Summer menu at Gusto, Cookridge, Leeds

Well I landed back from my holiday in Zadar (Croatia) this morning and have a serious case of the holiday blues. However the horrendous delayed flight and missed train connections back home may steer me away from planning more holidays for a little while. Luckily I can still experience a little taste of summer as one of my favourite Italian restaurants in Leeds, Gusto,  have just launched there new summer menu. 

No summer lunch would be complete without kicking of with a round of cocktails, I think it's safe to say over the past few weeks, I've sampled more than my fair share.

I went for the dessert peach which was something more unusual than I have tried before and I wasn't exactly sure what to expect with a mix of wine and gin but the flavours worked in a way I wouldn't expect. I'm not sure the mix would be great for a hangover though. My friend opted for a classic Martini which included fresh thyme. 

Cocktails

Lemon and thyme Martini (Bombay sapphire, limoncello, dry vermouth, lemon bitter, sugar syrup, fresh thyme)

Dessert peach (sweet wine, peach purée, lemon juice and Bombay dry are built in a glass, with a touch of soda and a float of red wine)

Starters are always my favourite part of meals as I've said so many times before. Plus the cheese lover in me jumped for joy when I spotted goats cheese on the menu. 

I ordered bruschette with the sweet pepper compote and goats cheese. I can't quite think of a more summery food combination I like more then the mix of sweet roasted peppers and tangy goats cheese. Hayley went for the chicken salad with again the goats cheese and red pepper, I never order salads on menus as I always find them a bit boring and bland but it Hayley said it was nice and had a nice amount of chicken etc in for a starter. 

Starters:

Bruschetta with sweet pepper compote and goats cheese

Romesco chicken salad, with goats cheese, red pepper, rocket and aged balsamic

Next was the main course or "star of the show". I ordered the roasted duck breast and was certainly happy with my choice. I love duck but always panic it will be fatty or not cooked right. I can confirm the duck was cooked pink in the middle exactly how I ordered it and was certainly not fatty at all. The carrot purée was maybe a little too creamy however and wasn't the best of accompaniments for the rich duck. The pickled radicchio worked a little better for me.

I didn't try Hayley's gnocchi, although she seemed fairly quiet whilst eating so I will take that as a good sign.  

Main course:

Pan roasted duck breast, 

with carrot and star anise purée, pickled radicchio and red wine jus.

 Oven baked gnocchi, 

with spicy nduja salami, caramelised onion, red pepper and tomato. 

Before desert it was time for another round of cocktails. I ordered the Milk and honey cocktail, although unfortunately I didn't enjoy this too much. The vodka and Bacardi combined make the cocktail far too strong for me and the taste of cream was lacking so all I could just taste was the milk and vodka, unfortunately no flavour of honey.  

Cocktails:

Dessert peach (as above)

Milk & Honey (Krupnik honey vodka, Bacardi ora, milk and cream, stirred down then strained into a Martini glass with fresh raspberries to finish) 

Desert however could not be faulted. I was pretty full by this point so opted for a refreshing lemon sorbet. Hayley couldn't resist and choose the strawberry and passion fruit mess. I must admit I couldn't resist digging my spoon into Hayley's desert and having a taste. Fresh strawberry and passion fruit, cream and crisp meringue....I think I've said enough. 

Desert

Lemon sorbet

Strawberry and passion fruit mess

I ended my summer evening with a delicious amaretto coffee. 

Amaretto coffee with a cream float

Have you been to Gusto?

You can check out my previous reviews of Gusto here & here. 

Gusto Cookridge - 151 Otley Old Road, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS16 6HN

SAMMIE

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*Meal provided free of charge, in exchange for my honest review*

Gusto Cookridge Review | 151 Otley Old Road

Italian restaurants are one of my favourites for indulging in simple well cooked food and allowing myself a little bit of luxury in the food department. You all might know my favourite food is actually Mexican but when I want to up the food game and for extra special treats a good Italian restaurant is typically my first pick. You may have seen I went to Gusto in Leeds back in May and decided to take a little trip back and treat Hayley to a girls night out, or as us single pringles have now deciding to call it it, date night. As the charming setting of Gusto is perfect for just that. 

Starters

Deli counter (a selection of 3 meats or cheeses, with the option to add additional items, served with rosemary focaccia and tomato chutney) £6.95
I wish I could tell you this starter was delicious, although as it was Hayleys not mine all I could do was drool. She said it tasted delicious although I personally would of gone for an addition of some cheese.  

Hand made butternut squash ravioli £6.75
with sauteed cavolo nero, sage and almonds
My starter I can comment on. It was really tasty and a perfect winter dish with warm sage butter covering the perfectly cook pasta. The addition of almonds on top won the dish some extra brownie points for adding more texture to the dish. 

Main Course

Roast fillet of cod wrapped in prosciutto ham £15.25
with spiced lentils and red pepper oil
I love fish, I cant cook it very well myself, although not that I try much so It's usually something I tend to pick more when dining out. The cod was cooked well but the spiced lentils let the dish down. I was excepting more a light fragrant curry spice and this seemed to have more of sweet chilli kick which over powered the dish. 

