Salsa Mexicana

Psst... I'm going to let you into a secret, probably Chapel Allerton's worst kept secret.

Salsa Mexicana is a tiny restaurant nestled into a parade of shops in the centre of Chapel A. Unlike its trendy neighbours, this restaurant is discreet and unobtrusive, you could walk right past if you weren't paying attention.

Once inside you are met with a simple set up, plain wooden tables and chairs, white washed walls, and a few quirky Mexican themed decorations such as a pinata, sombrero and grass matting on the ceiling.

We got there early as this place gets crazy busy, even on a week night. There is only seating for about 40 people, and it is not unusual to have to put your name down for a table, go off for drinks in the adjacent bars and come back later on.


The menu is simple, based around about a dozen core ingredients (tomato, beans, avocado, tortilla, cheese, jalapeno, salad, beef, chicken etc) with all the Mexican classics such as burritos, tacos and enchiladas on offer. There aren't too many choices, but the menu is flexible, most dishes can be ordered as a starter or a main course size and almost everything can be adapted with a choice of filling, chicken, beef, prawn or vegetable (making the restaurant incredibly vegetarian friendly). The only consideration is that you have to be careful not to order 2 dishes that are too similar for starter and main.

Liam had the nachos to start, I had the chicken and tomato soup from the specials board. I was presented with a bowl filled with a generous salad of chicken, avocado wedges, cheese, fresh coriander and crispy strips of toasted tortilla. The rich, spicy, almost meaty tomato soup was then poured over this from a jug at the table. This has got to be the most exciting, tasty bowl of soup I have ever eaten (no exaggeration!).

For the main course Liam had a Chimichanga - a filled tortilla parcel, served with rice, guacamole and sour cream. I had the 'combo' dish where you can choose 2 items from a selection of 4. I decided on a beef taco (delicious sliced steak rather than minced beef) and a chicken burrito, served with refried beans and a simple, fresh side salad.

The drinks menu has a modest choice of wines, south American cocktails and a good range of appropriate beers. We had some ice cold bottles of Sol and a Lime Margarita, which in reflection wasn't the best thing to use to wash down a spicy dinner as there is quite a lot of alcohol for not much drink, and was probably the cause of me humming the 'Mexican Hat' tune into Liam's ear all the way home on the bus.

The pudding list consists mainly of ice cream. Liam had the Mexican vanilla pod, and I had the toffee variety. If you are really too stuffed for pudding (which is not unlikely considering the portions) you may want to consider as a lighter option the hot chocolate with churros - small sweet pieces of fried donut, I have had this in the past and really enjoyed it.

I cant praise this place enough, the food is simple, but always fresh, tasty, well presented and served with a genuine smile. Salsa Mexicana's popularity is its number one tribute, they don't have a website and never run specials nor feature on dining websites; they don't need to as word of mouth is enough to keep people pouring in through the door.

The bill including 4 beers and a cocktail came to a mere £47 which is an absolute bargain, no wonder this place is so popular. A number one favourite of ours and without a doubt one of the best restaurants in the city.

13/09/09
A bit of an update. Salsa Mexicana now has a website and a bit of an updated and improved menu including a selection for take away. Still really good value and still all totally delicious, I can't get enough of this place!

Salsa Mexicana:
*Tasty authentic meals
*Fantastic atmosphere
*Great value for money

116a, Harrogate Road,
Chapel Allerton,
Leeds,
LS7 4NY
0113 268 1110

Website

An afternoon of visiting nice pubs and bars in the city centre....

A friend from Uni text me yesterday to say she was back in Leeds visiting for the week, so we nipped into town for a catch up over ahem... coffee.

With all good intentions we went first to Aroma cafe in the Gateway, she had read my review this week and wanted to try for herself. We had a panini each, and weren't disappointed. £2.75 each and plenty of tasty filling. We also had a cup of tea each, but then had to leave as they closed at 3. I think we would have sat in there all afternoon otherwise.

