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Browns - Sheffield

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has anyone been to the restaurant browns what used to be ha ha bar and grill i have heard mixed reviews

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I had the sunday lunch recently. The rib of beef could only be served well done, not pink. The roast potatoes were deep fried. Can get better elsewhere for the price so wont be going back. Nice decor tho.

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It's just a rebranding exercise from M&B - the pubco chains that owns HaHa and Browns brands... who also owns Toby Carveries, All BAr One, Neills etc. Marketing at its finest.

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Some people are so negative. Fair enough if the food is rubbish, but just saying 'marketing at it's finest' is not exactly a proper review of the place.

 

Unfortunately we live in a world of marketing and if the little people got their marketing right then maybe they wouldn't be opening up and promptly closing within a year.

 

I'm not a huge fan of 'chains' but there are some chains who do get it right ...

I've not been to the Browns in town yet & if it is rubbish then that's a shame, as the one in Cambridge was really nice!

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I like it- service was slow last time I went but always like the food, and the cocktails!

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Some people are so negative. Fair enough if the food is rubbish, but just saying 'marketing at it's finest' is not exactly a proper review of the place.

 

Unfortunately we live in a world of marketing and if the little people got their marketing right then maybe they wouldn't be opening up and promptly closing within a year.

 

I'm not a huge fan of 'chains' but there are some chains who do get it right ...

I've not been to the Browns in town yet & if it is rubbish then that's a shame, as the one in Cambridge was really nice!

 

I have been to the Cambridge one as well when I worked down near there. The two have different menus though.

 

I have been in the Sheffield one, and it does tastes good. The food is nicely done. I've had the crab cake as the main, and then also one other time, the fish for the main. It was just nicely put together.

 

For the price, I would say that it is marginally on the expensive side a little bit, as I expect the quality and choices to be so much higher for this kind of pricing. For London, under 25 GBP, you can have a Michelin-starred restaurant meal, so why is this chain pitched so high for Sheffield ?

 

I find Sheffield's food generally too expensive for what it is.

 

I am also not a big fan of chains, but it is the chains that can do better than independent restaurants though. Cos the execution and the culinary skills of some of the chefs in Sheffield are not where it needs to be at. A lot of them are more home-made standard than a professional kitchen. A steak is a good test of a place. If they cannot get the medium-rare just right, at the time of serving, well, it does mean that the setup from pan to table is not quite there ?

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Michael,

 

The fact of the matter is, that it is marketing at its finest. That in itself is not a derogatory comment but states that the restaurantr has been cleverly branded up.

 

IMO this particular brand has an expensive menu attached to a quality of food that does not justify it.

 

As for the little guys, a lot of them get their blend right. We only have to look at the Milestone to see that.

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Michael,

 

The fact of the matter is, that it is marketing at its finest. That in itself is not a derogatory comment but states that the restaurantr has been cleverly branded up.

 

IMO this particular brand has an expensive menu attached to a quality of food that does not justify it.

 

As for the little guys, a lot of them get their blend right. We only have to look at the Milestone to see that.

To be fair. This kind of pricing is NOT actually expensive. As there are more expensive places for worst served food out there. It is still a little bit higher for Sheffield. What it shows, is indeed a tad of marketing, BUT, it also means that the independent businesses do not move or change with its own clients and offer them something a bit more unique to tie them in.

 

How can a business survive for many years in? You got to give your customers what they want. If local ales are back in vogue again, then order local ales to serve with your food.

 

The Milestone is what I expect most Sheffield businesses to be, and not there to make a quick buck, but really give and produce decent standard of food. If there were enough chefs or decent cooks, then the chains would not have been able to slip into the market at all.

 

What is marketing? It shows a change in direction of the industry itself...

 

This brand is not the most expensive of brands, there are more expensive ones out there. Though, I think this brand is marginally entered the right time into Sheffield. As I think it is here to stay a bit longer. Ha-ha Bar has run its course, and it pulled out, as more better chains does better food for what it was. Now a higher-quality one has entered the market. (Well, it is not a highest of quality, but higher than previous, and you can see where the market is going, can't you? It just gets better and better as more and more enter the market. You got to change and not compete so much, as there is only a finite set of numbers of people per type of food alone.)

 

The thing I do not get about Sheffield is that, the people do not migrate out of the city very much and have been here for a very long time. Yet, if they do not get into the industry and move along with the market, then exactly where will these kind of dining establishments come from? It has to be chains. Exactly what can one expect ?

 

 

Note - I have been in there. It is good. It is clean, airy environment. People seems happier. It has moved with the times for that area. The service reminded me of a little bit of how Damons used to be when it first opened. Decent, clean service, attentive. Smiley staff. It is a really nice and family friendly place. That area has become a dining place, and it should be that way. I do not want rowdy drinking crowds to spoil my dining experiences, where I just want to sit and dine with my family and friends.

Edited by salsafan

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Nice enough place but not a patch on the Browns in Manchester. Only drank in both so cannot comment on the food.

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The food was ok the last time i went, But took a while to be served.

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I went to this place when it was HAHA and I've been wondering what the deal was with this Browns thing. Food was pretty good when I went actually and I thought it was a nice place in a good location.

 

Not been since it became Browns though...

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