Gusto burger with melted mozzarella served with fries £12.75

Hayley opted for the burger which looked thick and juicy. I in terms of the presentation it would have been nice to see something nice to stand the fries in, although I guess it's all about the taste. Which from the silence I got whilst Hayley was eating, I'm taking as a good sign. 

Drinks

French Martini £7.00

Green mark vodka shaken with Chambord and pineapple juice 

Mince Pie Martini £7.50

Cognac, velvet falernum, port, lime juice and orange juice 
A new cocktail to the restaurant as part of the festive Christmas menu is the Mince Pie Martini. This smells so good and has an astounding Christmas smell of actual mince pies. Compliments to the creator of this as it was fantastic. 

With each visit to Gusto I'm always bowled over by the charm of the restaurant and the amazing staff, I actually kind of feel like I'm already at home when I come here and could quite happily spend all evening, eating, chatting and sipping a cocktail or two all night. I'm already planning my next visit and the Christmas Menu is looking pretty tasty. 

Have you been to Gusto?

Sammie

Gusto Cookridge

151 Otley Old Road

Leeds

West Yorkshire

LS16 6HN

*Meal provided free of charge all views remain my own and uninfluenced*

Gusto Cookridge Leeds | Review |

Although I would never consider myself a "food blogger" it's far from a secret that I do love food and love finding new restaurants to share with you. Actually I think I say this at the start of every food post. This week I was invited to Gusto in Cookridge Leeds to review their new summer menu change with my blogging buddy Jess. I had heard from friends over the few days prior just how good this place was, or a few said that they had heard good things but  had never been, so I was very eager to see for myself what the place would have in store. 

Upon arrive we was greeted and given a little overview of the restaurant, over a cocktail. I ordered the elderflower and thyme Martini, what was defiantly a summery outdoor cocktail and perfect after been stuck in a hot office all day. 

I'm really loving the growing trend of using herbs in cocktails more and more as opposed to just a sprig of mint in a mojito. It's good to see a restaurant that has just as much emphasis on the drinks as well as the food. 

The restaurant to me has a very homely feel, which defiantly fits in well for it's suburban location. Although don't be fooled although it's not a city centre based restaurant it is defiantly worth the extra little effort to get there. 

To me the homely feel to the restaurant was apparent as soon as I sat at my table. With the open plan kitchen to my left, sky windows above and bay windows leading out onto a out door patio to my right and a more intimate seating with classy pictures and flower arrangements at the top, it felt like the whole home was covered. From garden to living room with the most cosy dining area taking centre stage. The most eye catching point in the restaurant were the elegant blue lights draped around an olive tree in the centre. I didn't really want to take too many pictures of the restaurant it's self as obviously it's a little strange to other diners. 

Since you've scrolled down this far and are still reading, I best get talking about the food.

Seared tuna steak, 

marinated in balsamic and soywith a fennel and orange salad and green gazpacho £18.95

Despite gusto been an Italian restaurant with an amazing range of pizza's & pastas (all pasta's can be as a starter or main course) I decided I would opt for something a little extra special and choose the seared tuna steak. 

I was expecting a thin steak with a thin streak of pink running through the middle, what I actually got was a very pleasant surprise. A thick fresh tuna steak lightly seared on a bed of crisp well dressed salad. This was fresh, seasoned well and cooked amazingly. I do feel it's a little risky for restaurants to serve a meal like this so lightly seared but it was divine. 

Side order:

French beans with shallots £3.25

We decided to share a few side plates with our meal. The French beans were seasoned well and cooked beautifully not too crisp, no too soft and I found them a light ideal summer side.

Side order:

Baked rosemary and garlic roast potatoes £3.25

The garlic and rosemary potatoes were lovely and crisp with light fluffy insides. With little sprigs of rosemary coating each potato. 

Desert:
Vanilla panna cotta with fresh raspberries £4.95
Ok so I will admit the first thing I did here was give my plate a little wobble. It passed the test. This traditional Italian desert was light and cream, I loved the extra touch of the fresh raspberry's and the chocolate biscuit crumb on top what gave the dessert an extra depth of texture. 

The Cocktails:
Elderflower and thyme Martini. (Beefeater Gin, Apple juice and Elderflower liquor)

Basilico - Award winning cocktail (Appletons V/X gold rum, apricot liquor, Amaretto with lemon and fresh basil) 

Vanilla Berry Fizz (Chambord black raspberry liquor, vanilla syrup and Prosecco)

Overall I would defiantly recommend a trip to Gusto. The restaurant has a warm welcoming feeling and it's defiantly competes with the more well known city centre establishments. Been seen as a more Local restaurant means they are able to deliver a more personal service, whether this be a birthday meal to an engagement. 

I may have also seen a few sneak previews for their Great Gatsby Ball theme night on the 10th July what looks simply incredible.

Sammie

*Meal provided free of charge. All views remain my own*