We ventured out to Leeds contemporary Italian restaurant Salute at The White Swan in Rothwell. The rustic eatery has picked up glowing reviews and previously made the headlines for treating a group of young boys who'd saved up their money to eat there.
As soon as we arrived, the staff were hospitable and helfpul and they came to check on us throughout the meal to make sure everything was going smoothly. To begin with, we were given a complimentary tub of mayo and each a packet of thin cracker-like bread sticks. These came as a welcome addition to our meal to whet the appetite.
There was relaxing music playing in the background which enhanced the chilled out vibe - which was perfect after a long day of work. The Italian restaurant had a laid back pub vibe with tasteful ambient lighting, which I suppose is what the Salute bosses were going for with a contemporary rustic feel.
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The food offerings were immense, there was a lot of choice on offer so we decided to go for the set menu which offered a great deal. Three courses were priced at £22.95.
And let me tell you, you get a lot of bang for your buck. The portion sizes were massive.
For starters, I ordered the fegatini di pollo dish, which contained pan fried chicken livers, crispy bacon, rosemary, balsamic glaze, anda slice of toasted brushetta dish.
The meat serving was piled high and bursting with flavour - plus the chicken was ever so delicate. A real winner of a dish and the favourite of all my courses. Words cannot begin describe how sumptuous it was - make sure to order it. Perfectly cooked.
My dinner companion had the funghi aglio, which contained creamy garlic mushrooms, white wine cream sauce and a sea salt and rosemary focaccia. By all accounts, the mushrooms were done to a turn and were also perfectly cooked. The focaccia was also light and fluffy.
For my main course, I ordered the pollo aglio, which contained flattened chicken breast in breadcrumbs, double garlic butter, rocket and parmesan salad.
This was absolute mountain of food and was a very heavy dish. The shavings of parmesan gave the dish a real piquant edge while the crispy chicken soaked up all the buttery sauce.
I ordered a side of hand cut chunky chips which were absolutely massive and again looked fantastic, they had a real vibrant orange colour.
My companion had smoked haddock Florentine, which came with spinach, mornay cream sauce, a poached farm egg, cheddar and paisley mash. This was an exquisite looking dish with a smokey flavour and a delicate 'melt-in-the-mouth' texture.
The only part of the meal which let me down was the pudding. We each ordered the blackberry and spiced apple crumble, which came with custard. There wasn't much crumble and was filled with a lot of jam. The pudding had a severe lack of density.
To the waitress' credit, she came over to ask if everything was fine but I decided not to raise it as I was already full on the fantastic starter and main course. I'm sure she would have likely replaced the dessert.
Overall, a really decadent meal in a gentle pub style atmosphere. Really glad I stopped off and would revisit.
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The bill
- Three course set meal x 2 - £45.90 (£22.95 each)
- Hand cut chunky chips - £4
- Half pint of East Coast IPA x 2 - £5.20 (£2.60 each)
- Total (inc service charge) - £60.61
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