We headed into town and had a swift one in Whitelocks which if you don't know is a lovely old fashioned bar, tucked away in the city centre, behind M&S. I love these hidden pubs, their yards are little oasis' of calm away from the hustle bustle of the shops, and you get the sense that things haven't changed in years, especially in Whitelocks, which retains all of its old stained glass, carved wood and brass fittings.

After a bit more shopping we decided to go to Sela bar on New Briggate. This is a cosy bar with a relaxed atmosphere and soft lighting, playing good music and getting more lively at the weekends. They have a wide selection of flavoured beers, we sampled between us mango, peach, passion fruit, cherry and strawberry (2 more friends had arrived by this point). All refreshing and fruity and a nice difference, although none of us dared try the banana one.

The time was getting on and we realised that being Tuesday we should go to The Adelphi for the quiz. The Adelphi has to be one of my favourite pubs in Leeds, it's at the bottom of town over the Leeds bridge at the end of Dock St.

The structure of the building is classic Victorian with all the old frosted glass and open fires. The decor however is an eclectic mix of retro furniture, graphic wall papers, fairy lights, and modern art canvasses on the wall. Its funky, cosy and comfortable and down right brilliant.

There is a wide range of beers on offer, including the best pint of Tetley's you will ever have and great food. The menu is what you would expect from a pub: pie and mash, burgers etc, but with a few interesting twists such as Falafel, Moroccan lamb and Spanish omelette.

I decided on the No1 platter which had Marinated halloumi skewers, calamari, lamb kofte, potato wedges, crudities, and houmous, tzatziki and salsa dips. At £9 its just the thing for 2 to share, although I did eat almost all of it to myself. The wedges were chunky and really crispy, the koftas juicy and beautifully spiced and the calamari cooked to perfection.

I love the Adelphi, its one place you should really try as the food is always tasty and satisfying and the beer good. Its just the place to sit and relax, read the paper and enjoy time with your friends. As for the quiz we didn't win despite all our best efforts.

The Adelphi
*Interesting tasty food
*Great beer
*Comfortable relaxed atmosphere

1-3 Hunslet Road
Leeds
LS10 1JQ
0113 2456377

Website

Aroma Cafe @ The Gateway

Staggering home from a mates house with a hangover the other week, Liam came across this little cool little cafe. He enjoyed the bacon and tomato sandwich he had and wanted to go back again, so treated me to breakfast there this morning.

Aroma is located within the retail units set into the bottom of the huge new 'Gateway' complex that has been built at the Eastern edge of the city centre (you cant miss it, its huge and green, near the Parish Church)

The cafe is really quite dinky, strangely the space behind the curved counter looks bigger than the dining area. The colour scheme is red and black, with a funky 70's style bold print wall paper across the back wall, bright red lacquered tables and cool mismatched leather chairs.

The concise menu focuses mainly on breakfasts, (its open at 8am even at weekends) with the signature dish being a full fry up for £3.95 with toast, egg, bacon, tomato, beans and sausages. There are also cakes, pastries, jacket potatoes and paninis available. I had beans on toast for £1.80 with an extra egg for 20p.

There is a good choice of drinks, aside from tea and coffee, there is a wide range of herbal and fruit teas and an interesting hot chocolate menu. I had the 'black forest' which is a hot chocolate with an extra shot of cherry syrup, it was nice, but really sweet. As for cold drinks, there is a large choice of juices and pop in the fridges. I was impressed that you can buy litre bottles of juice for £2 which is really good value if you want to share (or if your really hungover and need the fluids).

Despite it being busy with the ashen faced, bleary eyed members of a hen party over from the adjacent Etap hotel, the food came quickly, and was served with a smile. The whole bill with the 2 breakfasts, extra toast, a tea and hot chocolate was less than £10.

This is basically a good old fashioned no frills greasy spoon, with big cheap brekkies and huge jugs of tea, with the added bonus of funky modern surroundings. The only thing missing is the wagon drivers.

