Reviews in Leeds City Centre

What a disappointment! I used to eat there few years ago when the service and the atmosphere were excellent. Unfortunately something must have changed as yesterday I had a very disappointing experience when I went there to eat with a good friend with the intention of treating ourselves. The food was average: I ordered a Vegetable Tempura that was nice but slightly cold. My main course was a Green Thai Curry with coconut rice. The curry was blunt and lacked of any flavor while the rice had certainly not been in contact with any coconut! The service was mediocre too. On top of this, when it was time to pay, the POS was not working properly and it nearly took us 20 minutes to pay. No apologies were given and we had to insist to have the copies of the failed transactions. The bill reached a good £80 for 2 starters, 2 mains and 2 cocktails (and no wine!!!). We would have not minded it should have we been satisfied. I think I will give it a miss for another couple of years and see if things might improve!

The following is the actual letter I wrote to Mumtaz following a terrible night there. If you take nothing away more than remembering to ask for your parking ticket to be stamped, then there was a point to this review. The outcome of the complaint after much communication was a rather insulting "£20 voucher off" our next meal there, received over a month later. We duly returned the voucher... Haven spoken to the Manager, Rap, and the floor manager, I am, as suggested, writing to let you know about the series of events that upset our Valentines diner at your establishment last night. From start to finish, nothing seemed to go right, and by that I mean from booking on the phone to leaving the car park. I have no idea where you are trying to position the restaurant, but I was looking for a high class experience, and it was simply dreadful, worse than the service I would have expected in a greasy spoon cafe! Clearly it was valentine’s day and I had already booked to see the Opera at The Grand in Leeds. After seeing a news story about how Clarence Place was suffering, I decided to look up the restaurants as I am from London and do not know Leeds. The promise of a new restaurant that had spent millions on the decor seemed a great choice, however, this list of issues below perhaps shows why the area is in dire straits: On booking, I was told there was ONLY the choice of the set menu that night, yet I saw other people ordering alternative food On arrival, the staff that were milling around the entrance seemed uninterested that we had pre-booked, and for ease to us pre-paid After a short spell huddled on over-crowded sofas, We were shown to a table and left there for 15 minutes, then, a different waitress took pity on us and asked if we were being looked after, to which we replied no, and she went and at least got us at the valentines menu to look at. We were giving some fizzy grape juice, with no mention of any other drinks available, yet I saw other people with non alcoholic cocktails, we were not provided with any sort of drinks menu The food came, which was fine, not great, but fine. The dessert came, which was not, two specific complaints, the milk pudding was served with a tiny tea spoon, we had to ask twice for an “adult size” spoon, the ice cream was more like a milk shake it was so melted and the drips down the side and base made it look dirty. Is it too much to have them wiped before they are served? We did not eat the puddings. The table was cleared and we were left sitting there. We waited and tried to decide what to do, I had after all paid before we arrived. We sat with our coats on but no sign of our waiter. A different waitress came up and asked us what are we waiting for? I replied I don’t know, our table is clear can I have a bill or receipt or something? She said we should take the bill folder to the front desk, our waiter never mentioned this. Despite me telling several people we had paid, I was asked again for £49.95 I complained at the time, and the floor Manageress who asked us to take a seat. While we waited, an unannounced coffee we didn’t want arrived (which we didn’t drink), followed by the floor manager with a box of Indian sweets (which are not to our taste) by way of apology. I thought this was a joke, but as the evening was ruined enough could not muster the energy to make any more of a fuss, that is until I got to the car park... To top it all, we went to the car park to pay for parking (£4.50). I fellow guest who had seen us in the restaurant came up to me and said, oh, in future Mumtaz will validate your parking ticket for free! No mention at any time of this when in the restaurant, how would we know to ask? So not only did we have a truly terrible time, we paid 10% more than everyone else for the privilege! Finally, this meal was advertised as a Valentines Dinner. I am not sure what this was supposed to mean. There was absolutely no effort to make the place feel in any way valentines, one tiny red candle does not make a valentines dinner, no flowers, no mood lighting, just a regular over priced and under-performing night at Mumtaz. Really really bad.

Terrible drop in quality - used to be the best - now possibly the worst

I have eaten regularly at Red Chilli since it first opened, and have been a huge fan all this time. However, I heard that they have changed chefs sometime last year (maybe in the latter half of the year). Sadly, having been back there several times in the last 6 months, I can say that I feel the food has gone downhill. For example, one of my favourite dishes "yu xiang rou si" (shredded pork cooked with bamboo shoots and mushrooms ect - I don't know it's English name on the menu!) used to be somewhat hot and gently sour, with just a touch of sweetness, but now just has a sweet sauce that tastes like a generic Cantonese or (or Shanghainese) dish from a takeaway! The duck is as good as ever, but definitely I feel several of the Sichuan dishes no longer taste very authentic (or even very good). Maybe this won't worry most people (and it needn't, necessarily) but for me, what made Red Chilli such an oasis was the fact that almost all Chinese restaurants and takeaways in the UK all sell Cantonese food - Red Chilli was the first in Leeds to sell Sichuan and Northern style Chinese food - two totally different styles of cooking. A new restaurant opened in Leeds recently called Home Town restaurant, in Vicar lane, just a few doors down from Tong Palace. It lacks the exquisite decor of Red Chilli, but the food is authentic Sichuan and Northern Chinese cuisine, and after 3 visits, I can confirm that they do it well, and the staff are really nice, friendly and helpful. I hope Red Chilli can improve its cooking again, as it's still a real destination restaurant in Leeds, and for the sake of introducing UK people to other kinds of Chinese cuisine, it's been a great ambassador. But check out both of the restaurants I've discussed here and see what you think!

