Location: The Botanical, Ecclesall Road, Sheffield (formerly Varsity for those that know the area)
Time: All around 12.00/13.00ish (3 times so far)
Dining partner: S
Score (out of 5): 3.5
So Varsity got a major overhall and facelift! I don't think I ever went in when it was Varsity actually - it always looked too dark to me. But Since starting my MSc I've eaten in there three times.
The atmosphere is light and relaxed. I particularly love the mix and match feel of the seating - booths and your standard table and chairs mingle with sofas and quirky chairs and lower tables. The music isn't offensively loud and the bar itself isn't too sticky - although sometime it could definitely do with a wipe!
The staff are young and friendly. It is frequented by both students and young professionals from various companies dotted along Eccy Rd which means the staff look like the types who would be eating and drinking in there if they didn't work there. The bar staff couldn't really be any more helpful although the waiting staff have left me and my companion often wanting a little more - a smile and a few manners wouldn't hurt a couple of them!
The food is affordable and there's always an offer on to tempt the more budget conscious (i.e. me!). The wrap and a drink deal is on Monday to Friday over lunch (I think it actually ends around 5pm so is also great for an early tea) costs less that a fiver and is filling...very filling. The Fat Wrap is my personal favourite at the moment - chicken, bacon, cheese, BBQ sauce and onion rings all in a wrap and served with chips (or upgrade to curly fries for 99p) although trying to concentrate in a forensic psychology lecture after one of those is hard - all you're going to want to do is sleep!
Also good value are the buckets. A bucket filled with meat (and chips if you pick the right one) either to yourself or share - we shared on that particular occassion, glad we did too as it meant we had just about enough food each and room for a sweet treat (from Greggs next door not The Botanical though).
Overall a nice, affordable place to grab some food. Go at the right time and service is prompt so there's not much waiting round. Go at the wrong time and you better hope you don't mind being accompanied by noisy undergraduates from the campus nearby. Don't worry though they soon start to realise that they money isn't endless and that they can't sustain eating like kings every lunch time during terms!
Out of five I think I'll give it a 3.5 for now - can't do that one pictorally/with asterisks though so a numerical rating it is. I'd recommend it if you're in the local vicinity but it's probably not worth the walk (or short bus ride) from the city centre.
Rachel (&Stacey)
I have also noted I use exclamation marks ALOT...sorry if you don't like them but their up there in my top five pieces of punctuation so you'll have to live with it I think =]
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Tuesday, 16 August 2011
Pizza Express, Sheffield
Location: Pizza Express, Sheffield City Centre
Time: 12.30approx
Score (out of 5): ****
There's always going to be one place you've never eaten. For me this was Pizza Express at the top of Division Street. It wasn't that I had been actively avoiding eating there, I'd just never managed to get round to it.
From the outside the restaurant looks inviting and pleasant. On entering my first thought was that there was a lot of tables for the relatively small space and they all seemed quite close together. J argued that I was just fussy but it's all in the details right?! Pizza Express doesn't play music but I actually found this nice, it allowed us to talk and enjoy the atmosphere created by a room filled with happy customers. The bar area is a dedicated corner which creates an open and inviting atmosphere when wanting a member of staff's attention and the staff never seem to be loitering or doing nothing in particular.
The tables were all set for the lunch service and whilst there were plenty of tables I noticed that a majority for group of four with a couple of larger table and only a couple set for two. As it was, the two of us ended up being seated by a member of the waiting team who was obviously a novice - he didn't do anything particularly wrong but his service certainly has room to improve! With three members of floor staff and one additional floor walker who seemed to be a member of the management team I can say we were well looked after. Service was quick and relaxed but suitably professional.
Rachel ordered the Pollo de Astra and I had the Etna (possibly the largest Pizza I've ever seen a man single handedly demolish! - Rachel). The food arrived quickly, was fresh and most importantly of all was delightful. I soon demolished my beautifully presented, giant, pizza whilst Rachel gradually worked her way through as much of hers as I could manage (3/4 of it - a new personal best for her). They were served fresh from the oven on plate sthe same size as them - I would have appreciated a larger plate but hey-ho! Although once we had finished our plates were cleared promptly and we never saw the last quarter of Rachel's pizza despite expecting for it to be returned in a little take-away box. Never fear after such a tasty meal I won't hesitate to visit again!
Best of all we weren't harassed by staff, although we were offered the dessert menu twice (a little mis/non-communication I think).
The establishment was tidy (despite feeling cramped to me) and mostly clean - a little left over confetti on the floor from a previous celebration and a dusty cross bar on one of the higher, bench style table but I can forgive them that. The atmosphere was pleasant and the staff well mannered and polite. One of my favourite elements of the service has to be that just as Rachel was finishing her glass of water one of the staff members brought over another - a great touch that showed that even during a service where there was a couple of larger groups the individual customers, of smaller groups, were still payed a high level of attention discretely.
