What would you expect from a restaurant called Crafthouse? Something a bit nubbly and homespun, I'm guessing. Perhaps a modern take on an alehouse, with a craft brewery attached, furnished with old beer crates scavenged from a skip by Kirstie Allsopp.Well think again. This week's venue is the very opposite of authentic and homely. Perched on top of the busy new Trinity Leeds shopping centre, Crafthouse is a shiny, wine-and-diney affair, the first out-of-town opening from D&D London, the upmarket restaurant group formerly known as Conran.In their pomp, Conran/D&D were canny colonisers, early into on-the-up London areas like Butler's Wharf and Shoreditch. But this is odd positioning indeed. Trinity Leeds is a mid-market mega-mall, stuffed with mid-market chains like Yo! Sushi, Giraffe and Wagamama. To open a smart restaurant here is like grafting a Rolls-Royce hood ornament on to the bonnet of a Renault Scenic. Though given that D&D is now backed by the private equity arm of Lloyds, the move has more to do with property development and imperial ambition than the burning desire to bring a unique dining experience to Leeds.As is the custom with these high-up, high-end restaurants, Crafthouse tries hard to ignore its infra dig neighbours.

There's a designated lift to waft diners up the side of the building so they don't have to mingle with any shoppers. Whether arriving by stairs or lift, though, first impressions are dismal. The deserted reception area feels basement-ish despite being on the fifth floor, like a nightclub caught unawares the morning after.The restaurant itself, a light-flooded glass wedge, is generic in the way glass boxes on top of statement buildings tend to be, with the view doing most of the lifting. Expensive, masculine materials – rippled plains of glass, a long marble counter lined with zinc, polished black wood – give a muted, executive-club-lounge feel, and there's a not-very-private dining room in a glass box, looking about as convivial as Alan Sugar's boardroom in The Apprentice.Nor do the waiters look comfortable, in their tight tweed waistcoats and jeans. "The lobster thermidor is off," we're told as we're handed our menus. Aah, nothing like a good old northern welcome.On the restaurant's website, the executive head chef promises 'good honest food, cooked properly'.

Our starters are a long way from that. From the à la carte menu, breaded duck egg, still flumey with uncooked albumen, is a Scotch egg without the Scotch, served with grilled baby artichokes as oily and acid as something flipped from a jar. Confited duck, from the set menu, has the slightly rangy taste of turkey three days after Christmas. But worst of all is a spinach pancake, swimming in wallpaper-paste bechamel rank with uncooked flour. It should never have been allowed to leave the kitchen. Or perhaps it has been lurking there since 1982 with the lobster thermidor, waiting to pounce.Another retro offering, devilled veal kidneys, comes with a big bowl of tagliatelle for self-assembly and finally delivers some decent, well-balanced flavours. Keeping up with food trends by installing a Josper oven, the kitchen rather misses the point by sending out from it a couple of slices of viciously salty gammon steak, draped over sautéed potatoes. Sea bream, baked in paper and served with a dollop of ratatouille, is a meagre main, our waiter having dissuaded us from adding a side order.

This may be a shopping centre, but there's little upselling going on.The clientele are a mixed bag; a few business lunchers, a table of smart younger people photographing their food, but mainly groups who are dressed up to the nines, including a smattering of what can only be described as dolly birds, their bare legs as brown and glossy as the teak bar stools. sushi kan ottawa bank"Is this the poshest restaurant in Leeds?" yo sushi menu prahaI ask my guests, who have eaten here before. yo sushi dubai mcc"It thinks it is," one of them replies, "but it's a bit fur coat and no knickers."where to buy sushi bilao

To prove the point, my meal ends with a 'gold bar' – a glossy slab of ganache-robed chocolate biscuit dotted with gold leaf. But though desserts show more finesse, they come too late to rescue a disappointing lunch. I should point out, in fairness, that the poorer dishes all came from the cheaper prix fixe lunch menu. sushi grade salmon kitchenerBut at £22.50, it isn't that cheap. sushi las condes 7000Add a noodly, jazz-funk soundtrack and the overall impression is a bit off. There's no sommelier in evidence, no maître d', no feeling of a proper welcome, of hospitality.Conran restaurants always used to attract flak for being big and showy and a bit soulless, but at least they generally worked. Crafthouse feels like a ghostly colony of a former imperial power with mission creep, a made-up restaurant to match its made-up name.

Crafthouse, Level 5 Trinity Leeds, 70 Boar Lane, Leeds (0113 897 0444). Two-course set menu from £18.50; à la carte around £35 a head before wine and service Called in without a reservation and were offered a nice big table with only 10 minutes wait. Service was very good as was the food. I particularly enjoyed the Chicken Katsu Curry I decided to go to Wagamamas for a quick lunch in between shopping yesterday. It's been my 'go to' place whilst in Leeds for a while now. Their yasai katsu curry is my favourite dish from the mains, it's flavoursome and perfect for vegetarians. I've also tried their pad Thai (chicken and prawn without the chicken) which definitely has a... First time visiting a Wagamama was pleasantly surprised, nice simple menu and very relaxed service style, good choice r wines for the palette as they sat! Cannot remember what I ate as the wine was strong but it was some rice with curry sauce and breaded chicken was good. Little tip be good at chop sticks before you go as...

I've eaten here a couple of times and although the food is extremely nice I have yet to be impressed by the service. My partner and I opted for Ramen Noodles and a Curry. My partner was served his noodles first but there was a 5 minute wait until my curry arrived by which time my partner had almost finished... I visited this place last Monday with my colleagues! Food was delicious and menu provides a lot of choices! Juices are fresh and tasty! I had three different ones! Staff was helpful and friendly! I will definitely be back for more delicious food!! We were excited to try something different but we both managed four or five mouthfuls and it just wasn't for us sadly. The manager didn't charge us for our food , which we appreciated. She also said if we wanted to return she was sure she would be able to find us something we like. We walked past 2 or 3 other places before we stopped outside here and we were so glad we did. We were shown to our seats straight away and shortly afterwards the waiter came to take our order.