Stuzzi Leeds
Leeds, West Yorkshire
If it was a toss-up between Stuzzi’s Harrogate original and its more recent Leeds offshoot, readers confirm that the younger, West Yorkshire sibling would win every time. It might not look much from the outside (blacked-out windows, gold signage and a message announcing 'importers and purveyors of fine Italian stuff’), but step inside and head up to the attractive attic room, where delights aplenty await. Against a backdrop of concrete floors, contemporary bentwood chairs, rustic arches and shelves of wine bottles, visitors can dip into a roster of Italian small plates in the modern idiom. The restaurant’s name is short for ‘stuzzichini’ (the little dishes served with drinks in osterias and bars across Italy) and the kitchen delivers. Highlights from the day’s 12-dish menu might include anything from Stuzzi’s famous deep-fried pig’s head terrine with chilli, lemon and 'nduja aïoli to Puglian burrata with roasted artichoke, focaccia croûtons, pistachio and sorrel pesto. Local ingredients also get star billing, be it Harewood Estate venison tartare or chargrilled Yorkshire asparagus wrapped in home-cured chilli lardo with crispy wheat and confit lemon. For afters, treat yourself to a panino gelato (a homemade choux bun filled with Yorkshire rhubarb, vanilla gelato and Stuzzi gin). The lengthy wine list wends its way exhaustively through the Italian regions, with plenty of prestigious labels on show and prices from £25 upwards.
