Ego, Sheffield City Centre

I know this one is a chain, which normally I don't review, but it is a restaurant I hadn't been to before.  Ego is a Mediterranean restaurant, next to the winter gardens and one of the precious few restaurants in town that I could find that had a pretheatre menu on a Tuesday.  Two courses for £12.95 (James has fixed the laptop so I now have a pound sign) or three courses for £14.95.

We were seated next to the window (which I happen to like) on a square table.  The chairs were comfortable enough but they were tricky to sit up in to eat.  I had grilled goats cheese to start.  It was very salty (I am a salty sea dog) and served on toasted brioche.  It was a light dish and piping hot throughout.  The only complaint I have is that there wasn't enough of the chutney and balsamic syrup to fully balance out the cloying texture of the cheese, but that's just nit-picky.  Overall I really enjoyed the starter and thought it was just different enough to stand up to it being a chain restaurant.  James had the pate (naturally) and he enjoyed it a great deal.  It came with a chutney that was served in a really cute little glass lever top jar!  That was the best thing for me, I wanted to steal it (but I didn't!).

For a main I had the salmon in a cream mustard sauce.  It was a tad bland but the texture of the fish was superb.  Perfectly cooked and flaky yet moist.  James had the steak (again, naturally!) which he requested cooked rare.  James is a steak fiend and will judge a restaurant based entirely on how they cook their meat.  Whilst he was pleased it wasn't overcooked, it was closer to blue then rare.  It needed to be hot through.  The vegetables were shared between us which I liked, they were al dente which I don't normally like but with the softness of the fish I needed the bite of the vegetables to alleviate the dish somewhat.

I didn't have a dessert of my own.  I'm THAT kind of girl.  So I was handed James' fork and shared his tirimisu.  I'm a giant tirimisu fan.  The dish was soaked with Kahlua.  I understand it has to have a healthy whack of it to make the taste right but it was drenched.  You pressed on the creamy top and it leaked out.  James quite enjoyed it but it was just too much for me.  I prefer a bit more emphasis on the creamyness then the coffee liquor.

I would recommend Ego as a pretheatre venue, not least because it is bang opposite the Lyceum and Crucible.  It was good for a chain and I would go back.  I imagine they would cope quite well with large groups (but I have nothing to base that on).  7.5/10.

Dada, City Centre, Sheffield

And it was again time for a catch up with a friend from work I see far too little of.  We are a wine-and-cheese-partner-come-pick-me-up-I'm-very-drunk kind of a couple when we get together.  Generally this means we stumble around each other's houses of a weekday afternoon but we wanted some fresh air.  So my friend recommended Dada on Trippet Lane.

Dada mostly does sharing platters, so the choice seemed ideal.  We opted for 3 cheeses, pate, chorizo, olives, pomodorello tomatoes, hummous and two different types of tapenade.  It also came with a basket of bread and butter and crackers.  We coupled this with a chilled bottle of dry white wine.  The result was utterly delicious.  The tapenades and hummous were home made and tasted like it (in a good way).  There was plenty of them, I was eating the hummous with my fingers when we ran out of things to spread it on and the tapenade choices were unusual enough to be interesting.  We weren't exactly spoiled for choice on the cheeses, but the ones we did opt for were adequate.  Don't get me wrong, they complimented the rest of the board very well indeed, but they were run of the mill cheeses, nothing jumped out at me.  The same with the meats.  The chorizo and pate added depth of flavour and texture to the board, again complimenting the rest of the choices we made but not something you can't get anywhere else.

I am being harsh here.  Overall the deli board was exactly what we wanted.  It was a little bit different to the sharer platters offered else where and whilst we didn't pick them, the other options were very ploughman's lunchish and would have made a nice addition to the meats and cheeses.  The service was fast and friendly.  The venue being what it is, the interior can't help but be dark though not oppressively so.  More like a bar in town when they turn down the lights for 'ambiance'.  They've altered the decor from when it was a wine bar just enough for it to be obvious the place has changed hands.  The only real complaint I have is that we paid the extra £1.50 for bread of the day, for it to be just 3 slices of bread.  Considering the amount of spreadable items on the platter, I would have expected twice that.

