Veritas - Great George Street

I was genuinely looking forward to this one, Veritas is a reasonably new installation in a site that tends to have some decent pubs - in the years i've lived in Leeds, it's been a Hogshead, Waterhole Wine Bar (twice) and the Portland bar. They have also been rewarded with a spot in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide, which is always a good sign.

At first glance, the bar itself is welcoming enough - huge windows allow the patrons to get a great view of the passers-by near the law courts, and the place is clean and tidy. However, once you get inside, it is immediately obvious that Veritas suffers from a similar problem to many other city centre bars - they are trying too hard to establish an 'identity'. Fair enough - i'm all for bars attempting something different, especially when chains such as Yates & Harvester are opening identical venues across the country, but the core purpose still has to be focused on those who wish to drink, otherwise you're just a restaurant who sells beer.

To prove my point with Veritas, before you get to the drinks bar, you have to bypass an ice-cream counter (pictured above) and a nacho station. When I reached the bar, the staff member asked me what I wanted to eat, and seemed put out when I told her I only wanted a pint. Later on, whilst I was sat at a high table, the barmaid came back over to try and 'tempt me' into buying some olives & nachos.

It might just be me, but i'm beginning to feel like the regular drinker is being sidelined for the food customers, which is fine if that's the business model you're aiming for. However, it's not what is expected for a CAMRA-approved pub, and results in the customers feeling disappointed.