Just Desi
I’ve never visited India so I can’t speak to its real authenticity, but every plate I’ve had in Just Desi packs that classic spiced and fragrant flavour punch signature to indian food, whilst also being in someway lighter than I’m accustomed too. I’m used to eating really heavy curry, but after eating a takeway from Just Desi you don’t feel like you need to enter a deep, 6 month, digestion-hibernation period. It just doesn’t destroy you like that.
Samosas are big, super crispy and well spiced. Chicken Curry is similar to what gets labelled ‘Korma’ in the UK, but with a touch more spice and less creaminess. When you go in they have the currys on a dispense counter, so I tend to just point at things and have a little chat and decide that way. We usually get another chicken curry with a rich and spicy vegetable sauce, but I’ve no idea what its called I’m afraid. Dahl is wonderful, although a tad thin for me, but its still so good I order it every time.
Takeaway portions are massive, eat-in portions are pretty small, I believe the prices are the same. I leave you to work out where the value for money is there.
Juras
At the time of writing Juras is probably the best burger I’ve eaten in Lecce. It’s because their meat is the closest thing I’ve had here to that kind of juicy soft chuck style patty you get in the UK/US. And the medium was almost medium. The buns are a bit bappy, with the maccy d’s style sesame finish, but basically everything else is either good or great.
Mister Gastro'
I’ve only been once to Mister Gastro but it’s properly old school. I was served by the Nonna, who was still on the till, and not taking any shit from anyone. Grandson was on the fried section (or he was at least calling the old lady Nonna) and I’d guess at a couple of parents/uncles and aunts running the pizza section. It’s ancient inside, with an old style wood oven (not one of the fancy new Neapolitan space ship things), old school tiles, just well trad basically.
The arancini come absolutely packed with ham, good and moist inside and crispy on the outside. You don’t need to eat much else if you’ve had one of those (like you could get a pizza to share between three/four and an arancino each and I’d say it’d be perfect). There’s also lots of other friend bits and pieces around that I didn’t have time to try but would definitely be worth getting a selection of. In general, the Salantini excel particularly in fritti more than pizza, and that’s definitely the case in Mister Gastro’.