Little Oven I firmly believe is a cut above, but you do have to judge them in the context in which they operate. Understand that they are in the middle of the city centre next to the bus station, so inevitably they get a lot custom from tinkers, drunks and scumbags. On top of that they are open late which welcomes in another huge wave of desperados, insomniacs and manic depressives. Comparing them to a sandwich shop or sea side fish and chip shop would be as barmy as comparing the uniform of cavalryman protecting Buckingham palace to that of a Royal Marine on active duty in helmond province. Obviously the standards are relative and judging by such measures The Little O
(as I like to call it) does itself proud.
The atmosphere can be quite tense at times as obviously they don't have a strict door policy, To me the staff seem jaded but wise. They aren't going to shake your hand for being pissed and acting the goat, but you might get knowing nod at a shared unsaid observation. I don't know their back stories exactly but one suspects they come from the school of hard knocks, or that's what I like to think anyway.
Given the circumstance Little O manages to adhere to high standards in all areas. I have a rule that if you are buying fried chicken and you're not in KFC you are making a terrible mistake and I wouldn't say the rule shouldn't be applied here. My friend tried the chicken and he said although edible it didn't have that special something that the beloved Colonel pumps into each one of his oestrogen enriched mutant birds and was therefore somewhat lacking. This is a much as could be hoped for. The pizzas are cheap and quite fun. The ingredients seem fresh and chunky, beware of some of the 'specials', I tried one that was topped with so many ingredients it was really too much. But that's what the punters want I suppose. I like the chips personally, they are in the style of the great Scottish restaurant chain 'McDonalds', some people are not fond of this I know but horses for courses is what I say to that.
The Pièce de résistance to me is the 'red kebab', I say 'red kebab' as there is some confusion as to the name. I have always thought it was called a "Chinese Chicken" kebab, but when I asked for one, the chap looked totally astonished, when I pointed he said "you mean chilli chicken", I was convinced I was right but didn't want to cause a scene. Best to read whatevers on the menu to avoid being totally humiliated as I was.
To people who may ask what take-away to visit late at night in Leeds city centre I recommend but one, and here it lies. read more