Bang in the middle of Headingley, the softly lit letters of Voodoo Café Bar and Cocktail Lounge quite accurately enchant you to its interior. With great attention to detail, such as candles in beer glasses, exposed brickwork and wallpaper in the form of pages from a book, it is finished with finesse yet is still not at all showy. It feels a bit like bohemian beach café in a wacky corner of Cornwall, with its cushions, lanterns and duck egg blue distressed furniture.
The menu too is your expected medley of Italian, Mexican and American classics, yet again it has its own twists; a Joss Stone halloumi wrap for example, or Chuck Norris BBQ chicken pizza. Whilst my companion was confused by the celebrity endorsement, I found it charming. Clearly, chomping on Clooney (hash brown, cheese and bacon sandwich) would be an absolute delight.
Quiet on a Monday, our starters arrived swiftly. After a mouthful or two we decided the dough balls easily surpass those of Pizza Express; larger, softer and accompanied by garlic butter “scooped in a bowl like vanilla ice-cream” as my friend mused. But the nachos were the highlight. At £4.45 by themselves, or £6.40 with piri piri chicken as we had, they are simply enormous, certainly supposed to be shared. Avoiding all the usual pitfalls these were liberally ensconced in cheese, salsa and guacamole; never was a nacho left behind.
Feeling mistakenly full, fortunately my flash steak was delicious enough for the gluttony to continue. Spread wide and thin it was beautifully tender, with the flavour enhanced enormously by sage leaves and prosciutto ham grilled on top. Triple cooked chips were an obvious winner, and though the stir fry was a little greasy for my taste, it was a welcome colourful accompaniment alongside another salad. The four elements made for an elegant presentation, although again it was brought down to earth placed on a solid wooden slab. The wedge of Brie in my dinner date’s Grace Kelly burger was certainly noteworthy and she also enjoyed her pot of chips immensely, dunking them in a homemade mustard and spice dip, a kingly mix of condiments certainly. Burgers, pizza, enchiladas and pasta are all extremely cheerful at £7 too.
The choice of desserts is rather more limited in comparison to the rest of the extensive menu but the brownie we shared didn’t fail to disappoint. It was soft, spongy yet not too sweet, much like the Queen I’d imagine. Vanilla ice cream much more lovely than its garlic doppelganger too.
With live music on a Saturday and 241 cocktails or half price pizza and wine on a Wednesday, it’s perfect a wide array occasions. The little touches such as listing its local providers just doors down make it feel so inclusive. It’s laid back but like the gastronomy equivalent of dark jeans, can be dressed up or down; the relaxed vibe makes it perfect for a date, naturally easy going enough for friends or for more of an occasion with the drinks just upstairs.
words: Anna Foster