Beetroot Cured Salmon

A few weeks ago Gav and I visited some friends for dinner.  Needless to say there was a copious amount of wine involved and I ended up getting nicely hammered. 

The next morning I awoke to a freezer full of salmon.  Not remembering anything of a fishy transaction, I learnt from Gav that our friends hate salmon and that a well meaning relative had bought them some.  I say some, I mean a lot. Along with some fillets and steaks there was a side of salmon too.

Our friends obviously saw us as a more worthy consumer (scoffer) and I was ever so grateful... but I also wondered what the hell I was going to do with the side of salmon.  It was so big that it was folded in half to fit in the freezer and it had no chance of fitting in the oven (not whole anyway).

Then, with Christmas coming up, I had a brain wave and planned to use this PJ Taste recipe to cure it in time for breakfast on Christmas Day.  That didn't quite work out.  In the run up to Christmas I felt as Christmassy as a kick in the teeth and I was not in the right frame of mind to come home from work and start messing about with a side of salmon. 

There was no particular reason for this Bah Humbug attitude but I think it had something to do with working through the run-up, not putting the Christmas tree up (Gav did it this year) and not having any big Christmas meals to plan (we ate out).

Anyway, on watching Saturday Morning Kitchen on Christmas Eve I was impressed with Nathan Outlaw's Beetroot Cured Salmon and decided that I was going to give it a go (I was also impressed by his deep-fried oysters but that one will have to wait).

Making the decision to go ahead with this was one thing, planning the execution was another.  First of all this hunk of fish needed to defrost.  Then I needed to plan the curing process around work and sleep.  See, it takes 30 hours in total with a turning of the fish after 10.

I made the curing mix (500g raw, peeled beetroot chopped, 1tsp fennel seeds, 1tsp of Bart's tarragon in oil, 500g sea salt and 250g sugar blitzed in the food processor)  late one evening and left it in the fridge overnight to be used the next day.


At about 8am I tackled the fish.  Bearing in mind I had to set off for work at 8.15 I was annoyed that I hadn't thought about picking the bones out earlier and started tugging at the spiky things with a pair of scissors.  Then I fretted about the fact that the fish hadn't been scaled, thought about skinning it, decided I didn't have time and just thought 'sod it' and got on with it.  After all, I wouldn't be serving the salmon with the skin on, so the scales shouldn't be too much of an issue.

I spread the curing mixture between two glass dishes, sliced the fish into two and placed each piece skin down into the mix.  After cling filming each dish I stuck them in the fridge and got ready for work.

I'd timed everything so that the salmon was ready for turning at 6pm (which I was able to do thanks to it being dead at work).  The salmon then went back in the fridge for another 20 hours, i.e. until 2pm the following day (today).

As I had a day off today, I was able to deal with the salmon at 2pm.  All I needed to do was wash the mixture off and clingfilm it back up again for later use.  Of course I had to sneak a taste first...

The colouring is amazing.  That deep red against the burnt orange of the salmon is stunning.  Taste wise, it's salty, but sweet with a hint of aniseed from the tarragon and fennel seeds.  The texture is slightly tough on the outer layer, but within, it is soft and and gentle.

It will make a lovely starter, served with bread and butter, nothing more.



Have you cured salmon before?  What recipe do you use?  Any top tips to share?

Tuscan Braised Beef

Quite often I like to wander around The Works down the Moor.  It's cheap and cheerful and there's always a few cook books to have a nosey at.  There's rarely anything groundbreaking in there but when the books are three for a tenner, you can't expect too much.

A couple of weeks ago, whilst buying a couple of books for Christmas presents, I dropped on 'Stew!' by Genevieve Taylor.  Unlike the authors of many of the books I've bought in The Works, Genevieve appears to be a real person, one I am now following on Twitter.

The book appealed to me for a few reasons; A) it was included in a three for a tenner deal, B) I like stew and some of the recipes look really tasty and C) Genevieve adds the personal touch by adding a little intro to each recipe.  Essentially it looked like a bargain for £3.33.  If you have missed the bargain you can pick it up for a reasonable price at Amazon.

My first meal out of this was the Tuscan Braised Beef.  It was hardly the most exciting dish on offer (there's Persian chicken and beef rendang in there too), but it looked pretty easy, if a little time consuming.