I would give Dada a 8.5/10.  Unusual enough to check it out and definitely one I would recommend should you wish for a cheese and wine day yourself.  We will be going back ourselves in hopefully the not too distant future.

Cupcake Decorating Class, Cafe Central, Matlock

Another Groupon find.  My good friend Phil and I decided to partake in a cupcake decorating class in Matlock.  We did not bake the cupcakes, nor did we create the sugar or the frosting.  It was basically like spending two hours with edible playdoh.

Matlock is not a particularly tricky place to drive to, but my little clio Stella wasn't impressed by the obcene gradient of the hills.  Our class was at 6pm so I had no trouble parking quite close to the cafe, but should you go to the class at 3pm I recommend you get there enough in advance to scope out a parking spot that you can stay in for more then one hour at a time.  

I got there about 40mins early as the owners were setting up.  They are a pleasant couple who as well as running the cafe, decorate wedding cakes and cupcakes for any number of events.  They also run other confectionery, baking and decorating classes.  After everyone got there and had a complimentary tea/coffee, the instructor went through the basics of spooning frosting on to the cakes then topping them with patterned icing.  It was oodles of fun, using patterned rolling pins and cutters to blanket the top of the cupcakes.  We were then shown how to use molds and pearls to decorate the rest of the cakes.  Half way through there were more drinks and a sample of cupcakes prepared by the owners.  They were topped just with frosting and were bland but teeth achingly sweet.  The instructor also came round with a sample of chocolate cake which, whilst rich, was on the dry side.  

 

After two hours of playing and feeling proud of myself like a three year old who's made a duplo tower, Phil and I left with a box each of cupcakes decorated by our own fair hands.  I loved how they looked, but I don't like thick icing and the cupcakes underneath were soft but tasteless.  Should professionally iced cupcakes be your thing, you would love them.

All in all I would definitely go back for another class and it was a fun and unusual way to spend a few hours but the eating of the cakes was not as fun as playing with the icing.

White Chocolate Chunk Muffins with Raspberry Frosting

These are delicious.  Tart yet sweet, this recipe makes approx. 12 muffins and toppings.  Mine are not the prettiest as I had nothing to use to properly decorate the tops with raspberry sauce.  The pictures are of the raspberry muffins plus some muffins with milk chocolate chunks and vanilla frosting.  They are teeth-achingly yummy and ideal for that mid-afternoon time at work when you need a quick pick-me-up.  This recipe may at a glance look long winded and difficult but trust me - if I can do this, anyone can.

Basic muffin recipe

• 300mls milk
• 100mls vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 120g caster sugar
• 250g self raising flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 100g white chocolate roughly chopped in to chunks

Raspberry sauce

• 75g fresh raspberries 
• 2 tablespoons icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon water

Frosting

• 250g unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 100g icing sugar (approx.)
• 2-5 teaspoons raspberry sauce

Muffin method

1. Preheat oven to 180c and line a muffin tray with cases.
2. Beat egg and caster sugar until light and fluffy.  In another bowl combine oil and milk.
3. Add oil and milk to sugar and egg and mix until combined.  Stir in flour, baking powder and chocolate until incorporated.
4. 3/4 fill muffin cases and bake for 15-20 mins, until a wooden toothpick comes out lean.

 Raspberry sauce method

1.  Place all ingredients into a small saucepan and set to a very low heat.
2. Stir continuously until all raspberries have melted away into a seedy goo approx 10 mins and the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
3. Strain through a sieve (I used a tea strainer) into a separate bowl.

Raspberry icing method

1.  Beat butter until softened.  Add icing sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until texture begins to get thick.  Alternate adding teaspoons of raspberry sauce with tablespoons of icing sugar, whipping with a fork in between each until the frosting achieves the desired consistency.

And finally....

1. Spoon the frosting on top of the muffins and smooth out.  I've been using a spoon for the this and using a circular motion, but go wild.  A piping bag would probably be more artful.
2. Give the frosting a little bit of time to set, then top with the rest of the raspberry sauce.  I attempted to spoon it on and it ran everywhere.  Good for Halloween cakes, but not ideal for pretty little summery muffins.  Next time I'll find a little bottle and splurt it on a bit neater.

