Giraffe World Kitchen, Trinity, Leeds

At Giraffe they say that they like discovering delicious tastes and flavours from all over the world and bringing them to share with their customers.

The Leeds restaurant is upstairs in the Trinity Centre and there is plenty of competition but they must be doing something right as one of their neighbours has recently closed down. Does Giraffe then stand head and shoulders above the rest, just as its namesake suggests?

We visited on a Tuesday night and there was a mixture of young and old, which gave the impression that the place was welcome to all. Mind you I'm not sure some of the older customers might have appreciated the funky music playing in the background until they decided to put on a bit of George Benson. Sometimes food tastes even better with food and if George is singing Give Me The Night in the background then to me, that's even better.

They have an open kitchen, great for the diners to see but would you really like everyone watching you work? Not to worry the chefs seem to carry on regardless.

We shared some Garlic and Rocket Flatbread from the Tasty Nibbles Menu. It looked good but was a bit floppy in the middle, though it was spicy and very moreish.

Seeing as how they like to offer food from across the globe I thought I would try the Chilli Beef Burito which seemed to be more cosmopolitan, rather than choosing a burger that seemed more Moor Allerton than Mexico.

Yes, it was very Chilli indeed, though s lot of places these days are doing Buritos, though the name means Little Donkey in Spanish apparently. It might seem a bit pricey at £11.95 but it does come packed with smoked cheddar, adobe sauce, sour cream and chipotle. Not so much of a little donkey then as it had the kick of a Grand National winner.

My sister decided upon one of their burgers. If you happen to go on a Tuesday you even get 50% off on all burgers. The Smokey Joe again is £11.95 though you do get a tasty combination of a grilled beef patty, smokey bacon, punchy smoked cheddar, mixed leaves and a tomato slice. It comes too with skin on fries or naked with a rainbow salad. The plate was cleared so it must have been good. In fact it was so good that dessert was off the menu for her.

Somehow Scummy Sundaes does sound a lot more tempting than just plain Sundae I think, anyway they have at least 5 different ones to choose from.

The Rocky Road Sundae was calling my name. A very sweet combination of vanilla and salted caramel ice cream, layered with chocolate and brownie chunks, whippy cream and mini marshmallows.

It sounds like a dieters worst nightmare. For the rest of us it was a dream come true. In fact I could easily just go back for the Salted Caramel, Eton Mess, Fresh Fruit Sorbet or Ice Cream Parlour Sundaes.

The staff seem happy to oblige even our server, Tapiwa Kariwo had an exotic sounding name until he told me he was from Leeds. He seemed typical of the rest of the staff in that they were friendly, down to earth and willing to help.

So it's a heads up to Giraffe World Kitchen. Just make sure they put on a bit of George Benson when if you visit.

Giraffe,
414 Trinity,
Albion Street,
Leeds. LS1 5AY
Telephone 0113 234 1122
www.giraffe.net