De Baga Restaurant (Headingley) — Restaurant in Leeds

Having been to Goa I wanted my partner of north Indian descent to try something different. We ordered Delhi lager beer (shame there's no Kingfisher or Kings) which was abit too hoppy but not a big deal. We ordered the Squid to start and we were slightly pressured into ordering poppadoms aswell. The poppadoms are nice enough, but we didn't really need them. The squid was very nice and easy to enjoy with a good size portion to share. We ordered Lamb Xacuti, Baga House Chicken Curry, saffron rice and 2x roti. The lamb meat was tender, but I feel like the sauce was not as coconutty, spicy or flavoursome as it should be, still very pleasant but not quite like the xacuti I had in Goa. The chicken was nice quality meat and very home style but again the sauce was lacking abit in salt and flavour. I get the feeling they hold back abit on the flavour so they don't upset those with a mild pallet. But perhaps they should ask how hot or flavoursome you want the dish when you order. The rice and roti was fine and the portions are decipitively big and nicely presented in unusual dishes with colourful plates. The staff are lovely, but they were abit over attentive at times, being asked three times by different staff how's the food gets in the way of relaxation. The place is small and gets abit cramped when it's busy and unfortunately the big table had afew loutish people on it, but that can happen anywhere. Prices are a little on the high side, but it's to be expected in this trendy area when offering a more exclusive cuisine. It would also be nice to see a wider range of Goan specialities, the omission of authentic Pork Vindaloo is a shame. And it would be cool to see the Goan alcohol spirit "Feni" on the drinks menu. But all in all its a good restaurant offering...

Passed this place a few times to go visit other restaurants so we felt obliged to give it a go as the reviews looked really good. Safe to say, it exceeded my expectations.

Food was amazing, we ordered a couple starters to share along with poppadoms, it was simply special the amount of different flavours we tasted before starting the mains. Ordered a couple curries and a few different naans + rice, it was superb, was excited for each bite from here on in. Managed to find room for some Gulab Jamun for dessert which was special. Ordered a few mocktails, for someone who doesn't drink I was pleased to see so many options for if you prefer no alcohol.

Service was exceptional, everyone who served us was kind and attentive, without coming across like they were being over attentive, they had the perfect balance of customer service. Checked in to see how the food was at each phase of the meal, this was welcomed.

Felt a little like Narnia, on the outside it looks like a normal restaurant but upon entering you realise the decor and atmosphere is special and unique.

Overall, everything felt authentic and value for money, in a day when things are expensive but don't live up to the quality, it was refreshing to see a place charge fairly and bringing the quality of food and service along with it. Really enjoyed it, will return again, if you are on the fence on whether to come or not, just give it a go, you'll be thinking why you didn't come sooner....

This was a really good curry - the food is Goan in style but really nicely cooked, good quality ingredients and lovely flavours. The house chicken curry was great - a nice subtle mix of mint and coriander with a decent kick of chilli but nothing too hot or aggressive. We also had the Makhan Murgi - another chicken dish but this is a delicious honey, tomato and fenugreek sauce which was smokey, slight hint of chilli and a real pleasure to eat. The naan and rice were perfect too. Plenty of choice on the drinks menu, decent wines and 3-4 beers and cocktails too. The service was friendly, attentive and quick despite the place being fully booked out on a Friday night - so well done to the team. We got chatting to one of the crew and they were explaining their idea of lighter curries that make you feel energised and not over-full and weighed down. It was spot on really - very true. The atmosphere was lively with a really mixed and laidback crowd who were all having a good time chatting away and enjoying the food. Really recommend this place and I will be coming back next time I'm in...