Which is – in part – why good parking made my next foodie assignment such a tasty proposition.

That and the insatiable curiosity to discover whether a simple rebranding could have returned the glory to the former Est Est Est, now re-opened as new Italian eatery Gusto Restaurant and Bar at Cookridge in Leeds.

Filled with hope that there was much more to the apparent success of Gusto then convenience, as I left a packed car park to step inside for a mid-week meal, I pushed away the nagging thought that there was little by way of competition in this part of Leeds.

Dark wood, glass light fittings, bar stools, benches and snug-looking booths struck me as being surprisingly bang up to date in the interior stakes.

Styles and colours pleasantly complemented each other. There was nothing bland or striking, nostalgic or visionary yet this place was far from middle of the road.

The slick, smart decor was comfortably reassuring to a self-proclaimed urbanite.

Thankfully there was no sign of balloons, crayons or children's birthday parties leftover from the Est Est Est days.

Strolling to the back of the room in search of the restaurant and my dining party, I passed through a spacious bar area.

Amazed to discover that I had achieved the incredible by being the first in our group to arrive, I returned to the bar with the charming general manager in tow, who suggested I have a drink to while away the minutes.

The cocktail waiter, who had been busy testing his apprentice on the contents of a complicated sounding alcohol-free blend, recommended the Chilean Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc Reserva as I plumped for a small glass of white.

At around £4 a glass it was the cheapest of the two or three New World white wines served by the glass.

Crisp citrus notes of lemon or grapefruit woke the tastebuds as I contemplated the day.

Before long the others arrived.

Pleasantries exchanged and a bottle of Italian Pinot Grigio purchased – the delle Venezie from Veneto (£19.95), a much lighter plonk – we opted to go straight through to our table.

We took a booth with good viewing potential of the rest of the room and kitchen serving area.

This is where we spotted something rather unique.

Tucked inside the main menu was a smaller collection of dishes, designed with the help of a nutritional biochemist.

Gusto's Healthy Living Menu (HLM), as you might well imagine, features low fat dishes, but the interesting part is that the nutritional values for each dish are listed beneath.

Just as you would expect to find on any food item bought in the supermarket, the fat, salt, carbohydrate, protein and calorie levels are shown.

Or, if you find the facts and figures overwhelming, a system of codes also indicate which meals are low in saturates, calcium rich, packed with omega 3 fatty acids, detoxifying, "skinny" or simply low carb.

In a day and age when many of us are diet-obsessed, all that was missing was a guide to allergens for those with food intolerances.

Good intentions aside, I went full-fat and chose the goat's cheese and beetroot salad with reduced balsamic dressing (£4.75).

Disappointingly, the ruby vegetables were not pickled and the chef had been light handed on the vinegar so the dish lacked the tang that would have contrasted perfectly with the mellow soft cheese.

However, the moment was rescued as both oil and balsamic were readily on the table for guests to freely splash on more.

My dining partners chose among them asparagus risotto (£5.50); vine tomato, mozzarella and basil salad (£4.75), brushetta with tomatoes and red onion (£3.50), garlic prawns (£6.95) and the bread basket (£3.25).

Risotto in my opinion is one of the easiest dishes to get wrong.
It certainly looked the least appetising of the starters and I was told it was rather "nondescript".

In fact one diner who failed to finish her main course – the seafood risotto (£9.50) – said it had been overcooked and was desperately dry.
The mozzarella salad, prawns and brushetta were as they should be – bursting with flavour.

There was a pleasant 15 minute interval and the mains followed.

My oven-cooked dorado with spring onion, baby tomatoes, olives, potatoes and rosemary (£13.95) was served on a sizzling hot plate.

On first impression the fish appeared to be swimming in oil, but, owing to its good quality, it in no way tasted greasy.

The white fish flaked into heavenly. moist chunks; the discs of al dente potatoes gave firmness to a perfect pairing.

The dish was satisfying yet light enough to allow me to also try one of my dining partner's dishes.

Having had my eye on the spaghetti and mussels (£8.95) I tucked in to find fleshy and well seasoned seafood, and pasta cooked to perfection.

One of our party ordered from the HLM, choosing the chicken with green beans and puy lentils dressed with lemon and thyme (£11.95 and containing just 391 kcals).

It certainly looked attractive and I was told on good faith that it was a winner in terms of textures and flavours; the chicken moist and the lentils fluffy.

For pudding there was one winner – the unusual chocolate calzone (£4.95).

This was a baked pizza base folded and filled with Nutella chocolate spread and cream.

Each armed with a spoon, we cleared the plate in seconds, pleased at the unlikely combination.

The apple, orange and mint fruit salad (£3.95) I had ordered could never live up to this treat.

While the blueberries were delectable, the toasted almonds were barely detectable and the finely diced apple and orange gave an overall appearance of baby food.

Overall, Gusto is a restaurant for adults who do not want to be taken too seriously. The food is good and the menu is thoughtful.

Three courses and a bottle of wine came to £62 for two.

FACTFILE
Gusto Restaurant and Bar, 151 Otley Old Road, Cookridge, Leeds
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday, from 12pm till late
Telephone: 0113 267 2100
Email: via the website

Rating
FOOD: 3/5
VALUE: 3/5
ATMOSPHERE: 3/5
SERVICE: 3/5

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