Aroma Cafe:
*Cheap and cheerful
*Classic, tasty fry ups
*Cool, modern décor

The Gateway
East Street Leeds



24/11/10 It has become apparent from comments left on the blog and word of mouth that standards of service have dropped here since the review. The ingredients used are quite cheap but this is reflected in the price charged.

Gourmet Burger Kitchen

The general consensus last night was that for tea we wanted to go out for 'big burgers'. I couldn't be bothered to trek up to Zed bar in Chapel Allerton so we decided to go to the Gourmet Burger Kitchen in Greek Street instead.

We have eaten there once before and enjoyed it, so our expectations were high. When we got there it was very busy (probably due to the 2-4-1 voucher they have on their website right now) but we were seated straight away.

GBK I feel has a bit of an identity crisis. Its much smarter than a fast food joint, with proper cutlery and plates, but like Nandos and Wetherspoons there is limited table service, and once your meal is chosen you have to go up and order at the counter. However unlike Nandos and Wetherspoons, there is only one till at GBK, and I had to stand in line for ages waiting to pay, in the main thoroughfare of the restaurant between the kitchen and the front door.

Once I had paid, I sat back down and waited. There are no real starters, but we shared a bowl of slightly pappy over garlicky olives. As I said before it was very busy so we had to wait for quite a while for our food to arrive.

The burgers are huge, stacked up with salad and toppings. The burgers are so large that they have to be anchored together with a skewer. They look impressive but when the burgers arrived the toppings were already starting to slide out of the side (possibly a sign of hasty construction by busy kitchen staff). I do think that the definition of 'gourmet' in the dictionary should be changed to 'impossible to eat sensibly without getting into a complete mess'.

The beef burgers are all made from Aberdeen Angus beef, are fat and juicy and cooked to order. The relish is delicious and sweet and the toppings are plentiful. My only criticism of the food is that the mozzarella on my Pesterella burger was cold and not melted into the burger. Slightly annoyingly chips have to be ordered extra, for £2.70. The portions are quite small, but with the mammoth burger you don't need many, and could probably even share a dish.

One thing that I really have to mention is the interior. The decor on the whole is unremarkable, however the back wall is lit with a very bright, ever changing coloured light. The glow from this illuminates the whole dining area with rather distracting shades of yellow, blue green and red. Liam was facing the lit wall and he said it was making him a tad nauseous by the end of the meal, and I found that your food changing colour just as you were about to bite quite unnerving. You can see from the photos the same burger in both the yellow and red phase... weird.













Another annoying aspect is that by paying first, any additional drinks ordered through the meal have to be paid for at the end. This meant that on leaving we had to queue up AGAIN, to settle the bill for a 2 quid coke. (Nandos get over this by providing you with an empty glass and limitless access to a self service drinks machine). There are also no puddings on the menu, not even ice cream, although we were so stuffed we wouldn't have managed much more.

The total bill for the olives, 2 burgers, 2 chip portions and 3 colas was £27 which was reduce to £20 with the voucher. The burgers are good quality and fairly priced but I do think that the side orders and drinks are a bit too much. The other 'fend for yourself' establishments that I have mentioned, reward you with low prices, and make things easy by leaving spare cutlery, condiments etc within easy access.

The food was good but the experience was tarnished by the other factors I have mentioned. If you go I suggest that you do so during the day, when there should be less of a queue and where the daylight will drown out the awful disco light.

Gourmet Burger Kitchen:
*Fantastic Burgers
*Overpriced side orders
*Bizarre distracting lights (you can see the blue shining out the windows in the photo)

Minerva House,
29 East Parade,
Leeds
LS1 5PS
(0113) 243 5866

The French Revolution, Victoria Quarter

Meandering home from work this morning, I was struck by the aroma of bacon wafting from a shop doorway. It was so tantalising I had stop and take a look. I recognised the place, as I had read a review on Them Apples a few months before, so I decided to treat myself.