All in all a great first experience of this food chain, great company, food and service lead me to give this branch a score of 4/5. This may seem high, and I will be returning to ensure that the great service wasn't a fluke, but I feel they are well worthy of it.
Jamie&Rachel
R
Time: 12.30approx
Score (out of 5): ****
There's always going to be one place you've never eaten. For me this was Pizza Express at the top of Division Street. It wasn't that I had been actively avoiding eating there, I'd just never managed to get round to it.
From the outside the restaurant looks inviting and pleasant. On entering my first thought was that there was a lot of tables for the relatively small space and they all seemed quite close together. J argued that I was just fussy but it's all in the details right?! Pizza Express doesn't play music but I actually found this nice, it allowed us to talk and enjoy the atmosphere created by a room filled with happy customers. The bar area is a dedicated corner which creates an open and inviting atmosphere when wanting a member of staff's attention and the staff never seem to be loitering or doing nothing in particular.
The tables were all set for the lunch service and whilst there were plenty of tables I noticed that a majority for group of four with a couple of larger table and only a couple set for two. As it was, the two of us ended up being seated by a member of the waiting team who was obviously a novice - he didn't do anything particularly wrong but his service certainly has room to improve! With three members of floor staff and one additional floor walker who seemed to be a member of the management team I can say we were well looked after. Service was quick and relaxed but suitably professional.
Rachel ordered the Pollo de Astra and I had the Etna (possibly the largest Pizza I've ever seen a man single handedly demolish! - Rachel). The food arrived quickly, was fresh and most importantly of all was delightful. I soon demolished my beautifully presented, giant, pizza whilst Rachel gradually worked her way through as much of hers as I could manage (3/4 of it - a new personal best for her). They were served fresh from the oven on plate sthe same size as them - I would have appreciated a larger plate but hey-ho! Although once we had finished our plates were cleared promptly and we never saw the last quarter of Rachel's pizza despite expecting for it to be returned in a little take-away box. Never fear after such a tasty meal I won't hesitate to visit again!
Best of all we weren't harassed by staff, although we were offered the dessert menu twice (a little mis/non-communication I think).
The establishment was tidy (despite feeling cramped to me) and mostly clean - a little left over confetti on the floor from a previous celebration and a dusty cross bar on one of the higher, bench style table but I can forgive them that. The atmosphere was pleasant and the staff well mannered and polite. One of my favourite elements of the service has to be that just as Rachel was finishing her glass of water one of the staff members brought over another - a great touch that showed that even during a service where there was a couple of larger groups the individual customers, of smaller groups, were still payed a high level of attention discretely.
All in all a great first experience of this food chain, great company, food and service lead me to give this branch a score of 4/5. This may seem high, and I will be returning to ensure that the great service wasn't a fluke, but I feel they are well worthy of it.
Jamie&Rachel
R
Saturday, 13 August 2011
The beginning
Always an appropriate place from which to start. To produce clarity all from the start I shall provide a few details:
I am starting this blog as a store of food memories and experiences - good and bad. Also, maybe I'll inform Joe/Jane Doe from somewhere else, who knows?! My love of food coupled with my love of good company and a great atmosphere has fed an obsession with exploring eateries and take aways looking for the perfect foodie hit. With my job taking me to a number of cities and my passion for exploring somewhere new this could lead to an extremely varied content with the reviews ranging from tea rooms in Yorkshire to restaurant in London even moving to far flung foreign climbs. There will also be the odd recipe review chucked in for good measure
So if you like food, and you don't mind the ramblings of a (some might say young) lady stay tuned for foodie thoughts and the odd random moment.
- I am a 21 year old woman.
- The contents of this blog are entirely based on my personal experiences and opinion and those of my dining companion
- I do not eat alone in any of these establishments
- Only the name and city in which the restaurant/branch in based will be mentionned
- I have not been in any way coerced to provide particular reviews
- I love carbs and I love meat - I'm not going to deny it but I will still explore both vegetarian and vegan offerings
- I love to cook as much as I love to eat so stay tuned for recipe reviews and the like
I am starting this blog as a store of food memories and experiences - good and bad. Also, maybe I'll inform Joe/Jane Doe from somewhere else, who knows?! My love of food coupled with my love of good company and a great atmosphere has fed an obsession with exploring eateries and take aways looking for the perfect foodie hit. With my job taking me to a number of cities and my passion for exploring somewhere new this could lead to an extremely varied content with the reviews ranging from tea rooms in Yorkshire to restaurant in London even moving to far flung foreign climbs. There will also be the odd recipe review chucked in for good measure
So if you like food, and you don't mind the ramblings of a (some might say young) lady stay tuned for foodie thoughts and the odd random moment.
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