Sarto is a Leeds restaurant which specialises in making fresh handmade pasta, located in the city centre.
The pasta-palace is nestled within Duke Street, just a stone’s throw away from Leeds Playhouse. The décor is utilitarian in style with exposed brick walls and plain wooden benches and tables.
If you want to avoid sitting on a backless bench for the meal, it’s worth calling ahead to enquire about the availability in the restaurant area rather than the bar area. A nice touch to venue is the exposed kitchen right in the centre of the dining area, revealing a clean kitchen area with a chef team who seemed to be enjoying their work.
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There was a lively atmosphere, further accentuated by the dappled lighting emitting from the halogen ceiling bulbs. There were lots of young people there in big groups.
When we arrived at our table, there was a jug of water ready on the table, along with a lit candle which was a nice touch. The service was amicable, and our waitress gave us an adequate amount of time to decide what we wanted to order.
We began our meal with a gin and black olive and rosemary tonic (£5). It was reasonably priced, and it tasted strong, combining vibrantly with the sweet fruity tonic.
For starters, the chestnut and sage arancini with roasted shallot aioli had a piquant kick. Each arancini ball crumbled delicately and provided a satisfying light appetiser to our main course.
The pasta dish I decided to order was the rigatoni shells with lamb shoulder ragu, mint and sheep rustler cheese. The pasta shells had a lovely al dente texture and the generous dish was covered in parmesan. Their portion shredded lamb in the dish was plentiful and it had a minty aftertaste. A really filling delicious dish which warmed the cockles on a winter’s night.
My dinner companion went for the fettuccini with wild mushrooms and marsala cream. This by all reports was al dente, morish and served in a big exquisite portion. The flavour was well seasoned, peppery and the had a creamy quality which combined nicely.
For dessert, I went for a traditional Italian called torte Caprese which came with mascarpone. It’s usually made with chocolate and almonds and named after the island of Capri.
It was a thin sliver of cake but this was the perfect amount as the flavour was so rich, I was thankful for the dollop of creamy mascarpone to balance the flavour.
My friend’s tiramisu came in a small glass and featured a substantial amount of cake surrounded by mascarpone cream. The rum soaked delicately into your tongue, by all accounts.
Overall, Sarto has a really nice venue with a lively atmosphere. I would recommend it for group meals or casual get-togethers.
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The bill
- Gin and black olive & rosemary tonic (x2) - £10 (£5 each)
- Chestnut & sage arancini with roasted shallot aioli (x2) - £16 (£8 each)
- Rigatoni, lamb shoulder ragu, mint & sheep rustler cheese - £12.50
- Fettuccini, wild mushrooms & marsala cream - £12
- Torte Caprese with mascarpone - £6
- Tiramisu - £6
- Service charge - £6.25
Total: £62.50
To find out the latest food and drink in our city you can visit our Best in Leeds homepage. There you will also find a guide to great things to do in Leeds.
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