The recipe calls for 1kg of braising steak, but on spotting an ox cheek at the meat counter I went half and half cheek and braising steak.  This worked well for me as I like to use more unusual cuts and it kept the costs down too.  This wasn't the only change I made, and although I didn't make many, you should check out 'Stew!' for the true recipe.


Beef Cheek

I chopped the meat into bite sized pieces and made incisions in each piece.  I then sliced 4 garlic cloves into thin sticks and stuffed these into the incisions.  The meat was then browned off in butter and oil in a pan and set to one side. 


Beef with garlic


Next came the veg; 1 finely diced onion, 2 finely diced carrots and 2 sliced celery stalks went into the pan with the meat juices.  100g of some gorgeously fatty home cured bacon also went in at this point and everything was cooked until softened.

I then returned the beef to the pan and added 600g beef stock along with a good old squirt of tomato puree, some fresh thyme and some dried marjoram.  I also did my usual trick of sticking in a Parmesan rind for extra richness (this is removed before serving).

Genevieve tells us to cook the stew, covered, for two and a half hours.  I did this, then removed the lid and cooked it for a further 45 minutes or so.  This was because I wanted to cook the meat for as long as possible and I also wanted to reduce the liquid.

Given the use of the beef cheek and the really fatty pancetta there was quite a lot of fat swimming on the surface but I managed to remove quite a bit of it by laying a piece of kitchen towel on top to soak up the fat and lifting it off.  I repeated this a few times....

I served it with some red Brussels sprouts tops, Cavolo Nero (which apparently originated from Tuscany!) and some spinach lightly cooked in a bit of butter and salt and pepper.

It was delicious.  Absolutely fantastic.  The beef cheek was so incredibly tender and next time I won't bother with braising steak; I'll just stick to the cheek.

I'd say there's enough for five servings and as I ate alone tonight, I'll be having this again with Gav tomorrow and the night after I'll do as the Italians do and stretch it out by using it as a pasta sauce.

I'm going to like this book....

Christmas Dinner

A few years ago Gav and I started spending Christmas together at home.  My parents live near Wakefield, his near Cardiff and trying to cram them both into the magical three day period from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day was hard work.

Some people will think that we're a bit strange (Christmas is all about family time yeah?), but I don't think there is anything more delicious than having your own way at Christmas.  For us, this means getting up whenever we wake, opening presents, having fizz with our smoked salmon and scrambled egg breakfast, getting dressed, sauntering into town for a slap up meal at St Paul's and an afternoon (& early evening) of drinking.

I do feel a bit bad knowing that people are working to serve me my dinner on Christmas Day, but they'd be working whether I turned up or not... and this year Gav also worked Christmas morning so I didn't feel so bad.

Anyway, as Gav was working there wasn't a lie in (despite the obligatory Christmas Day hangover)
 and the fizz had to wait until he got back at 12.30.  He then had a bit of a play with his new toy (a turntable to convert his vinyl into MP3's) and we set off for dinner at about 1.30.

We had canapes and champagne in the bar area on arrival.  They were pretty average in all fairness; a duck spring roll, a piece of bruschetta, smoked salmon and caviar blini and a mini Yorkshire stuffed with beef and gravy.  Actually, the Yorkshire was tasty and Gav was happy to get  bit of gravy down him (he was beginning to regret his pre-ordered choice of a fish main simply because of the lack of gravy).

We were then seated in the restaurant where our starters quickly arrived.  I had the Pressed seabass and baby leek terrine, crayfish and dill salsa.  It looked beautiful and was a light and delicate start to the meal.

Gav had the Jasmine tea smoked duck, wilted spinach and confit shallot salad.  It was another impressive looking dish and he really enjoyed the lightly smoked duck.

Next came a soup course.  It was winter vegetable and wasn't anything to write home about... so there isn't a picture and I won't dwell on it any longer here.

Having a life long hatred of turkey, there was no chance that was going to be on my menu, so I went for the slow roasted fillet of beef, wild mushroom and shallot ragout, roasted chantenay carrots, fondant potato with a horseradish & thyme reduction.  Beef was cooked through (when will I learn that slow roasted means NOT pink?!), but was good and tender.  The mushroom and shallot ragout was tasty, as was the fondant potato.  The side of veg was well cooked with a little crunch and I actually enjoyed the sprouts!

Gav had Pan fried fillet of brill, basil scented potato puree, sauteed asparagus, fennel caviar and herb cream and I must admit to being a bit jealous.  The fish was perfectly cooked as was the baby asparagus which sill had a bit of bite to it.  With three fillets on the plate it was a decent serving and Gav certainly wasn't going to go hungry (although he did still mourn the lack of a gravy).