The lady at the counter asked me a series of questions about how I wanted my bacon sandwich made. I decided on brown bread, with butter and ketchup. This order was then yelled down the stairs in Little Britain Toyshop sketch style to the kitchen below (Margaret... do we have any pirate memory games suitable for ages 4 to 8?).

A couple of minutes later a hand appeared in the door way and a little package containing my buttie was passed to the lady serving.

While I was waiting I had a look around. The shop is little more than a kiosk with a few chalk boards on the walls, a drinks fridge and 2 glass cabinets, one containing pre-prepared sandwiches and the other with a selection of fresh home made cakes. (I have just remembered I bought a brownie too, its still in my bag waiting to be eaten). Given the name, you would have thought there would be a bit more of a continental theme to the food, but as far as I could tell the fillings were fairly traditional and not particularity revolutionary, although there was a plate of croissants on the counter.

The sandwich was steaming hot in a nice granary roll with plenty of ketchup. The bacon was nice and thick and juicy with no nasty rinds or fatty bits, and I think good value at £2.20. I think it would be worth trying here again at lunchtime.

Update: brownie is now eaten, it was very moist and cakey, not as dense as you would expect a brownie to be, but really fresh and chocolatey. It had a bit of a strange after-taste, although not unpleasant, probably due to the type of chocolate used or something like that. I wouldn't go here solely for cake, but I would buy a slice of something if I were already getting a sandwich and at 80p it was more than reasonably priced.

The French Revolution
*Simple tasty sandwiches
*Freshly made
*Reasonably priced

9 County Arcade,
Victoria Quarter
LS1 6BW
0113 234 2290

Sleep deprived ramblings.

I have just finished a run of night shifts... this kind of work pattern isn't good for your social life or diet, and despite my best intentions I have been surviving for the last few days mainly on biscuits, crisps, chocolate and cakes (and to my delight lost 2lb in the process although I would not recommend sleep deprivation and cake as a long term weight management plan). The cake by the way I won in a competition on the brilliant culture vulture website (Take a look here). On Friday afternoon my colleagues received a lovely heart shaped, cream filled chocolate creation , topped with chocolate ganache, strawberries and pink glitter, made by the Armley based Marvellous Tea Dance Company.

While I am in the process of sharing some link love, I would like to mention a slightly unrelated but equally interesting legal blog with the focus on intellectual property in the media and the arts. IP Yorkshire author Jane has been particularly complimentary about Leeds grub on her blog and on Twitter (follow me here) . The least I can do is return the favour, and Jane may well be a useful person to know if someone goes and nicks the content of your blog or something like that.

I promise normal service will be resumed after another couple hours of kip and a big helping of Woosh!

Cheggers' Perfect Portion awards: Murgatroyds Yeadon

I was very excited to be invited along this morning to Murgatroyds fish and chip shop in Yeadon, to watch the presentation of the Cheggers Perfect Portion awards. The awards are being given regionally to chip shops based on public voting, and Murgatroyds came out top in this area.

Named after the mill that stood on the same site until the 1970's Murgatroyds is a huge building, with a take away area and comfortable seating in the restaurant for over 200 guests. Whilst there I was able to speak to the owners, brothers James and Andy Chadwick about winning the award.

James told me that they were extremely pleased to win, as they didn't enter the competition themselves, the were nominated and voted for by their customers. Andy explained that the secret to their success first and foremost was the quality of the food, he told me that they use the best Icelandic haddock, and Maris piper potatoes fried in beef dripping for the chips, James added in that the consistent quality, the attractive surroundings of their restaurant and their reputation built over 15 years were also factors. James told me that he loved chips but tried to keep his intake down to just the one portion a week served simply with salt and vinegar.

And as I promised, earlier in the week, a celebrity interview, so this is what happened when I got to speak to Keith Chegwin himself!

So what do you think of the chips here at Murgatroyds?
Very Good! I'm really impressed, I think I was more interested in eating the chips than having my photo taken with them, I think I polished most of them off. Very good.

And what makes the perfect portion of chips?
The perfect chip? Crunchy on the outside, plenty of taste, nice and fluffy on the inside, and like here, they use the Maris Piper that makes the perfect chip, it really does.

