You may remember me visiting the Cookridge branch of Gusto last year, and although enjoyable it wasn’t half a trek to get to in rush hour Leeds (after 2 accidents had blocked the way) so it’s not somewhere I’d go to regularly, however it’s sister branch in central Leeds is much better for me, as it’s only a ten minute walk from work- much easier than a hour fraught drive!
So I was looking forward to a more relaxed dinner when I was invited to walk along to Gusto Leeds for dinner and that’s what I got. Joined by some bloggers and press were were taken to a very Beauty and the Beast themed table (well it had candelabras and that’s enough for me!) There had been a special menu with lots of new dishes on it made just for us I really did feel like a special ‘Guest’.
After the sharing platter which had the Goats Cheese of Dreams on it- I have never had nicer Goats Cheese it was just so creamy and had the best taste! We went onto starters.
I went for the Plum Tomato and Basil Tart, this was really refreshing and a great way to start off a meal. I was tempted by the deep fried Toma cheese which is basically a gourmet version of mozzarella dippers. I was informed that they were amazing.
Sticking to a veggie theme I then went for the Baked Aubergine Milanese. I love melanzane which is Italian for aubergine but also describes the lasagne like dish made with aubergines, so based on that I figured baked aubergine would be lovely. When it was presented to me I was very glad I’d chosen a lighter starter as it was massive! It was also so filling, I couldn’t eat it all by any stretch and I’d say I managed about a third of what you see here. It was a surprisingly hearty dish and had a comfort food vibe about it which is definitely recommend if you visit when really hungry!
This was Ellenor’s main, the Beef Fillet Carpaccio Salad which was somewhat lighter than my main dish!
After that I didn’t really fancy dessert but I opted for Vanilla Flavour Panna Cotta. This isn’t something I’d normally got for either but again as it’s light and refreshing i gave it a go. It was so nice too! I would of course always choose a chocolate dessert if I had the option, but I don’t think I’d even bother having a dessert after that main usually! The strawberries in the ‘aged balsamic’ sauce were really delicious and added a bit more flavour to the vanilla.
It was a lovely evening, surrounded by great company and beautifully lit trees and I’d recommend it for a chilled evening out with well made Italian food. Luke is already keen to go so it’s on our list to visit next time we are in Leeds!
*I was invited to Gusto to taste their new menu offerings, as always thoughts and words are my own.