For desserts we decided to share a sweet and then share the cheeseboard so that we could each have the best of both worlds.  We worked our way through the Assiette of desserts first.  It was a selection of five mini desserts; a yule log, a chocolate brownie, a raspberry and white chocolate tart, a muffin type thing and a lovely, zingy lemon cheesecake.  It was hardly a huge dish, and sharing it made it even lighter, but we did have the cheese to follow.

There were some decent slabs of Stilton, Brie and a Wensleydale (I think!).  It wasn't the best I've ever had; the brie wasn't ripe and there weren't enough crackers (why are there never enough crackers?!) but it was more than adequate.

We rounded the meal off with coffee but had half a bottle of red wine left (we'd ordered a red and a white) so we took it through to the bar area and proceeded to drink far too much before crawling home to bed.

What did you get up to?

The Milestone, Sheffield

A couple of years ago we decided to celebrate my birthday with a week off work and a few meals out.  On my list of places to try were Moran's, Marco's and The Milestone.  I wasn't fixated on the letter 'M', it's just that these were (and to a certain extent still are) considered to be some of the best restaurants in Sheffield.

Out of the three, for me, The Milestone came out tops.  It was back when they had the two separate menus and we had eaten from the formal three course set menu.  I remember being impressed by the amuse bouche and pre-dessert dessert, something that just didn't happen in Sheffield back then.  As for the meal, I can't remember exactly what I'd had but I had been impressed. 

Since that trip, a lot has happened for The Milestone.  Of course, there was the whole Ramsay thing which really increased this place's profile.  And just over a year ago, they took over the Wig & Pen.  Having a base in town allowed them to do away with the two separate menus at The Milestone (something that Ramsay was keen to see happen).  Now The Milestone is gastro-pub and the Wig & Pen is more formal dining.

Living in town, the Wig & Pen has become my favourite of the two, but last Saturday we fancied a trip back to The Milestone.

We sat at one of the big solid tables and I noted that there weren't any of those poky little tables dotted around.  You know the ones, they're too small for one, never mind about two, but you know for certain that you're gonna get ushered to one as soon as you walk into a place as a couple.

Looking at the menu, I'll admit to being disappointed by its length.  Four starters and three mains is not a lot to choose from.  Having said that, the pricing pleased; two courses for £16, three for £18. 

Soup of the day was spiced cauliflower and on remembering Gav's recent success with cauliflower in soup form at the Devonshire Arms, I went for it.  Unfortunately this one didn't live up to the Dev Arms take on the soup, but it was still tasty and nicely spiced.  Bread on the side was excellent and it was a good start to my lunch.

I was, however, disappointed that I hadn’t spotted the sautéed wild mushrooms with whipped truffled goats cheese on the menu.  Thankfully Gav had, so I did get to try some.  I'm loving mushrooms at the moment (thanks to Autumn Harvest Mushrooms who have introduced me to new varieties) and there was a good selection on his plate.  The whipped goats cheese was a pure delight.  Although light in texture, there was no skimping on flavour and the truffle worked beautifully with the cheese.

For mains there was a choice of beef, coley and a veggie dish.  Now, I don't want to shock you or cause concern, but I turned down the beef and went veggie. 

Yep, your 'vegetarians can't be foodies' carnivorous food blogger went veggie.  It was a bean casserole too; proper veggie. 

And guess what?!  It was bloody lovely.  For a start, it looked stunning.  The casserole itself was off white in colour but with chunks of beetroot, a few baby leeks and carrots strewn across the plate along with some kind of green puree (not sure what it was, but it was lovely), it was a very colourful dish.  White beans were used and the casserole was soft and creamy with Jerusalem artichokes adding some crunch.  It was brilliant and not even Gav's rare and bloody flank of beef could pull me away from it; from a carnivore that is fair praise indeed!

Gav also enjoyed his main.  As I say, the beef was rare, mash was tasty and he enjoyed his first sprouts of the year.  We also had a side of leeks in thyme butter which were nice enough, but I think I was feeling a little veged out by this point.

We were both full after our two courses and although I quite fancied the carrot cake with coriander icing, I turned it down and we paid the bill.

£44.50 for lunch including two Christmas cocktails wasn't bad and although there had been a couple of glitches with the service (delay in the drinks order and an incorrect bill, which was quickly rectified I will add) we'd had a really pleasant time and service had been with a smile.