How did you get involved in the perfect portion awards?
I got involved last year, and we had so much fun they called me back again. I'm now in a more serious role as the ambassador for the awards, and I'm quite a connoisseur now, I can tell what potatoes have gone into a chip and I'm quite willing to tell people- 'I don't like your chips!'

So when you go to the chippy what do you order?
For me? Cod and Chips, and I'm not into mushy peas, curry or tomato sauce, no, just Au natural with salt and vinegar on top.

Going up and down the country have you noticed any regional variations?Yeah, there is a real North/South divide. They have done a survey were 6/10 people say northern chips are better, and I would have to agree with them. And you cant get a good meat and potato pie in the south.

Anything else to say to the readers?
Try doing your own, I didn't know how to cook chips before but Tanya Ramsey (Gordon's wife) told me, just cut up the potatoes into chip sizes, brush with a little olive oil and then sprinkle with chili powder, and put in a hot oven for 45 minutes, and you have the perfect PERFECT, oven chip, Wey-hey!
I had a little try of the chips myself, and yes they did have a really good crisp outside and added flavour from the dripping, with the fluffy middle. Cheggers also thought that a high cooking temperature lends itself to a better chip.

After the presentation, Cheggers treated us to a rendition of his chip song, it was really funny, we were all in fits of giggles. If you want to hear the song/ download the ring tone, you can on the Love Chips web page. (Its quite catchy... sing chippy chippy chippy chippy chip chip, chippy chippy chippy chip chip!)

Cheggers was so enthusiastic and fun, you could tell he was genuinely interested in the awards and how the chips tasted. He kept coming out with loads of crazy little chip anecdotes and facts like: 1 in 4 potatoes in this country goes to make chips and if we laid out end to end all the chips eaten in this country every year they would wrap around the world 76 times!

If you want to see what all the fuss is about and try the chips yourself you can find Murgatroyds here:
Harrogate Road
Yeadon
Leeds
West Yorkshire
LS19 7BN

Website

Grub Excursion #7 Towcester: Chan's Chippy

Its national chip week so of course tonight's dinner was fish and chips. I'm spending a few days back home at my mums house in Northamptonshire. It is common knowledge round here that the best chips in town can be found at Chan's on Vernon Road.

The shop is a small detached single storey building. Outside there is a square of tarmac which serves as a little car park with about 6 spaces (usually gridlocked on a Friday teatime). Above the door there is a yellow awning bearing the family name, and inside there is nothing but the counter, a fridge full of pop (a new addition since my last visit) and the pin-board with all sorts of adds for jumble sales, mini cabs and local handy men.

This is a proper local run family business, I went to school with their children, Mr & Mrs Chan are always there manning the fryers, the shop has been there for years and not changed in the slightest I think since the day it opened. Its looking a little care worn now (in a good way- like a comfy much loved old sweater), but don't let this deter you, remember that in a small town like Towcester, reputation and repeat business is everything, and this place would not be thriving like it is, if it were rubbish! (Unlike the inferior Atlantis Fish Bar which went down the pan after just a couple of years).

The prices are fair, the portions are generous (we shared a large chips between 3 of us and still had some left for the dog), the chips are always freshly fried, fluffy, light golden colour, and the service is friendly. Being in 'The South' Saveloys are a permanent fixture on the menu and the request for a pineapple fritter is not met with a blank stare. (My family cannot comprehend how these items cannot be obtained from chip shops in Leeds. I know the deli on the market sells saveloy but I would like to learn of a chip shop that does too).

I know I am biased as for me it is so comforting and nostalgic to come here, but even a visitor to Towcester would find Chan's to be a fantastic chip shop... just don't ask for a breadcake, or (shudder) gravy... its just not the way things are done round these parts.

