Hidden up some stairs on Merrion Street sits a remarkable fine dining experience that guarantees to satisfy the most discerning of diners. Gabbar, formerly a veggie street food joint, now serves phenomenal Indian cuisine for all appetites. The chef has trained under Raymond Blanc and some of the top Indian chefs around, and you can tell, the food is genuinely good and beautifully presented with Blanc-esque chic style. Responding to demand, meat eaters can now enjoy the fruits of Gabbar also.
Mixing traditional with contemporary is an unusual combo but it works in a strange way. The building is one of Leeds’ oldest, and for years, the home of Nash’s Fish & Chips, a place I visited as a child. The beams and original windows ooze history but the furniture and decor shout trendy Leeds. Once inside you could be anywhere – it’s large and spacious with over 100 covers and a private dining area.
The menu is packed full of foodie favourites and new faces, including an excellent choice of vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options and with an extensive beer and wine list to boot. I plumped for the seehk kebab, one of my all-time favourites, and which was cooked to perfection, piping hot with a full spice flavour. My partner chose the fish amritsar, a soft fresh flavoursome dish that didn’t disappoint. For mains it was the paneer butter masala for me, ambitiously hot by my standards but excellent in texture and flavour, while my partner’s vegetable biryani was impressive, not too hot and beautifully presented. Together with some super accompaniments, the lemon rice was exceptional, we couldn’t finish the ample portions on offer.
This place is perfectly located for town and offers excellent authentic Indian cuisine at a good price. The service was very good, as was the ambiance; it’s relaxed and homely just how it should be. Open from 5pm daily, bookings are being taken for the festive period, and Gabbar will also open for lunch parties for over 15 guests. I’d strongly recommend you make this your next dining appointment.
What We Ate
Starters
Shahi Seehk Kabab £5.75
Fish Amritsar £5.95
Masala Fries £3.50
Mains
Paneer Butter Masala £7.50
Vegetable Dum Biryani £7.50
Lemon Rice £2.75
Peshwari Naan £2.50
17a Merrion Street,
Leeds,
LS2 8JE
0113 833 0504