There's a lot of buzz about Sheffield restaurant Tonco - here's what we made of the food

Founded by former London chef, Flo Hiller and musician Joe Shrewsbury, Tonco began life serving up high quality, seasonal food at a city centre pop up.

After making a name for themselves in Sheffield with their pop-up venture, they opened their own place at Dyson Place, which boasts a vibrant selection of apartments, independent businesses, shops and restaurants including Five Rivers.

Flo and Joe say their restaurant is “interested in providing excellent service and great food in a relaxed and informal setting.”

"Our philosophy is to let the food speak for itself with an emphasis on honesty and sustainability,” they added.

The food was exceptional, and the five dishes we selected took us on a tasting voyage, with a combination of flavours and textures you just could not find anywhere else in Sheffield.

When my dining companion and I arrived on a balmy Thursday night, Tonco was bustling, with people enjoying an intimate meal inside, and groups seated outside, soaking up the last remnants of the day’s sizzling sunshine, underneath shimmering bulb lights.

From the offset, our server Matt is attentive, enthusiastic and expertly guides us through the compact menu of 10 plates and three smaller starters, after taking a little time to ascertain what our tastes and preferences are.

We are advised to choose between five and six of their modern European style sharing plates, which are brought out periodically, and we selected five, two of which are larger dishes.

Our first plate consisted of bread and olive oil. Even a simple dish at Tonco is fairly extraordinary; the brown, seeded rye bread was exquisite and the olive oil is some of the best I’ve tasted.

Next, we shared a plate of new season onion, a vegan attempt at goat’s curd and onion molasses. It was extremely tasty, and we savoured every mouthful.

Matt recommended our third plate of fried aubergine, tomato, rose salsa and hazelnuts, and it certainly delivered. As a vegetarian, I eat aubergines fairly regularly, but have never eaten one that tasted this good. The sumptuous combination of fresh and zingy flavours and crunchy textures made for an outstanding dish.

My final plate consisted of courgette, both green and yellow, paragon wheat and sweet herb yoghurt. It was simply delicious. Just as with the aubergine dish, while I’ve had most of its individual components before, the end result is something quite unique.

My dining companion ended with a plate of two firm fillets of mackerel, their natural oiliness expertly balanced by a lightly charred skin and the addition of a pleasantly-astringent gooseberry relish.

The decor at Tonco is modern and minimalist, and the restaurant benefits from a pleasantly cosy atmosphere.

The open kitchen is a nice touch, and fits in with Tonco’s commitment to being transparent and honest.

There were a couple of small mistakes with the service. Even so, I would still describe the service as great.

Overall, we had a wonderful time at Tonco and the food was some of the best I’ve had in a while. Highly recommended.

With five plates, a delicious glass of Dhyanna Vaidibella and a lemonade, the bill came to £51.