It’s good to remember how good somewhere is sometimes.

Samuel Fox, Bradwell

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CHEFS HAVE LEFT THE SAMUEL FOX - BUT ALL IS NOT LOST AND I'LL BE TRYING THEIR NEW PLACE SOON!

I'm always on the lookout for somewhere new to try.  I have my favourites, but it's always good to try and add a few to the list.  One good place to pick up the latest about the local restaurant scene is Twitter.  There are plenty of us food bloggers twittering about our latest foodie escapades and of course many of the restaurants themselves are on there doing some self-promotion.

But a few of these accounts are run by third party social media experts and the feel of the place doesn't come through in the tweets.  For me, the best people to follow are those at the coal face (frying pan); the chefs.  And, if you manage to follow a Twitter loving chef you'll get updates on any new menus and daily specials, along with pictures of their dishes to drool over.  And if you're really lucky, you’ll follow a friendly chef who will happily answer questions regarding the ingredients and techniques they use.  Marvellous!

I only started to follow the chefs at Samuel Fox recently and it will have been their pictures that first caught my eye as both head chef Charlie and sous chef Adam like to share what they do.  And why not?  It is purely on the basis of these pictures that I developed an interest in this place.

A sudden change in plans meant that we were free one Saturday night.  I think Gav’d had enough of listening to me banging on about the Sam Fox and he suggested that we give it a try.

Although there were tales of ice on the roads chef Adam assured me that everything was clear around Bradwell and he was right.  It did take us about 40 minutes to drive there from town, but we were on main roads all the way so it was a nice and easy drive.

We entered through the pub and were welcomed by a friendly waitress who soon seated us in the restaurant section off to one side.  The restaurant is comfortable, homely, with soft carpet underfoot.  There were a few people in there, but it wasn’t packed out. 

We ordered drinks; a large sauvignon blanc for me and a half of Kelham Island Best and coke for Gav (he was driving).  My wine came in a big fat glass and I was told that they don't mess about with the glasses here.  That's always gotta be good to hear hasn't it?  Puny glasses don't cut it for me.  I like to swirl my wine, look for the legs and pretend I know what I'm doing.

Shortly after ordering, a selection of breads arrived along with some rather fancy butters, including a smoked butter which was served with its smoke in a clear glass dome.  For maximum effect this was lifted at the very last second.  It was a bit of fun and it got a bit of a 'wow' from Gav and I. 

Bread and Butter*

There was a sourdough bread and poppy seed bread and both tasted good and had good texture.  At this point I impressed Gav with the power that is Twitter as I explained that I'd watched the sourdough being made from its starter.  Butters were interesting, Gav wasn't too keen on the smoked version, but I quite liked it.  There was a standard salted along with our favourite; a balsamic butter.

To start I went for the special of homemade black pudding with caramelised apple, apple and thyme chutney and apple reduction.  Again I'd seen this dish via Twitter and couldn't really say no to it, and I am so glad I didn't. 

It was a smart looking dish of slices of black pudding and apple garnished with chutney and apple reduction.  I didn’t really know where to start and ended up having to dismantle the dish in order to tuck in.  The apple was raw and deliciously crisp and the black pudding was tasty.  Of course the dish was based on a pretty obvious flavour combination but the caramelising of the apple meant that this was far from run of the mill stuff.  It really made the dish, adding to both the taste and texture of the components.  I thoroughly enjoyed.

Black Pudding*

Gav went for the rabbit steamed suet pudding with red cabbage and cauliflower puree.  He’s a big fan of rabbit and certainly wasn’t let down here.  He was served a mini suet pudding stuffed with beautifully tender rabbit.  Unfortunately that is about all I can say as I was far too busy enjoying my starter to care too much about his.  In fact each of us loved our own dishes so much we ate in silence and, once scoffed, proceeded to argue about whose dish had been the best. 



Rabbit*

Phew!  I had been a little concerned that I’d built this place up too much, that I would be severely disappointed and had just set myself up for a fall (wasting my time and money on bad meals really upsets me).  Given the quality of the starters, I knew I needn’t have worried.

For mains, we both went for lighter options.  I had red mullet fillets served with wild mushroom and chestnuts ravioli and kale.  There were two nice sized fillets and they were perfectly cooked, to the point that they just fell apart at any touch from my fork.  The mushrooms were wild, as promised, and there was also a good pile of kale.  The ravioli was a nice touch and as soon as I opened up the parcel of pasta the deeply delicious stench of mushroom hit me.  I personally wasn’t bothered about the chestnuts, but that’s just because I don’t really like them.

