New Sheffield brasserie brings classic comfort food back to Ecclesall Road with prices everyone can enjoy
Sheffield's newest restaurant is bringing classic dishes back
A new Sheffield restaurant is putting classic comfort food back at the centre of its menu, with its owners saying they want diners to recognise every dish before they even sit down.
Gilson's Brasserie opened on Ecclesall Road on Monday, July 13, becoming the latest venture from the team behind Gills & Co and The Gillmont.
Rather than following changing food trends, the restaurant has been built around familiar favourites that co-owner Victoria Trudgill hopes will keep customers coming back.
She said: "We wanted people to come here and know everything that's on the menu. They're classic dishes – starters, mains and desserts that fill you up and make you return for more.
"We wanted dishes that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Classics done really well."
The menu was developed in collaboration with the restaurant's chef, who brought his own expertise while working to a clear vision set by the owners.
Victoria said: "The chef brings his expertise and makes the food as amazing as he does, but one of the directions we gave the kitchen was that we wanted people to recognise everything on the menu."
Asked what she would order herself, Victoria recommends beginning with warm olives marinated in a jalapeño dressing.
"The warmth makes a big difference," she said.
She would then choose the ham hock terrine with pea purée before moving on to an 8oz steak served surf and turf with a king tiger prawn, garlic sauce and truffle dauphinoise potatoes.
"If there's room, I'd absolutely go for the trifle," she added.
"It's very nostalgic but so good."
While the menu may be new, Victoria says one thing customers can expect to remain consistent is the service.
"Guest experience is everything to us," she said.
"Making sure we look after our guests as soon as they come through the door is the most important thing.
"It comes naturally to our whole team to make people feel really welcome. It's what we love."
Gillsons differs from the group's other Ecclesall Road venues by offering a full restaurant experience.
"At Gills & Co we're primarily wine with a bit of food, and The Gillmont is cocktails, champagne and afternoon tea," Victoria said. "Here, we're a full restaurant."
The opening marks the group's third business on Ecclesall Road, something Victoria describes as a "pinch me" moment.
"It's surreal to have three businesses on Ecclesall Road," she said.
"We've worked really hard to make sure each one compliments the others.
"We have something for everybody. If you want to come and have a blowout with an expensive bottle of wine, you absolutely can.
“But if you want to come for a midweek dinner because you don't want to cook, or a Sunday lunch, you can do that as well.
"We genuinely want people to leave remembering their experience, whether that's the smell when they walk in, the attentive service or the wine they drank."