Review : Half price tapas Wednesdays at Distrikt, Leeds

Distrikt Bar & Restaurant, 7 Duncan St, Leeds LS1 6DQ
Celebrating their 7^th birthday this month, Distrikt has been the go to place for the in crowd, the music heads or just anyone wanting a break from the norm whether its, food, drink, or a great social hang out. Since the start Distrkt have always given something back to their loyal following. From 241 cocktails on Thursdays, Friday happy hour, free entry to see some of the biggest DJ’s in dance music and Wednesday night with half price off their amazing selection of tapas.
We visited Wednesday evening and headed downstairs to be greeted by their friendly staff then seated in one of the venues comfy booths. Once seated the task of deciding what to order didn’t come easy with so many great dishes on offer. From sides and bar snacks, meat and cheese sharing boards to tapas, small plates and salads, we were a bit stuck where to start. Jonny the co-owner gave us a heads up with some of the recent seasonal additions to the menu, some personal recommendations and how many dishes to order without over filling ourselves.
To start we opted for homemade dips with toasted pitta, crispy whitebait with aioli and spicy marinated green olives. Perfect Mediterranean snacks to start or even to curb the hunger while having a few drinks. The whitebait was really nice and crispy, not overly fishy and served with a creamy aioli dip. Our pitta and dips went down well too, a really generous serving of homemade hummus, tzatziki, and a spicy red pepper dip to go with the freshly toasted pile of pitta. The harissa spiced olives were highly addictive!
 
Next up slow cooked rib of beef, Shetland mussels and wild garlic butter. The rib of beef has got to be one of my favourite dishes and this didn’t disappoint. A huge chunk of tender beef across two ribs served with mussels cooked in a cider broth, the acid from the apple cider cut through the richness of the beef really well. The wild garlic butter added another element to the juicy mussels. Just a shame I had to share this one with my partner.

Another staff recommendation, Mediterranean ragout with grilled halloumi and thyme pesto. Two huge chunks of halloumi served on a bed of med veg ragout with a rustic pesto on the side, a real classic Mediterranean dish perfectly executed. There was a great spin on the pesto, using fresh thyme lifted the dish and gave it a fresh taste instead of the standard basil pesto, another winner and great veggie dish.

We then opted for the pork tenderloin, another small plate dish, more than just a tapas side, another big chunk of meat, pan fried on a bed of roasted fennel and apple with a pot of apple and ginger jus with the most amazing pork crackling on the side. I poured the jus on the crackling as advised by the waiter to a ‘snap crackle and pop’ as the hot jus covered the dehydrated cracking. Definitely a great bit of theatre, with the added ginger taking the dish up another level on the taste buds, really well thought out from the chef.

Our fish dish up next, juicy king prawns in a tomato, garlic and spinach sauce served on toasted ciabatta. The sauce worked really well with the king prawns, garlic and spinach, with the cherry tomatoes bringing a light fresh take on what could be a heavy tomato sauce.

Last up and nearly bursting at the seams with the portion size of the dishes, eivissan creamed spinach pompey with parmesan, a veggie delight. Creamy rich spinach with gooey hits of Parmesan on a bed of sautéed leeks and shallot. A perfect side with the meat dishes, one to recreate for my next Sunday roast.

After just managing to finish our final dishes and a nice glass of Merlot the venue was nearly full with happy diners and after work drinkers relaxing to the chilled house soundtrack on a chilly Wednesday above ground. A real treat night but without the price tag. For the quality of the dishes served, the great venue and staff I think Wednesday nights at Distrikt will become a bit of weekly essential.
Visit Distrikt’s dedicated page here for all the details.