Mullet

The dish was light, but filling; just what I was after.  Gav went one step further than me and chose the vegetarian option!  Admittedly, the twice baked aubergine soufflé with lentils, spinach and a 3 cheese and red pepper spring roll did sound interesting, but with all the delicious meat and fish dishes on the menu there is no way that I would have picked it.

Having said that, it looked pretty impressive and the soufflé was perfectly formed and light and fluffy.  The lentils had been cooked in spices and I think I remember there being cumin in there.  The spring roll was the absolute highlight although the cheese with sweet pepper filling meant that it was a far cry from anything you would find in the local Chinese restaurant.

Aubergine

We’d ordered sides of chips and cauliflower cheese too.  They really weren’t needed, but I’m glad we did as the chips were spot on.  Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside; I thought they deserved a photo too….

Purely for the purpose of the blog (does anyone believe me when I say that?), we had desserts.  I went for the mulled pear with a honey and almond cone.  It was a light way to round off the meal and, in all fairness, I probably convinced myself that it was actually good for me.  The cone was a good reminder of the fact that this was a dessert as it was filled with a flavoured cream. 

Pear*

Gav definitely got the better deal.  His lemon meringue with white chocolate custard and raspberry sorbet was amazing.  He had a ball of meringue stuffed with a lemon filling.  He claims it wasn’t lemony enough for him, but I thought it was fine.  In all, I was quite jealous and it might be one that I will try next time.

Lemon

And yes, there will be a next time.  The food was excellent; good flavour combinations and nothing too wacky.  This place has style AND substance and I would go as far to say that it’s easily in my top 20 meals.  Ever. 

Reading the menu, there is not one dish I would turn my nose up to (bar the veggie main that it).  Duck, mackerel, goats cheese, rabbit, venison, lamb, beef and rib-eye steak are all on there and each one is shouting out to me!  And I know that they’ll be good too; A) because I liked the look of every other dish I saw floating past me that night and B) because every other table audibly praised their food.

It wasn’t just the food that deserved our praise, the service was equally as good.  The waitresses were friendly and knowledgeable (I overheard one explain how the chefs cooked the lamb dish) and there had been just the right amount of time between courses.  We felt looked after, which is how I always want to feel when I’m paying good money (well, any money really) to eat out.

The bill came to about £75 and that included a couple of glasses of wine, a half of bitter, a coke, a dessert wine and an espresso.  So it’s not cheap, but it’s well priced given the quality of the food.

*Thanks Adam for letting me use some of his pictures.

Have you been?  Will you go?  Let me know what you think here….

Mrs Shah's curry

Ok, this is a very quick one. I bought a Mrs Shah's Curry Mix recently at the Sharrow Vale Market. It was the hot variety (we do love a bit of heat) and this is what I did....

I heated some oil in a wok, added a chopped onion and fried it until it started to colour.

I then added the curry mix and stirred it in.

Then went in a tin of tomatoes.

Rather than using chicken, as the pack suggests, I stirred in a pound of mutton (pre-soaked in cold salted water, rinsed and drained), and enough water to cover the meat.

I cooked it all for about 40-50 minutes.  Then I decided to add some more vege to the mix and added 2 bags of fresh spinach.  I then cooked it until the spinach had wilted.

That was it.

It was a little watery so I wouldn't add water as the pack suggests.  Other than that, it was lovely, with a nice level of heat.

Re-heated and served with chips it was even better!

I will buy this again.

Sharrow Vale Market and Pasta Bar

With Christmas only around the corner it seems that there is a market every weekend and this weekend it was Sharrow Vale Market's turn.

You might be surprised to learn that I had never been to the Sharrow Vale Market before and so I was determined to make this one. I was hangover free, the husband was at work and I quite fancied the walk from town. Unfortunately I hadn't counted on the downpour that hit just as I left the flat. But it was ok, I just got the bus...

Hmmm. The weather got progressively worse as I ambled from stall to stall but I tried to ignore the fat blobs of the wet stuff as much as I could.

I managed to grab some bathbombs from Harika which will make up part of a Christmas present and are are made in Sheffield, so I am told.  One is based on Angel Delight, the other on Banoffee Pie.

