Fitwilliam and West, the revamped Bar 23, has been open a while, and although it has been recommended to me a few times (with one such recommendation making its way to this blog) and I do have vague memories of a really good steak there (I was slightly tipsy) I hadn't really spent any time there... but after last Sunday I can assure you that is set to change.
After receiving an invite to check out their Sunday dinners, Gav and I ventured into the bar which is situated in West One, Sheffield. Thinking that we would be seated upstairs (which is where the restaurant section used to be) we were both pleased to find tables set for service in the main bar area downstairs. It's much brighter than upstairs and the large windows also allow for a bit of people watching.
The menu is British and it's full of homely and comforting dishes such as lamb shank, calves liver and steak. There's also an enticing brunch menu of eggs Benedict, steak & eggs and the traditional full breakfast of eggs, bacon et al. Not that any of this mattered on our visit; we were here for the roasts.
Options were chicken, beef and belly pork, and although there was the option to have a selection of all three, I went for beef and he went for pork (all £9.50 each). We also ordered a bottle of Pinot Noir (£19.50) on the basis that it's a light red which goes well with both our chosen meats.
Our plates arrived and we were immediately impressed; Gav with the sight of his slab of crackling, I with the cooking of the beef. The pork was tender and juicy whilst the crackling had a satisfying texture if lacking a little in seasoning. My thick slices of beef were full of flavour and nicely pink to the centre. Of course there was proper gravy and Sunday dinner fans will be glad to hear that extra was available on request.
Sides included a large Yorkshire pudding each and some cauliflower cheese, veg and roasties to share. I'm pleased to say that all the veg was cooked to my liking and it hadn't been boiled to death (even the cauliflower still had a decent bit of bite to it). Potatoes were also good and they tasted as though they had been roasted in fat rather than bog standard sunflower oil. We thoroughly enjoyed and I think our meals were good value at £9.50 each.
Although I couldn't contemplate having a dessert after that feast, I was pleased that Gav did. And on spotting a pairing of chocolate brownie and Ron Zacapa (£8) he really couldn't have resisted, especially as Ron Zacapa is his favourite rum. The brownie itself was very good but it was the Ron that really made this dish. Its sweet caramel flavours worked beautifully with the chocolate and I can hardly believe that I hadn't tried this pairing before. It now seems like the most obvious pairing in the world!
Fitzwilliam and West really impressed us both. The food and service was spot on and the wine was delicious. In fact, it's the wine list that really impressed me as highlights include a Riesling, a Malborough Sauvignon Blanc, a Barolo and a St Emilion. I plan to work my way through them all... as I will be returning for brunch, lunch, dinner and pud.
After receiving an invite to check out their Sunday dinners, Gav and I ventured into the bar which is situated in West One, Sheffield. Thinking that we would be seated upstairs (which is where the restaurant section used to be) we were both pleased to find tables set for service in the main bar area downstairs. It's much brighter than upstairs and the large windows also allow for a bit of people watching.
The menu is British and it's full of homely and comforting dishes such as lamb shank, calves liver and steak. There's also an enticing brunch menu of eggs Benedict, steak & eggs and the traditional full breakfast of eggs, bacon et al. Not that any of this mattered on our visit; we were here for the roasts.
Options were chicken, beef and belly pork, and although there was the option to have a selection of all three, I went for beef and he went for pork (all £9.50 each). We also ordered a bottle of Pinot Noir (£19.50) on the basis that it's a light red which goes well with both our chosen meats.
Our plates arrived and we were immediately impressed; Gav with the sight of his slab of crackling, I with the cooking of the beef. The pork was tender and juicy whilst the crackling had a satisfying texture if lacking a little in seasoning. My thick slices of beef were full of flavour and nicely pink to the centre. Of course there was proper gravy and Sunday dinner fans will be glad to hear that extra was available on request.
Sides included a large Yorkshire pudding each and some cauliflower cheese, veg and roasties to share. I'm pleased to say that all the veg was cooked to my liking and it hadn't been boiled to death (even the cauliflower still had a decent bit of bite to it). Potatoes were also good and they tasted as though they had been roasted in fat rather than bog standard sunflower oil. We thoroughly enjoyed and I think our meals were good value at £9.50 each.
Although I couldn't contemplate having a dessert after that feast, I was pleased that Gav did. And on spotting a pairing of chocolate brownie and Ron Zacapa (£8) he really couldn't have resisted, especially as Ron Zacapa is his favourite rum. The brownie itself was very good but it was the Ron that really made this dish. Its sweet caramel flavours worked beautifully with the chocolate and I can hardly believe that I hadn't tried this pairing before. It now seems like the most obvious pairing in the world!
Fitzwilliam and West really impressed us both. The food and service was spot on and the wine was delicious. In fact, it's the wine list that really impressed me as highlights include a Riesling, a Malborough Sauvignon Blanc, a Barolo and a St Emilion. I plan to work my way through them all... as I will be returning for brunch, lunch, dinner and pud.
Looks good and liked your pictures. You say you were invited. Did you pay for the meal?
ReplyDeleteWow! Thanks for the compliment re my pictures. I am trying to improve!
ReplyDeleteAs I was invited to Fitzwilliam and West I didn't pay for my meal this time.