the floor with los amigos and its even less money that place is value for money and customer service is excellent.
Comment by Tony Macter
Posted on Mon 3rd Oct 11 5:33 pm
I think the person above is confused and has got the wrong place I have eaten at dos amigos many times the food is excellent dont be put off this person obviously loves La Tasca they are welcome I have eaten there its dreadful. Viva Dos Amigos !!!!!!