I was glad to see 7 Hills Bakery as I've heard a lot about these guys recently. I picked up some of their light rye and caraway seed bread.  I couldn't hold off from trying this for too long and I'm glad to find that it tastes as good as it looks; the light aniseed flavour provided by the caraway seeds is a bit different but delicious.

Old favourites Autumn Harvest Mushrooms were there and I picked up my usual; the gourmet mix. I'll have these on some of the rye and caraway bread (toasted) for tea.

I managed to get collared into trying some curry... well he didn't have to twist my arm much in all fairness. It was a veggie bean curry made with Mrs Shah's curry mix which they were selling for a pound a pop. Feeling rather cold, wet and miserable, I went for the hottest variety and I will pick up some lamb so that we can have it for tea tomorrow.

I knew Lorna of Heavenlies was around, so I wanted to track her down before leaving, and once I had I picked up a couple of her delicious brownies.  The rest of her display looked fantastic though and I spotted some lovely looking mini Christmas cakes which I was also tempted by.

By this point I'd decided that I'd done enough shopping; I'd also put up with enough rain so I went on search for lunch. There were a few stalls serving hot soup, sandwiches and stews, but as tasty as they all looked, I needed to get inside to warm up!

Pasta Bar has been around for a number of years and I've only ever heard good things about it so I walked back down Sharrow Vale Road, away from Hunters Bar, past Made by Jonty and Thelma's Cafe (who were both heaving, but would have also been good lunch spots) and grabbed myself a table for one.

The restaurant is small and pretty informal. It was quite busy with a couple (who gave me, the lone diner, a couple of funny looks – obviously they have not yet learnt that lunching alone is possibly one of the most indulgent activities ever) a group of about 7 and a family of 4.

The menu was small but there was a good lunch time offer on; a pasta dish served with a salad or garlic bread for £5.50. I chose the peperoncino which was pasta with garlic, chilli, parsley, olive oil and a Parmesan cheese. I also ordered the rocket and Parmesan salad too.

The pasta was good, not entirely al dente, but firm enough to have some bite. There was plenty of garlic in there, not too much parsley (I hate parsley) and more than enough Parmesan. My only complaint was that I could have done with quite a lot more chilli in there. The salad was fine, but had more Parmesan than rocket!

Overall it was a more than satisfying lunch and quite similar to something I often like to make myself at home.

Pasta Bar do have meat dishes on the menu, as well as a decent antipasti selection, so I'd like to return for an evening meal one day.

So come on then, did you venture out in the rain today? Did you buy any Sheffield goodness?

Have you eaten at Pasta Bar? What did you think?

A trip down memory lane....

The other weekend I was invited down to Vanilla Coffee Shop, a new coffee shop down Abbeydale Road.  Gav and I used to live that way a few years back and as it was a nice day, I decided to take the walk back into town and get some reminiscing done on the way.

Vanilla Coffee is a brand spanking new coffee shop near Millhouses park; one that I'd heard bits about through Twitter and Facebook.  As a fan of Sheffield food, I was pleased to see owners Suze Goodman and Sheila Clapham share their passion and show their enthusiasm through their menu which has dishes incorporating ingredients such as Pumpkin Oil, Catherine's Choice and Sheffield Honey. 

 

Foodie Goodies for sale.

There's a really easy feel to the place, which Suze says is thanks to the fact that so many family members work there.  Suze's daughter Sophie works in the shop and has taken it upon herself to help with the marketing side of things and step-son Matt is a trained barrista who is relishing the chance to create some latte art.

Food wise, the menu is evolving as Vanilla has only been open for a couple of months and they are still discovering what will work for their customers.  They serve breakfast, lunch and light bites and along with Sheffield food, Vanilla are enthusiastic about retro food.  Think animal biscuits, iced gems & wagon wheels.  It isn't all just cake and biscuits though and there is a focus on the healthier side of things with both yoghurt & porridge available for breakfast. 

Pork Pie

After a quick chat and a cuppa, I was off on my way and my next stop off was at Roses the Bakers.  This business has been going since 1940 but this was my first visit!  They have three stores; this Abbeydale Road store, one on Ecclesall Road and another in Crosspool.  I popped in to see what they had.  There was plenty of bread on offer but I had a long trip ahead and didn't want to carry anything.

So, on spotting a tray of various pasties and pies I ordered the smallest pie going (my plan was going to be little and often on this trip).  I didn't know what it was, as there weren't any labels, but as a pie is a pie, I wasn't scared. 