Came here for dinner last night and, as usual, was impressed by the food, although the bruschetta was a little heavy on the balsamic vinegar. The kitchen was obviously backed up as our main courses took ages to arrive, but they were perfectly cooked - I always appreciate a restaurant that can serve good mashed potato with its lamb shank. Still a favourite for an inexpensive evening.

I've been a regular visitor to Ciao Bella ever since it has opened and have found the staff and family exceptionally welcoming and the food delicious. I would recommend this restaurant to people celebrating a special occasion but also those who would like a cosy relaxed dinner for two.

This is where you want to eat. Italian cuisine is given the royal treatment at this magnificent set , a place where words like "flawless" and "perfection" aren't just abstract terms ... they're measurable daily standards. Owner-Bafti never fails to dazzle with dishes... and for me, it is the only place I want to eat.

waited a hour and a half for a table then another hour for food but they brought main meal out and put it under a light bulb there were 9 of us so food was going cold then 20 mins later our starters came and were cold we eventually refused the meals and had to wait again for meals. i will never visit this place again it was my 40th birthday and they spoilt it. the date i went was 27th feb 2010

As fantastic as the food and service is at Akbars i must say that you fancy a nice relaxed atmosphere then DONT go here. This place caters for large groups and the dining room can become EXTREMELY noisy when its busy. You may need ear plugs to cope with the noise of everyone shouting over each other. The food is however faultless and service fantastic. If you are in a small group then visit the other Akbars in Leeds, you wont be disappointed!!!

What can i say. China Chef is the best Chinese take-away in the world. Every dish is cooked to restaurant standard and i am yet to be disappointed (and have been a regular customer for 15 years!!!) The Chilli & Sakt Squid starter is mind blowing, watch out for the chillis though, they are small but pack a real punch!!! The Yung Chow Fried Rice and Singapore Noodles are exquisite as is everthing else. BEWARE!!! ONCE YOU SAMPLE THE FOOD YOU WILL BE HOOKED FOR LIFE!!!

I would not recommend Browns restaurant in Leeds, having been there this week for a steak. The rib eye steak was half the size it should be was served with frozen chips and water cress. Waited a long time for a poor meal. The soup starter was nice, however two very small slices of bread from a baguette is not good enough, anywhere you go in Europe you are always served a basket of bread when ordering soup. Very disappointed. But you know what they say, you only get ripped off once. Never again.

JUST EATEN AT BRSSERIE BLANC IN LEEDS FOR THE 1ST TIME, IT WAS BRILL. CANTWAIT TO GO BACK AGAIN. LOOKS LIKE BOOKING FOR MOTHERS DAY

I have enjoyed eating at Viva on several occasions however, I was disappointed with the way we were treated when we turned up on a Wednesday night to find that the restaurant was full and no table was available for our party despite being booked in advance.

Great restaurant and bakery. Has become a regular favourite for our family, serves authentic Chinese food at reasonable prices. Downsides are that the restaurant can be very busy especially at peak periods where you will either have to wait or be served in the downstairs bakery. Also occasionally staff do not speak fluent English so describing dishes can be challenging. Being a lover of truly authentic Chinese food, I can't recommend this restaurant more highly!

excellent service and gorgeous food the restaurant inside looks lovely , great attention to details ! no need to travel to Bradford anymore for great Asian food

Although we did not stay to eat as they were fully booked so can only comment on the wine bar aspect - we were made to feel exceptionally welcome, lovely atmosphere, menu looked great and the olives and paprika chorizo that came with the excellent house wine were delicious - would certainly return another time, this time with a booking.

We booked a table for 3 through the Sugarvine site and immediately received a confirmation text with booking code. When we arrived at the restaurant they had no record of our booking (in fact the greeter said he wasn't aware of the restaurant being able to receive bookings through Sugarvine) but sat us at a table in the bar where the music got progressively louder throughout our meal. We asked for it to be turned down once but by the time we'd finished we couldn't hear each other speak. The food was very nice although the starters were bought out with a long gap between them and our seafood stir fry had very sharp pieces of broken mussel shell in it. Although the food was lovely, the rest of the experience overshadowed it.

I have been here several times now and am always impressed by the food - the duck and mango bento box and the ginger and lime cheesecake are particular favourites, as is the plum wine. This time I tried a sushi starter and also found it delicious. The service was excellent - one of our group arrived just before the main courses reached us and yet she was still served quickly enough for her to finish eating at the same time as us. Always a pleasure.