MaxVinella

Looks like if the developer will let somebody else develop: https://imgur.com/GyDjKpf Plot now for sale at 2.2M, plans and freehold included

There is one in Crookes, on the adjacent corner of Casanova Restaurant and the Coop

Hello had to change from my usual barber , taken over by younger proprietors who cannot cut properly. Few weeks ago i tried the new barber shop just opened in Crosspool - called Expert Barbers, and it has opened n the premises of the Greengrocer, near the Pharmacy. I did like the cut, they offer the whole range, including beard trim etc Price is very good, think was 8.5 pounds without shampoo. BWs MV

Have had fish and chips at the University Arms a few times - and agree is excellent, as is the Carvery section on Saturdays. Regarding the students, it is University Arms after all, and the University of Sheffield brings around 30,000 students in Sheffield (and as much Sheffield Hallam) - which creates many jobs and need for accommodation, food, pubs etc . So, we should all be pleased of their presence in town.

Considering the commute to Leeds as a priority, it depends if it will be by train or car, and what time in the day. If you live near the tramline , then from Sheffield Station to Leeds there are plenty trains. An alternative is to take the Dore-Sheffield connection, and then to Leeds. If it is by car, a house in any area in proximity of the peak district (including S10, S11) will make it difficult to reach Leeds in less than an hour. Even cutting through the Rivelin Valley, the M1 will not be so close. Good luck MV

In my opinion the range of Sourdough at Forge bakehouse (in Abbeydale rd) is the best in town. Gerry also OK, very nice breads but smaller range of breads. Beanie's supplier is Gerry.

Sorry guys, but if somebody serves me a platter of fish at 4 degrees centigrade with the center below zero- no matter what the quality is, it results unedible.

Must say that my four colleagues mostly had some good food at The Mediterranean (the seabass and the scallops looked good), it was my lobster platter that was bad. And must say that they took it off the bill, fair enough - plus we were the first group in the restaurant at lunch service.

My feeling is that at Na Pedra there were good things (like the octopus) and much lesser ones. Never like where there is such a disparity of quality across dishes. I am glad that you chose a series of good ones - may be better luck for me another time.

These days have been for lunchtime meals at Na Pedra (Abbeydale Rd) and The Mediterranean (Sharrow Vale Rd). Personally, would not go back to neither. Na pedra is a Portuguese themed restaurant, keenly priced. We had some good octopus, some mediocre fried squid (batter was not sticking to the squid), mediocre rissols (tasted like industrially made/cooked from frozen). Nice bread (was from the Forge Bakehouse, on the opposite corner of the street), great to dip into the fish sauces in the dishes. I do not even remeber which desserts we had. Best part was an intelligent young lady waiter from Lithuania who made conversation with us and was pleasant and very good. At the Mediterranean my friends had some nice seabass, chicken, fried brie, and I had some fried whitebait which was tasty - but fish was large-ish and not real small whitebait. Then I was seved an inedible lobster platter (lobster was still half frozen, mussels fidge temperature, crab from a tin) , my friends had squid, chicken and lamb - and all enjoyed it. To be fair, they did not charge me for my main course. Nice Prosecco, but desserts were anonymous, nothng to describe much (limoncello ice cream, lemon tart, chocolate sponge). It is a fact that it is relly quite dificult to have nice Christmas lunch with collegues, always end paying well but eating poorly.

The Risotto alla Milanese has a good aroma and coulour of saffron: https://www.finecooking.com/recipe/risotto-alla-milanese-risotto-with-parmesan-saffron

Hello last couple of weeks have started hunting for the most pleasant bread (specifically sourdough) in Sheffield. Between all supermarkets, for my palate the best sourdough was either the Tesco or the M&S San Francisco sourdough. Better than Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Morrisons. First tried the Seven Hills Bakery, in Sharrow Vale. Good sourdough, although not so strong - only one or two variants. Theu have a quite nice vegetable section, and they have table for a sadswich or pie snack at lunchtime. Secondly, this morning went to the Forge Bakehouse in Abbeydale Road, and must say that I found it of a high standard. Four or five types of sourdough (plus many other wholemeal breads), several smaller sizes (just had some with fresh tomatoes and EVO). Plus a very decent patisserie selection, from krapfen to pies , turnovers etc. All fresh. And they have tables for lunchtime snacks etc. Now looking for others to try, so far my option n.1 is the Forge BH. Best wishes MV

DerbyTup, were you around Sheffield in the early 90's? In West street Le Neptune opened, an it was a fantastic fish restaurant. It was the first Richard Smith retaurant in Sheffield. I went there twice (paying myself only the second time) and we had great meals. then it suddendly close, within 12 months of its start. Richard Smith then came to Crosspool, where he opened Artisan - and told me he had to shift down a gear because Sheffield could not take a top restaurant. And then it changed Artisan to a more bistrot level (do not remeber the new name, I think Catch - but later sold to Aligargh), and ended up opening Thyme in Glossop Rd, which still exist and is average. Same story for the Fish Restaurant in front of the Hallamsire (Loch Fyne, now closed for a few years), which struggled to fill the rooms although when we went it was very nice indeed. So, it is not easy to keep a top-level restaurant in Sheffield, both for the high costs of supplies, sometime because of bad marketing, sometime because the chef is not good enough to cook gorgeous food keeping the price down. That is a skill that not many have.