Chan's Chip Shop:
*Great chips
*Good portions and prices
*My favourite chip shop ever

3 Vernon Road,
Towcester,
Northamptonshire,
NN12 6AT
01327 353588

National Chip Week

This week is National Chip Week so look forward to a host of posts celebrating one of the nations best loved dishes. Here are some previous posts featuring Leeds Chippies, and if that is not enough, there may even be a celebrity interview for you to read by the end of the week.

And for your entertainment in the meantime here is some chip trivia...

• A portion of chip shop chips contains less fat than a prawn mayonnaise sandwich

• The fish and chip shop market is worth £1.2bn - that means £1 of every £100 spent on food is spent in a fish and chip shop

• More than 255 million fish and chips meals are sold in fish and chip shops each year (thats surprisingly works out to only 4 portions each per year)

Chip Week Website

More reasons to shop at.... Leeds Market

You may find that you are eating out less and cutting back on luxury goods in order to save money. Instead of opting for the value brands why don't you consider changing where you shop? There are great savings to be had shopping from the market. Today I was shopping for the ingredients for a hearty warming winter stew.

Two stalls I visit regularly are Neil's fruit and veg and Malcolm Michaels butchers. I like Neil's because they have a large stall with plenty of variety, the quality is good and you choose your own veg (there are some other greengrocers that display perfect fruit and veg then give you the manky bruised stuff from under the counter- beware!). If you're looking for something different, there are a number of specialist grocers in the market selling more obscure Asian and African veg and ingredients. I love looking at these stalls.

As for Malcolm Michaels, they always seem to have the biggest crowd outside and take pride in the British meat they sell. The great thing about the market is that most of the butchers shops are next to each other so you can walk along comparing prices and the meat on offer so you can get what you really want. Also the service is far superior to the supermarket, the butchers are knowledgeable, will tell you which cut is best for your dish and how best to cook it. Most of the butchers also sell bargain variety packs where for £30 you can buy enough meat to last a family a month.

The best thing about the market is the prices, All of this (except the carrots which I had in already) cost me £5.02. I worked out from Tesco compare that the same would have cost me £6.37 from the supermarket. That's a substantial saving, and tastes all the better for knowing that you are supporting local businesses at the same time.

Leeds Kirkgate Market:
*Quality produce
*Brilliant prices and choice
*Personal & knowledgeable service.

Leeds City Markets,
Kirkgate
LS2 7HJ

Ruchee Restaurant

We were invited to Ruchee's on Sunday for a family meal in honour of my Brother-in-Law's birthday.

Located on Stainbeck Road (by the junction with Scott Hall Road) Ruchee's is nestled unobtrusively in a small parade of shops. The interior of this small restaurant is decorated in fairly neutral shades, the atmosphere is comfortable and homely, and the staff are very welcoming and attentive.

I didn't look at the menu as on Sunday evenings there is the option to dine from the all you can eat buffet for £8.95 (£5.95 for children and free for the under 3s). The selection from the buffet is fairly modest but diverse.

For starters there was a large platter of salad, onion bhajis and a fantastic tandoori chicken dish. The meat had a lovely smoky spiced flavour and was served with onions and then balanced with a fresh, light tomato sauce. There were 5 main courses available 2 of which were vegetarian. These included vegetable korma, chicken in a lemon sauce, and a lamb dish. (I don't really remember the names, sorry for being rubbish but I was so obsessed with the tandoori chicken I didn't get much further!). There was also pilau rice and nan bread.

This meal was just right for a lazy Sunday afternoon tea, trying all the different foods in a cosy relaxed environment, watching the snow falling steadily outside. All of the dishes I tried were good, and although the selection was limited there seemed to be care taken in offering variety in the dishes in terms of mild and hot, creamy and savoury. The staff were always at hand to help, bringing drinks and replenishing the dishes quickly when needed.

This is a fantastic example of a good neighbourhood restaurant, with fair pricing, delicious food and good service. We need more places like this!

Ruchee Restaurant
*Good Food
*Fantastic Service
*Good Value for money
219 Stainbeck Road
Moortown
LS7 2LR
0113 2666606
Website