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The Dammone family have been serving up quality, authentic Italian cuisine for what is now approaching five decades in the Leeds area, and the family-run mentality created by founding father Salvo Dammone still rings true today. Their Headingley hotspot has been a pivotal figure on the Leeds scene since opening its doors in 1976, and despite achieving great praise ever since, nothing could have prepared the current Dammone owners for the huge media attention that it would receive after securing the coveted prize of Best Independent Local Italian Restaurant on Gordon Ramsay’s hit show ‘The F Word’.
Ever since, the small, usually sedate environs of Salvo’s has become besieged with eager food lovers desperate to try (if they haven’t already) the sort of food that so impressed the easily-disgruntled celebrity chef, and now just getting through the door is proving to be a bit of nightmare. The restaurant has always been quite small, but trying to get a table (even for this reviewer) proved successful only on the second time of asking - and even then, you can expect a wait. Demand is now so great that during evening shifts it’s almost impossible to make a booking.
But once you’ve endured the wait, it’s quite easy to see why Salvo’s has earned such a distinguished reputation. Firstly, the food here is delicate and pleasingly presented - hardly the sort of tomato based slop that some of those big named chains would have you believe as being real, authentic Italian cuisine (Frankie & Benny’s, take note). Secondly, there’s a distinctly cosmopolitan vibe to the place, which adds a complimentary air of sophistication without feeling too stuffy or garish. And thanks to a pleasingly diverse menu, you could quite happily bring a first date here, as well as the whole family.
We dig into starters of suschi di prosciutto (£6.95 - goats cheese wrapped in ham with melon), which looks superb with a drizzle of sauce to help compliment a perhaps indulgent amount of goats cheese, and the gamberi filo (£6.50), a prawns-in-pastry dish served with a tingling sweet chilli dip. So far, so yummy, but in my view, the sign of a great Italian is how differently they approach the bog standards - the sort of things that people will, when thinking on their feet, will more than likely go for. I’m talking about pizzas, spaghetti and, of course, lasagne.
Salvo’s lasagne (£9.50) is a deep dished affair, and a subtle concoction. Not too filling to leave you with an immoveable stitch, the mix is light and breezy, and prime for dipping in some crusty white bread. Having arrived on a Sunday, I can’t help but be tempted by one of their weekend specials - a pork loin with potatoes, vegetables and a marvellous thyme jus (£10.95). It’s homely, rustic and bizarrely un-Italian, and the sort of meal that wouldn’t seem out of place in your favourite countryside gastropub. Finish with a homemade tiramisu (£4.75) and even granny will leave smiling.
So the current media hype is deserved, it would seem, but it is also hard earned. Salvo’s reputation is based on an evidently humble and honest approach to cooking which has been nurtured through the generations to reach a stage when it can truly compete on not just a local but national scale. And this is down to nothing other than their knack of producing really great food.
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