Medici Tapas
Mon 12 Nov 2007
After the disappointment of not appearing on TV (still no word on an exact date for that either) there was nothing for it but to go out for a meal. Of course, there was a fair bit of grumbling about what to do ... for some reason curry didn't seem right as we just wanted to 'get home', and in Headingley we suddenly seemed stuck for options (or should that be spoilt for choice?).
We ended up in Medici Tapas - the little tapas place tucked away in the St Anne's group of shops (if you know Headingley, you'll know what I mean). Yes, the name is confusing: big, famous (and slightly mad) Italian Renaissance family and Spanish bar-snack food.
This is a very casual, studenty little place. It only has a BYO licence (we weren't prepared on that count), only takes cash or cheque and only seats about 15 people. The menu states that you must order a minimum of 3 tapas dishes per person, not including bread and dips. This is actually quite a lot of food (we were very obedient, but also very full) so if you're not a big eater it might be worth smiling nicely and seeing if you can get around this!
We started with the bread and dips. It was nice, fat pita bread that was warm, so that's a good start. The dips were taramosalata, tzatziki and hummus. They were actually pretty tasty BUT they did all just come out of large containers in the fridge - and we could see them being served up. Cheap and cheerful is one thing, but knocking together a bit of dip is really something that should be done in-house. Plus, this is a tapas house ... how about some really good olives?
Of course, that casts a bit of a shadow over how much in-house prep is involved with the rest of the food. The kitchen is tiny and there certainly was action so I'll be generous on this count! We ordered boquerones (fat white anchovies), chorizo in red wine, chicken in white wine, tortilla, patatas bravas, and prawns in chilli and garlic sauce.
Apart from really disliking the dressing that was on the anchovies (why, oh why?!) we both enjoyed everything we'd ordered. There were plenty of little nit-picky things I could mention (like the tiny, wee frozen prawns in the really tasty, chilli, garlic laden oil) but the whole experience needs to be kept in perspective. For just under £30 we ate more than we needed to, it tasted good and the service was friendly and efficient. Medici Tapas is a small, cosy restaurant in the middle of student-ville and it's offering very affordable food.
1. Medici Tapas, 2 St Anne's Road, Headingley, LS6 3NX, phone: 0113 274 8500.
tagged with:
headingley, 
leeds, 
restaurant, 
spanish, 
tapas
Stumble It!
After the disappointment of not appearing on TV (still no word on an exact date for that either) there was nothing for it but to go out for a meal. Of course, there was a fair bit of grumbling about what to do ... for some reason curry didn't seem right as we just wanted to 'get home', and in Headingley we suddenly seemed stuck for options (or should that be spoilt for choice?).
We ended up in Medici Tapas - the little tapas place tucked away in the St Anne's group of shops (if you know Headingley, you'll know what I mean). Yes, the name is confusing: big, famous (and slightly mad) Italian Renaissance family and Spanish bar-snack food.
This is a very casual, studenty little place. It only has a BYO licence (we weren't prepared on that count), only takes cash or cheque and only seats about 15 people. The menu states that you must order a minimum of 3 tapas dishes per person, not including bread and dips. This is actually quite a lot of food (we were very obedient, but also very full) so if you're not a big eater it might be worth smiling nicely and seeing if you can get around this!
We started with the bread and dips. It was nice, fat pita bread that was warm, so that's a good start. The dips were taramosalata, tzatziki and hummus. They were actually pretty tasty BUT they did all just come out of large containers in the fridge - and we could see them being served up. Cheap and cheerful is one thing, but knocking together a bit of dip is really something that should be done in-house. Plus, this is a tapas house ... how about some really good olives?
Of course, that casts a bit of a shadow over how much in-house prep is involved with the rest of the food. The kitchen is tiny and there certainly was action so I'll be generous on this count! We ordered boquerones (fat white anchovies), chorizo in red wine, chicken in white wine, tortilla, patatas bravas, and prawns in chilli and garlic sauce.
Apart from really disliking the dressing that was on the anchovies (why, oh why?!) we both enjoyed everything we'd ordered. There were plenty of little nit-picky things I could mention (like the tiny, wee frozen prawns in the really tasty, chilli, garlic laden oil) but the whole experience needs to be kept in perspective. For just under £30 we ate more than we needed to, it tasted good and the service was friendly and efficient. Medici Tapas is a small, cosy restaurant in the middle of student-ville and it's offering very affordable food.
1. Medici Tapas, 2 St Anne's Road, Headingley, LS6 3NX, phone: 0113 274 8500.
tagged with:
headingley, leeds, restaurant, spanish, tapas
Stumble It!
posted by Alex at 7:37 pm
Stumble It!
2 Comments:
Different times, diferent experiences..
Disappointing? Not quite the right word.. where to start though?
The small portions? well this is Tapas afterall! Ok, what about the prices? Is it fair for such small portions? It would, one could say, if it wasn't for the poor quality of the preparation.
For instance, The spicy tomatoe sauce that seems to ornate a lot of the dishes, not only looked well overcooked but tasted burnt as hell.
Apparently this is honestly, according to the unprofessional and arrrogant staff, what a spicy tomatoe sauce should taste like.
Should I carry on with the wait or customers being told that on a Saturday 8pm, not only there is no seat left in the loud cramped place but also 'there's no food left anyway'.
Que pena!!
I wonder if this could be the difference between a very quiet week night and a busy Saturday?
I'm certainly not sure about telling customers there's no food left anyway!
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