Coming into Dastaan on a rather cold and wet Leeds evening, I was grateful to be greeted by delicious smells and warmth. I was taken to my table and ordered a drink to sip on until my friend arrived.
We both agreed that the best way to enjoy the food would be to order a few dishes and share them. We opted for three starters, a side and a naan bread, and decided if we needed more food, we would have dessert.
First, we opted for Samosa Chaat. This was a starter dish, priced at £7. The dish included a crispy vegetable samosa which was well filled and topped with chickpeas, banana shallots, and a sweet yoghurt and mint chutney. The dish was full of flavour, with a kick of spice. I really enjoyed the combination of textures and was grateful for the cooling yogurt topping.
We also ordered the Malai chicken tikka, priced at £8.75. The chicken was so tender and moist, and I loved the curried BBQed flavour. The chicken pieces came with an avocado chutney, which was really guacamole, which proved to be a successful combination.
The third starter dish of choice was the paneer tikka, priced at £8. The paneer had a similar flavour profile to the chicken, but instead of avocado chutney, the dish came with a mint relish, which was fresh and cut through the curry spices and richness of the cheese.
To go with our three starters, we decided on a side of aloo gobhi, which was priced at £6. We both agreed that we needed some vegetables with our meal, and this is the dish that did it. The dish was a combination of potatoes and cauliflower, and it was nicely seasoned and richly spiced. It was a great side to go with the cheese and chicken.
Finally, we ordered a peshwari naan. The bread was priced at £4.50. I loved the flavour of the naan, and liked the addition of raisins – but I imagine that can be divisive. I wasn’t a fan of the naan arriving presliced because I usually like ripping off bits of naan to go with my meal, but it was a good way of fairly dividing it up and meant that my friend and I had an equal split.
We both loved the food at Dastaan. We managed to eat almost everything, and the few bits that we couldn’t manage, I took home in a doggy bag. Whilst we were pretty full from our main meal, we both had a little space for dessert. And, when we saw that brownie was on the menu, we couldn’t say no.
There were a few Indian desserts on the menu which grabbed our interest, but we couldn’t resist temptation and opted for the chocolate and chilli brownie priced at £6.50. The brownie was served warm with a scoop of salted caramel ice cream, a sprinkling of ginger and a drizzle of caramel. The brownie didn’t have the nice crunch on the outside that I usually look for. But, saying that, it was still delicious and the flavour combination was incredible.
Overall, we both had a lovely evening. All of the dishes were tasty and well flavoured. I appreciated the smaller portion sizes than you’d typically get in an Indian restaurant. It was clear that each dish had been made with care.
I would certainly recommend Dastaan to others and will be heading back there again soon, maybe with a few more people so I can try even more dishes!
Dastaan opens from 5 p.m. until 10.30 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 12.30 until 10.30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
473 Otley Road
Adel
LS16 7NR
0113 230 0600
dastaan.co.uk
