Weekender: Autumn/winter menu packs a punch at Tattu

Cheery Blossom and Revelled Wonton dishes

Leeds high-end Chinese restaurant Tattu was a venue I had always heard extremely good things about but never eaten in for one reason or another; let’s face it, there is a plethora of choice for great dining in the city centre.

So, when the opportunity arose to try out its new autumn/winter menu I was keen to test out whether its amazing reputation was deserved. The à la carte menu features 17 new dishes and Tattu’s largest dessert menu to date.

Based at Minerva, the venue itself boasts a really cool, contemporary feel and even though we were dining during the week it was quite busy. When I say busy, I really mean that it was a nice level of bustling; enough to be able to hear the atmospheric music and to the chatter of other diners without it being loud or intrusive. We liked the ‘vibe’ of the place before we had even sat down.

Sitting at our corner table and opening the menu, it was clear there were so many options to cater for all tastes. I have to say that we were off of to a great start when our waiter Luther asked whether he could just be creative with the menu choices, with him selecting what he felt would be a memorable meal.

I can never make my mind up when I am faced with so many options, so I was glad to be handing over the responsibility if I am honest. What it ultimately meant, probably unsurprisingly, was that we were eating dishes we would have perhaps otherwise steered away from. And, for me, most of the experience of dining out is eating fabulous food that you wouldn’t elsewhere or cook at home.

First up, we had a delicious set of appetisers and starters; we had decided to share everything that was served to get the full experience. Our table was filled with a Lotus chip mess, mixed Dim Sum basket, chicken truffle Shumai Tuna Yuzu Ceviche and Asian style beef Carpacciao. We devoured them as each arrived in turn but thoroughly enjoyed each because they were all so different in both texture and taste. With such an abundance of incredible flavours to eat we felt spoilt for choice; and this was only the beginning.

Thankfully we had a good breather between the first set of dishes and what was our mains. To our table came the Ribeye Steak Bulgogi and Balsamic Teriaki Salmon. Alongside, they were accompanied by duck egg friend rice, seasonal vegetables and beansprout noodles. With each dish, the staff explained the flavours perfectly.

The salmon was cooked to perfection and just fell away as we used the chopstick to eat our meals. I have to also admit to not being a fan of steak but

the seasoning and way it was presented and cooked meant that it was just incredible. We both enjoyed the accompaniments with the mains, though some did get left behind because by this stage we were getting rather full and had been warned to save room from the dessert!

We took time to sip our bottle of full-bodied red wine after the main course and that was needed in order for us to fully prepare for the final course. The cherry blossom was  a firm favourite. It created a bit of drama on arrival but went beyond just being a party trick, a mix of sweet flavours topped with candyfloss. It was fantastic! We did also have a Revelled Wonton dish, which had a surprise flavour in each, including chilli; which provided a bit of further fun.

To round of what was a brilliant experience, we had a sparkling sake to finish. Overall, Tattu did absolutely live up to its reputation – maybe even more. We both said we would definitely return and couldn’t believe we hadn’t walked through the doors of Tattu before.

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