Well, when we went all food was superior quality, drinks with great choice, and a series of foreign-trained waitresses and maitre (two were Italian, one Austrian). Adding this to attractive modern stylish decor and the expensive premises, the running costs must have been very high. And in such financial climate am not sure how many of these restaurants Sheffield can support.

I would strongly advise Oisoi

Here it is, taken verbatim from the public PDF. MV --------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Martin Crosthwaite Sent: 06 August 2019 12:23 To: Steve Burlaga Cc: Mark Platts Subject: The Plough Steve I understand the planning case officer is asking for further clarification regarding our marketing of the Plough, and in particular the rent we are quoting. As you are aware, we have been inviting rental offers in the region of £50,000 per annum, however this figure has never been set in stone and we have always been prepared to be flexible and talk to any interested parties. Furthermore, we have not been asking for any ingoing premium which is unusual in the pub market. It is important to realise that the Plough is not tied to any particular brewery/PubCo and although some local pubs have been offered a lower rents, these have been instances where premiums have been requested and the tenancy agreements are tied to a particular pub company/brewery, which does affect the profitability for the operator. The Plough is a relatively large property with a ground floor area in excess of 2,000 ft.2 along with a flat above comprising three bedrooms, living room, kitchen and bathroom. I believe there is also a function room at first floor, however this is sealed off due to safety reasons and I have therefore not been able to gain access. There is also a substantial car park. By way of comparison, I understand that the Three Merry Lads on Redmires Road was recently marketed at a rent of £74,000 per annum with an ingoing premium required in excess of £60,000. The Ranmoor Inn on Fulwood Road was similarly advertised at a rent of £30,000 per annum (reduced, I believe from £36,000 pa) with an ingoing cost of £14,500. Both of these pubs are tied houses and where the rents are generally below the level one would normally expect to pay for a free house. Furthermore, unlike the Plough, neither of the above two pubs can be said to occupy exclusive positions, the Sportsman pub being located extremely close to the Three Merry Lads and the Bulls Head is within 200 yards of the Ran moor Inn. In August last year, we did accept a rental offer from a new start-up business - we agreed a rent of £45,000 per annum for the first three years, rising to £50,000 per annum thereafter. After lengthy negotiations, however, not to mention numerous surveys, these people withdrew their interest and no one has made a firm offer since. The main drawback in our marketing is that whe·n we commenced marketing, the building was very tired and the upper floor flat had been stripped out. Since then, there have been at least four break-ins where substantial damage has been caused and we are now in the position that any ingoing tenant would need to completely re-fit the interior of the premises, both upstairs and down, not to mention spend a considerable sum on the structure. Whilst we have always been prepared to agree to a rent free period, indeed we did agree one with the previously interested party, the level of work now required in my view makes it completely un-economic to restore and reopen the pub and living accommodation. I trust that the above comments are helpful but please let me know if you need anything else. Regards Martin Crosthwaite Crosthwaite Commercial Hawk Works, 105A Mary Street, Sheffield S1 4RT

The menu looks very good, shame is too far out.

Absolutely right, I did the conversion two years ago and needed change of use permission. You can do it yourself and will take 60 pounds and tree weekds for the decision or get a technical help and pay about 150 plus 60 and three weeks.

Well, tonight we went to the Varasani in Crosspool, and have mixed feelings. We had king prawn Malabar (tangy and not to hot, great flavour), chicken Nawabi (a tikka sauce with extra herbs - nothing to rave about), and a Garlic Tikka (nice and sizzling but the chicken was very dry). The service was very attentive but slow, the place was half full (not bad for a Thursday). The decor was probably left by the previous owners, low lights with unnatural hues - not pleasant imho. The menu is a list, not particularly explicit- which with waiters who do not know the dishes is not helpful. I asked were was the cuisine from, they could not reply except that it was from India. I would probably not go back , both Maveli and a Urban Choola offer better food for my taste. It will be interesting to have other opinions, may be was just me and a bad evening

I do not know specifically, but was told by one of our students that they routinely got pizza delivered for dinner in the Chesterman building

This morning had colorfoul baloons all round the entrance, obviously the opening party has occurred!

That’s what I thought, will try bws mV

Hello have some garden steps made of paving slabs in my back garden. Would like one to be repositioned level, and three more to be laid on a flat side. There is some shifting involved, stones to be removed - do not know if better a gardener or a landscaper or a builder Please advise, thanks MV

Glad you like it - personally I only ever get Margherita, so I do not miss much other toppings. In a good place I would also try "Calzone" usually with ham and mozzarella, and if porcini are used, ham and mushrooms. Quattro stagioni is too easy to get wrong (it depends on the quality of toppings used, and are many) . Tonight wanted to try that place in Walkley, for takeaway. MV PS: A friend reminded me that the "Antica Pizzeria da Michele" perhaps the most famous of all Naple's Pizzerias, only serves two types of pizza: Margherita e Marinara (which is Margherita without mozzarella, therefore vegetarian)

Sounds good, will try them asap MV