Value for money the holy grail for eateries
A COUPLE of weeks back a local restaurant boss looked at his tinsel decorations and shook his head sadly. "Christmas used to last four weeks, now it's down to just two.
"It's what is going to happen in January which worries me."
He wasn't the only one. It's been a belt-tightening year for customers as much as eateries yet new ones still open up in a city which has far too many restaurants.
With a credit crunch on, I spent this year looking even more acutely than normal to find real value for money in the less glamorous places. It was often to be found in places which were more cafes than restaurants.
If you haven't yet tried it, pencil in a visit to Al-Zahir, the Lebanese cafe (and supermarket) on Carlisle Street (0114 275 5355) where the spatchcocked chicken is to die for. It's basic, clean and there's Arab TV, just like you'd find in the Middle East.
Al-Zahir has its own bakery, as does La Perle on The Wicker (0114 278 0074), where Algerians Youssef Toumiat and Mebouk Bendaas produce an amazing array of pastries as well as a tasty but simple lunch and tea menu.
Cafes, with a smaller spend, did better than restaurants this year. If they had a speciality, like the excellent Northern Tea Merchants cafe on Chatsworth Road, Brampton, Chesterfield (01246 232 600), so much the better: a wide range of teas and lovely cakes.
Great cakes (and speciality burgers) were also at Homemade (07774 013 438), a little cafe on Nether Edge Road, Nether Edge.
And I should mention the enterprising Masterchef chain which, founded on the humble onion bhaji and now concentrating on simple well-prepared food, has carved a niche, expanding from its Attercliffe base (0114 256 1710) into Darnall, Totley and Ecclesall Road.
The big boys were not slow to catch on to the idea that Value For Money counted most.
Richard Smith opened Canteen (0114 266 6096) upstairs in Crosspool with two courses for a tenner, three for 12, which depended on shifting bums on seats.
Later in the year Cary Brown made a welcome return to the city by opening Mini Bar (0114 266 7736), a sort of British tapas with fun, inventive dishes at a fiver.
This opened within a few weeks of Kitchen (0114 267 1351) on Ecclesall Road, a 'British bistro' showcasing the talents of head chef John Parsons. This may not be as cheap as chips (a restricted item on the menu) but espoused the virtues of native cooking.
I have often remarked that the big restaurant chains don't see Sheffield as a prime market. For them the city comes well down the list.
Among the chains to finally make it here were Yo! Sushi (0114 218 9722) in Meadowhall and Bistro Pierre (0114 267 8687) on Ecclesall Road.
The much smaller Handmade Burger Company (0114 256 8945), again at Meadowhall, impressed for quality.
There are too many Indian restaurants in Sheffield.
Those at the top end of the market did well, such as the Ashoka (0114 268 3029) on Ecclesall Road and the new Kamal’s Curry Inn (01246 418 898) on Sheffield Road, Dronfield, with special mention for the Rajput (0114 267 0821) at Commonside, Walkley, which grew out of a takeaway.
But it’s the Thai restaurants which are the flavour of the year, with the new All-Siam (0114 267 0580) on Ecclesall Road one of the ‘hottest’ places to go.
Pubs may have been closing but some have new leases of life as dining venues. Worth visiting are The Stag on Psalter Lane (0114 255 0548) and the Hearty Oak (0114 289 1322), previously the Hearts of Oak, at Dronfield Woodhouse.
Bryan Moran’s expert cooking at Moran’s (0114 235 0101) on Abbeydale Road South was The Good Food Guide’s highest rated city restaurant.
Daniel James at the new Copthorne Hotel (0114 252 5480) on Bramall Lane made an exciting debut. Sadly, personal circumstances made his stay all too brief.
What’s in store for 2010?
Spice Market Cafe (0114 266 5541) has just opened on Ecclesall Road. Will Richard Smith beat the city’s spice merchants at their own game? We shall see.
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Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
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