Just as I handed my cash over, I did enquire as to the nature of the pie and was pleased to find it was a pork pie.  It wasn't a melton mowbrey style pork pie, which is my favourite but it was tasty enough.

I carried on walking, past Tesco and up towards the junction with Woodseats Road.  I almost missed Cafe Surtees, but the Cafeology sign caught my eye.  The cafe doesn't look up to much but their facebook page tells me that they specialise in free-range locally sourced meats and eggs, so it's probably worth a look in if you're down that way.

Rhythm and Booze seems to be taking over all the old Thresher shops across Yorkshire including the one at the bottom of Woodseats Road.  According to their website, the first store was set up in Barnsley but now they have stores in the majority of the main Yorkshire cities.

Then I passed the flat that Gav and I shared back in 2002.  It was a great flat; 2 bedrooms, kitchen diner and a huge living room on the top floor.  But it was all single glazed when we lived there and the noise from Abbeydale Road got too much (and it was a tad cold in winter) so we didn't stay long.

Throughout our time there we didn't pay one visit to the restaurant which was only a couple of doors down from us.  Arts it was called.  It didn't stay open too long and it's now a Persian restaurant.  

In all honesty, back then we were far too skint to splash out on restaurants and our favourite place for food was Danums Pizza (now Pizza Zone).  They did a pretty good Tandoori chicken pizza along with the standard selection of kebabs and southern fried chicken.  In all fairness I probably wouldn't eat there now and I certainly wouldn't have anything with chicken on it as I'm pretty certain it won't be free-range! 

I kept walking, past B. Ciccarella (where Gav used to get his hair cut), Sharps fruit and veg and Castle Martial Arts which used to be Wedding Daze (and where I got my wedding dress from).

Then I came across the first of many supermarkets down this way.  Reza supermarket is Turkish, I think, and it's full of big bags of spices, boxes of tea, bags of nuts and Turkish desserts.  I didn't spot any savoury snack food to nibble on though so I kept on going.

I wondered on past The Grand Potato; somewhere I have seen on many occasions, but never ventured into.  Unfortunately I had to give it a miss again as it was shut.  I will have to try that chilli and cheese jacket potato one day…

I walked on and spotted Ei8teen-In.  It didn’t look like much from the outside, but I thought I recognised it from another blog so I wandered in (in fact the blog had actually been about Café #9). 

I was the only customer and ordered an Americano.  The owner warned me that he made them strong and this pleased me.  As I sipped from my rather large mug of coffee I chatted with the owner and it turned out that I was quite lucky to have stumbled on this place at all!  This was his last shift before packing it in and closing up.  As a former surveyor, he’d had enough of the long, stressful hours and wanted to get back to a more structured routine.  He’s glad that he’s given it a go and he’s happy that the two ladies who are taking over the business are going to do the place proud.

Coffee slurped I carried on my merry way, past the Broadfield (soon to be re-opened under the Forum group) and onto one of the oldest supermarkets round this end; Shah Supermarket.  It’s an amazing place full of fresh fruit and veg, curry pastes, rice and well, pretty much anything you’d need for a real Indian feast.  I spotted a pack of Palak Paneer and bought that to have at home later (although it wasn’t that good to be honest!).  

Practically next door to Shah is Alyan Sweet Centre, which sells hot food as well as sweets.  There was a whole counter full of the sweet stuff, but I headed over to the savoury section.  Unfortunately on asking what something was I couldn’t understand the broken English response, and just kind of nodded in acceptance of the item.  

My snack had been heated and turned out to be a bit like a veggie burger packed with cooked onions, chilli and spices.  It had heat, but not enough to take over the delicate spicing.  I was quite pleased with my surprise snack and it kept me going as I carried on walking.

I strolled past The Pad and Timewarp Collectables; shops that I love but rarely dare venture into.  I love retro stuff, but my flat (and bank balance) is too small to justify any of the purchases I would like to make.  Across the road is recent Eat Sheffield Award winners La Mama.  This Latin Tapas Bar has a large selection of dishes including calamari, ceviche, empanadas and lamb.  It really does look good but it’s one I’m yet to try.

Just a bit further down is Bragazzis; somewhere with a strong reputation in Sheffield, but somewhere I’ve never quite ‘got’.  The coffee isn’t the best the city can offer, the menu is limited and the deli is pretty sad.  A bit further down the road is their attempt at more formal dining; Bucca di Bragazzis.  The menu reads well and I think I’d be a happy diner here, but again, I am yet to try it.

