Oliver

Dough Bistro was ushered onto the Leeds dining scene four years ago as one of those incredibly rare breeds – a bring-your-own that actually does quality food.

Restaurants can make a lot of money selling booze and letting diners bring their own tipple can seriously dent margins, leaving even less room for error on the food side.

The focus on the grub paid off though and Dough cemented its reputation as a great place to dine.

However, it was bought at the end of last year by a fresh young upstart on the Leeds restaurant scene, 26-year-old Luke Downing.

Downing has no formal training, or much experience to speak of, but has promised great things, so having frequented the 'old' Dough, Oliver was intrigued to visit again and see how things have changed.

One thing that's new is that the restaurant is now fully licensed, selling wines, beers and spirits – but it still lets customers bring their own wines and champagne.

The name stems from the fact the restaurant occupies an old bakery, and is squashed rather unceremoniously next to a takeaway pizza joint in a shopping parade in West Park.

But as soon as you walk in the simple charm of the place hits you.

Bistro dining should be an unfussy, informal, even cosy experience.

Opening the door into the small, glass-fronted room you realise Dough is exactly that. Tall bare brick walls surround a cluster of perhaps seven tables, from several of which you can see into the kitchen.

Hearing, seeing and sometimes smelling the kitchen lends a familiar, friendly air to the place.

However, as we settled into a completely empty dining room at seven o'clock the noise from the kitchen was almost a little too 'familiar'.

Asking the waitress if we could have some olives, and being told in her polite-for-the-customers-tone that she would just check, it made us feel slightly self-conscious as she took two steps around the corner and demanded more naturally if the chef had any.

It seemed just a little bit stuffy sending her back and forth, when we could obviously hear the chef's answer before she returned.

But overall Dough is anything but stuffy, and as it filled to near its 32-cover capacity, which it does pretty regularly, the sounds of the kitchen were covered by the babble of conversation, and the occasional culinary noises filtering through the hubbub of voices only added to the bustling appeal.

Another waitress appeared to help with the full house and the service was cheery, relaxed and unhurried – in the best possible way.

On Friday and Saturday there is a set four-course menu for £24.95.

There is a wide selection of starters, mains and desserts, with the fourth instalment being a post-entrée palate cleanser of Valencia orange and pink Champagne sorbet.

On other weekdays dishes are individually priced, with an extremely reasonable early bird menu, while on Sundays there is a set five-course menu for the absolute bargain price of £20.

The menu changes daily, and dishes depend on what was looking good at the market that morning. This honest, rustic approach to the cooking is reflected in the food.

I started with Yorkshire lamb kidney with Serrano ham on warm ciabatta bread with onions and lamb demi glace.

The kidneys were fresh and just pink in the middle, covered in a luxuriously dark, rich gravy dotted with delicate wafers of Serrano ham.

My companion had tiger prawns and chorizo with rocket, chilli, garlic, lemon, parsley and white wine sauce.

Food is presented neatly, simply and most importantly bursting with all the flavours promised.

The starters were so good, and the ambience so cheery, we didn't feel too abashed licking the remnants of the sauce off the ends of greedily smeared fingertips.

While diners are more than welcome to bring their own wine and champagne, Oliver tried out the house offerings in the name of duty.

The list, in the normal sense, doesn't exist, with the owner buying in good deals as he finds them.

The waiting staff will happily show you the day's selection and the fairly standard Hardy's Crest chardonnay we were offered was crisp and perfectly acceptable.

The only slight problem was that of the eight mains on offer, not very many suited a light, summery drink.

One of the only gripes of the evening was that there were a few too many port reductions, dark gravies and rich sauces for a seasonal menu approaching the height of summer.

That said, it really wasn't too upsetting having to tuck into a confit of wild rabbit and duck with mashed potato, braised red cabbage and a port and dark chocolate reduction.

The thin shreds of meat were covered in a deep-brown gravy, which thankfully kept the chocolate as a faint hint rather than a cloying distraction.

Our other main was one of the brighter, fresher options. A crispy-skinned fillet of sea bream came sat atop organic tomatoes, capers and olives with a saffron beurre blanc and tiger prawns.

The dish was simple, but the flavours were fresh, invigorating and worked beautifully together.

The waitress made a point of telling us all the puddings were homemade, which is impressive given the choice, and wholly apparent given the quality.

The vanilla cheesecake was light, thick and beautifully indulgent, without a hint of that rubbery out-of-a-box texture.

The panna cotta was another triumph. A good panna cotta is all about the texture, too soft and it subsides into a sloppy mess, too firm and it becomes a gelatinous paste.

This one kept its shape before collapsing perfectly under the slightest pressure from the tongue against the roof of the mouth.

Dough is the kind of place where regulars breeze in and greet staff with first names and a hug.

The food is very reasonably priced, and the meal can be incredibly so if you take advantage of the bring-your-own policy.

Four courses, with a bottle of wine, olives to start and coffee to finish, cost £67 for two.

The menu changes daily, but you can be assured of fairly classic dishes with a market-inspired flourish.

Dough has a simple, unassuming manner, but don't let the honest approach belie the quality of the food, which is truly delicious and will have you coming back for more.

FACTFILE

Dough Bistro, 293 Spen Lane, West Park, LS16 5BD

Tel: 0113 278 7255
Website: N/A
Opening hours: Tue-Sat: 6pm until the last customer goes, Sun: 12-6pm

RATINGS

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