Bird by Vineet is one of two eateries at the newly-opened Alea, part of the waterside Clarence Dock development.

And it's the brainchild of Vineet Bhatia, the first Indian chef to be awarded a Michelin star.

He won't be cooking in Leeds often but he will be there occasionally overseeing the menu.

Once inside the casino, to reach the eatery you have to walk past one of several bars and gaming rooms, take the escalator up to the main room – a huge space which is home to another bar, huge Las Vegas-style shimmering pillars and various gaming tables.

Bird is tucked away in the corner so there is little chance of stumbling across it.

Although when you find it, the brightly-coloured bird mosaic on the wall is a beautiful clue that you've arrived.

Just a few weeks after opening it seems Bird is perhaps still a better kept secret than the owners might hope.

We were first to arrive and although several other tables filled up the restaurant was far from full.

We were greeted by a charming maitre'd who delivered the perfect level of attentiveness, information and cheeky chatter.

The room itself is all sumptuous dark wood, with an impossibly high ceiling, dramatic long tubular lampshades and chain-mail blinds through which you can see out into the casino – but thankfully never feel you are eating inside one.

There's a theatre kitchen to watch the chefs in action and an opulent 16-seat private dining area.

It's immediately clear this is no ordinary Indian restaurant.
That really hits home when you see the prices – but not in the way you'd expect.

Despite its five-star appearance, Bird is possibly the cheapest Indian I've ever eaten at – and that includes takeaways.

The menu is contemporary Indian – some recognisable dishes but many unfamiliar names.

Even the papadums have a modern twist. They are a fraction of the size of the usual plate-shaped flat crisps and are softly curled at the edges and the accompanying tangy chilli sauce and smooth, mouthwateringly sweet mango chutney was served in modern-looking white angular pots instead of little silver bowls. (£1.25)

The starters, including dishes like crispy crab cakes and lamb sheekh (their spelling) kebab, are described as tapas – as seems to be the latest trend in Indian cuisine, but one portion is more than enough per person.

I chose the crispy masala rice – cheese balls with channa masala (£3.25) which arrived looking like a miniature work of art.

The four falafel-sized deep fried balls made from paneer – Indian cheese, sat on a bed of spicy tomato and chickpea sauce, served on what looked like two little bamboo boats.

And they tasted as good as they looked – soft, chewy cheese, slightly crispy on the outside, with the sauce moistening each mouthful.
My partner chose home-smoked tandoori salmon (£3.75).

The three pieces of fish were together the size of a main course fillet of fish, which was slightly overfacing, but the gently spiced coating was so good she polished the lot off.

The mains offered a taste of everything, from spicy Goan fish curry to lamb roganjosh (£5.95) and chilli coconut and lime leaf prawn masala (£6.95), plus a good selection of veggie options.

The side dishes were another twist on the traditional selection.
As well as the usual rices and naans (£2.50) there was also a Yorkshire cheese naan, rosemary and olive oil naan, and onion and coriander naan.

And instead of thick, heavy breads these were more like thin pizza bases, served in two pizza-slice sized portions.

They looked a little stingy at first but there was actually plenty to go round and as well as being healthier, it's also a far more aesthetically pleasing way to serve it.

For her main my partner had the malai murgh (£5.95) chicken curry with apricots and cashews, and the peshawari naan (£2.50).

The dish was creamy like a korma but we struggled to find evidence of the apricots.

She enjoyed it but the rich sauce – coupled with the fact she had already polished off a huge fillet for her starter – meant she couldn't finish it.

I plumped for the saag paneer, spinach and Indian cheese cooked with cumin and garlic, with a garlic and chilli naan. (£2)
My main course, like all the vegetarian options, cost just £3.50 – almost unheard of.

It was tasty and the texture was sensuously smooth but as a fan of spicy Indian food I found it slightly bland.

I also prefer food to arrive almost too hot to eat, whereas this was on its way to lukewarm.

We pushed on to dessert as the list was irresistible, including white chocolate mousse with pineapple chutney and a sugar cage ; lime and lavender tart with coconut ice-cream, plus exotic-flavoured ice-creams and sorbets, each £3.50.

I went for the "chocomosa", a special new creation of Vineet's.

It is a sweet version of a samosa, stuffed with white and dark chocolate instead of spicy meat or veg.

Thankfully the two little pastry parcels were a fraction of the size of a traditional samosa but the warm, slightly slimy, sickly filling was disappointing and the mango basundi thick dipping sauce lacked flavour.

My partner chose the chocosilk, (£3.50) a delicious thick, dark chocolate mousse on a nutty base.

It was accompanied by stem ginger ice-cream but the ginger flavour was overpowering.

I was slightly disappointed with the meal overall as the involvement of a Michelin-starred chef and the sophisticated setting seemed to promise great things.

But the bill, with water and a glass of wine (£6) came to just £38.70, which is incredible value in anybody's book, for a three-course meal for two.

It was a good dining experience, with hints of brilliance, and I will definitely be giving the place a second chance.

Considering it has only been open a couple of weeks I think once it gets off the ground, Bird could soar.

Bird by Vineet, 4 The Boulevard, Clarence Dock, Leeds, LS10 1PZ
Telephone: 0113 341 3267
www.aleacasinos.com
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 7pm to 1am.

FOOD 3/5
VALUE 5/5
ATMOSPHERE 4/5
SERVICE 5/5