Back over the road is one of my absolute favourites; East and West.  These guys specialise in Southern Indian and Sri Lankan food and it’s a little different from the bog standard curry house.  Well worth a try if you haven’t been before.

Moving closer towards London Road is Caspian (another Persian), Home Café (a new Caribbean café) and then Dhanista’s.  Many, many years ago Gavin and I went for our first meal out together at La Dolce Vita, now Dhanista’s, so this place will always have a place in my heart, no matter what guise it’s trading under.  Having said that, Dhanista’s has an extra special place in my heart.  The cuisine is similar to East and West, it’s just a little more formal (i.e. you eat from plates rather than stainless steel bowls) and the menu is larger.

Across the way is The Rude Shipyard; a café with a focus on the arts.  There’s books, music and poetry to be had as well as tea and cake.  Moving onto London Road there is Parthenonas which is somewhere we have been before (and will not be returning to).  Then there’s the glorious Amigo’s Mexican Kitchen which has recently had its second refurb, to give it more of a restaurant rather than café feel. 

Across the way is Wasabisabi (my absolute favourite Japanese restaurant in Sheffield) and Orchid Thai (one of the worst restaurants I have ever been to).  Walking a bit further I came across Dim Sum.  I’ve been lucky enough to go Yum Cha a couple of times with Chinese friends (believe me, having someone help translate the menu is a huge bonus).  Yum Cha is an old Chinese tradition of going for some snacks with friends.  I am told that traditionally people would Yum Cha on a Sunday morning, but Dim Sum caters for the demands of the people and serves these snacks all day.  The menu is tapas style, but way more unusual; think chicken feet, tripe and jelly fish.

Across the road is Hong Kong Wok.  I hear it’s ok, but as I’m still grieving for the loss of the Vietnamese Noodle Bar, I haven’t been.  Opposite is Pho 68, a Vietnamese that I have heard good things about, but have not had the pleasure of trying yet.  Chinese fondue restaurant Jabu is here too.   This is a strange one as you get a stock pot and a selection of items to cook at the table.  I don’t get it myself; probably fun to do at home, but I don’t really like the thought of going out to cook myself dinner!

A bit further down from Jabu is the fabulous Noodle Inn and its sister Mandar Inn.  Noodle Inn is a fantastic alternative to that much loved Vietnamese Noodle Bar with its huge portions, hot and spicy dishes and oodles of noodles.  Mandar Inn has a very similar feel to it but the dishes are a bit more traditional which means there are more unusual dishes on the menu, making it a bit of a haven for us foodies.

Moving further down is Zeugma which is an old favourite of ours.  This Turkish restaurant specialises in barbecued dishes and the lamb kebabs are gorgeous.  Everything is cooked in front of you on hot coals (which does mean that you leave smelling a bit smoky) and, as is quite a common theme down this part of Sheffield, the portions are huge.  Over the road is Cake ‘R’ Us.  The name itself makes me smile… was the ‘s’ dropped in error?  Specialising in cake, it isn’t something I’d travel for, but as they will soon be expanding to Division Street I reckon I’ll be popping in a bit more regularly. 

Turkish supermarket Ozmen is back over the other side of the road.  It’s huge and doesn’t just cater for the Turks.  There’s Caribbean, Chinese, Polish and loads more in there.  Essentially, if you’re after an unusual spice or herb, or just a decent selection of olives, Ozmen will sort you out.

By this point I was feeling peckish again and on spotting falafel bar Fanoush I decided it was time for lunch.  I ordered a falafel wrap with some fresh apple juice.  I was able to choose from two types of hummus and a selection of salad stuff including olives and chillies and the end result was a huge wrap stuffed full of sheer goodness; tasty and healthy. 

Moving closer towards town, there’s Barry’s which is a pub serving up West Indian food.  It’s another I haven’t been to, this time because I’m not sure it will be any good….  Further down the road is Yama Sushi, another excellent Japanese restaurant.  It’s a really sweet little (tiny) place and some people would argue it is the best for sushi in Sheffield; it certainly is one of the more reasonably priced places.

Phew!  What an amazing morning!  I was shattered but it was great to have a good wander down there checking out the new and catching up on the old. 

Abbeydale Road and London Road are easily one of my favourite areas in Sheffield for food.  Where’s yours?