The Wig and Pen, Sheffield: Very nearly lived up to exceptional expectations

I have heard very good reports about this place, from friends and online reviews, and am fully aware of the excellent reputation of the owners – they also own the Milestone in Kelham Island, where I have eaten on more than one occasion and have been very impressed. We went for dinner here on a Monday evening for a friend’s birthday, with high expectations of a very special evening.

We hadn’t booked a table (my friend didn’t feel it was necessary as it was a Monday evening), and despite it being moderately busy we got a table no problem. We had met in the bar; a waitress came over to take our drinks order and whisked us off to a table in the restaurant as soon as she knew we wished to eat. This excellent, efficient service set the tone for the evening, which was lovely! We ordered a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc (standard choice!) which was delicious... The wine list was very extensive, with something for most price ranges, although none of the choices were particularly cheap (clearly you pay the price for good wine, which I am happy to do!). The waiter regularly topped up our wine throughout the meal... A man after my own heart!

The menu was not that extensive, with only about 6 choices each for starter and main course. Presumably this is because they have them on rotation. Nevertheless, we were spoilt for choice with the clearly well devised and delicious sounding choices! We decided to just have some bread and olives to start – we were extremely hungry to glad when it arrived very quickly! The olives weren’t the best I’ve ever tasted – they weren’t especially strong in flavour, but they were nice enough. The only other comment I can make it that the butter had clearly been in the fridge and so was difficult to spread! But I’m sure I can live with that...

We didn’t have to wait long for our main courses – nevertheless, the waitress apologised for the wait and let us know when they were a few minutes off, which was nice. I ordered the duck, which came as duck breast with duck confit and shards of crackling. This came with cherries and baby lettuce leaves. We ordered some hand cut chips and green beans on the side – we were glad we did as the portions weren’t huge – and I have a healthy appetite! The duck breast was cooked perfectly, slightly pink and quite tender. I was a little disappointed that all the fat had been removed from the duck breast, as I felt this would have helped add flavour and make it even more tender. The confit duck and the crackling helped to compensate, but while these were delicious both were very salty. The cherries were a lovely accompaniment which helped lift the saltiness, but I felt more of this element was needed – maybe by developing them into more of a jus. The chips were perfectly cooked, as were the green beans – these came with pine nuts, which was a nice twist. Overall the dish was really good, but not as perfect as I expected – but maybe I just set my standards too high!

In a typically girlie fashion, we decided on cocktails rather than dessert! These were excellent and the perfect end to the meal! We also ordered some petit fours to accompany these, which turned out to be a much needed sweet taste without being too over filling. These consisted of a homemade vanilla marshmallow, a fruit and nut biscotti, a blackcurrant jelly type sweet, and marinated orange slices. They were lovely!

I would definitely try this place again, they clearly have a very advanced and creative way with food. I would like to sample other dishes to see if they can reach the perfection I seem to expect! The overall experience was lovely and very special; the service was exceptional and the atmosphere was perfect. I would definitely recommend it for a special occasion – as a couple or as a group.

The Pasta Bar – Sharrow Vale Road, Sheffield: Good food, lacking the service with a smile...

I went here for a date on a Wednesday evening. I wasn’t aware of the place – apparently it’s quite new, so we thought we’d give it a go. We hadn’t booked, but this wasn’t a problem as it wasn’t at all busy (which could have been a worry, but we went with it!) and we got a table straight away. There was no sign of any staff, and when the waitress appeared she wasn’t particularly welcoming. She gave us a choice of tables then gave us a wine list and some menus. The menu was generally typically Italian, with a few interesting alternatives which seemed refreshing. There was a specials board but there was only one special on it! Maybe Wednesday’s aren’t special enough...

The wine list was extensive and reasonably priced (something which always pleases me!) and we had a delicious bottle of Sauvignon Blanc which went down very easily. The waitress took her time to take our order (a little too much time... Especially considering there were hardly any customers in the restaurant!). We ordered garlic bread with cheese to share to start; it was huge and extremely cheesy! I am not opposed to copious amounts of cheese generally, but this was much more cheese indulgence than culinary finesse... If you’re hungry and fancy a cheese feast then go for it!

For the main course, I had a savoury cheesecake. This was on a menu as a starter, with the option of having it as a main course with salad and new potatoes. The cheesecake itself was delicious; it had ricotta and goat’s cheese in it with caramelised red onion. All my favourite things in one delicious slice! It may have worked better with some sort of chutney on the side, just to balance the richness a little. The new potatoes were...  Well, new potatoes! A relatively good accompaniment but not exactly exciting. The salad was beautifully dressed but it seemed to be more onions than salad. Not exactly what you want on a date! Simple error which could have – and should have, been avoided. My date had lasagne – it came with garlic bread (even more of it... Thankfully not with cheese this time!), but it could have done with some salad on the side – again, to balance out the heavy richness. I did try some, the pasta was clearly homemade and very nice but the balance between sauces wasn’t quite right – there needed to be more meat sauce and it could have been more intense in flavour. But then, as someone who makes very good lasagne regularly (if I may say so myself...) I’m very difficult to please in that department!

We didn’t have dessert (to be honest after all that cheese I couldn’t face it!) but the menu choices looked delicious. I may have to return, just to have dessert! The waitress took far too long to bring the bill and take payment... In fact she was generally very slow and wholly inattentive throughout the meal. Good service is something I feel is extremely important, and in a small intimate restaurant (which wasn’t very busy) I expected it to be better. Despite this, the meal was generally lovely (not perfect, but lovely), it was reasonably priced, the wine was delicious and the surroundings were good. I might go again, but not for definite, and I’d only recommend it if it was convenient for you... Don’t make an extra special effort to travel from the other side of town! If you like Italian food, maybe give it a go. Probably for lunch, the dining experience didn’t feel special enough for an evening occasion.

Welcome to the world of blogging, Rosie Posie...

So, where to start??
My initial plan was to blog about food and restaurants... The main thing I love to do is eat :) Dieting is definitely no fun. But then I realised that I do plenty of other fun things, why not just review it all? I'll do my best to be helpful and entertaining :) Enjoy! Follow me on twitter - @PuddingsAndWine
Rosie x