For the milk chocolate and vanilla ones, I used the same recipe for the muffins, then used a few drops of blue food colouring and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract in the frosting and topped with sprinkles. 

 

The Wig and Pen, City Centre

So James' mum didn't make a Sunday dinner last week (how dare she?!).  We'd been meaning to visit The Wig and Pen for Sunday dinner for a while and since it was Tramlines weekend, we got the bus into town and exploited their three courses for 13.95 (still can't find the pound sign), Sunday lunch and jazz deal.  We visited this restaurant last year for my birthday not long after it was taken over by the guys who run The Milestone on Kelham Island.  At that time (Feb 2011) it was quite expensive and a bit overly fancy.  I think the Milestone guys were still riding high on their success with Gordon Ramsey.  The Wig and Pen has now come back down to earth a bit and is offering local, fresh and seasonal produce at competitive rates with a Michelin-esque flourish.

For starters I had ham hock terrine, served with mint pea puree, fresh peas and pea shoots.  The terrine was salty and chunky and when blended with the peas, it was light and fresh and just a tad sweet.  There wasn't enough pea puree (I love peas) and I did have to pull a chunk of fat out of my mouth but that's kind of the point with terrine.  James' starter was a salt cured salmon with a cucumber sorbet and a beetroot puree.  Again it was light and fresh, perfectly balanced and the different textures from the salmon, cucumber, sorbet and puree complimented each other very well.  These, as all of the dishes, were well presented and visually appetising.

My main course was a whole plaice, crushed jersey royals and a crayfish crumble.  'Crayfish crumble?!' I here you say.  Yes indeed.  There was a small amount of it but you didn't need any more.  It was very rich and creamy, so different but delicious.  I'm a big potato girl, and the jerseys were crushed with spinach.  I had to add salt, but I can't really mark them down for that, as I'm a salty sea dog!  The plaice was perfectly cooked and just fell off the bones.  Perfectly complimented by the pickled carrots, just enough of a tang to bring the fish out of itself and prevent it from being bland.  James' choice was a classic Sunday lunch, pot roast guinea fowl with all the trimmings.  The yorkshire pudding was a monster!  But it was crispy and delicate.  The guinea fowl was moist and full of flavour, the vegetables still had some bite (not to my taste but again, that's how they're meant to be!).  Finished off with a gravy that was just the right side of thick.  I'm a big believer in ideal gravy consistency.

 
The desserts did not disappoint on aesthetics, but unfortunately did disappoint on tasting.  My choice was apple crumble and apple terrine.  It came with a big blob of cinnamon sauce on the side.  The terrine was disappointing.  It was so tart it was practically sour, and it's layers slid apart when you attempted to slice it with your spoon.  When taken with the cinnamon sauce it remained unappealing.  The crumble was delicious, but again it was very cinammony and after a few mouthfuls it was very cloying.  The dish simply lacked something.  Even being served on slate didn't save it.  James, as exemplified in previous posts, is a massive pudding fan.  The chocolatier the better.  So there was only ever going to be one choice for him, the chocolate brownie.  It came with homemade honeycomb, milk puree and a milk sorbet.  The honeycomb was fantastically sticky but again, that's where it ended.  The brownie was only slightly soft in the middle, whereas we would have expected it to be gooey.  The milk sorbet and ice cream were mildly interesting but were not strong enough in flavour to add anything to the dish.

The desserts being short of the mark has dropped the score for this restaurant but the overall quality of the food was superb.  The atmosphere was relaxed, but the live jazz a tad too loud through the speakers.  The Wig and Pen would have scored an 8/10, but when the bill came, they had over charged us for my dessert.  I pointed it out and the waitress was very friendly and altered the charge without a quibble.  But this minor detail means that the overall score was 7.5/10.  I highly recommend this place either for a meal or just for a casual drink and a nibble.

World's best triple chocolate cookies

Yes, that does sound like a very pompous title, but the instant you taste these bad boys, you will totally understand why I make this claim.  Apologies for the mixture of weights but chocolate comes in grams!

• 4oz margarine
• 3oz dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp golden syrup
• 4oz self raising flour
• 2oz cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp milk
• 100g white chocolate, roughly chopped
• 100g milk chocolate, roughly chopped

 

1. Heat oven to 180c and grease 2 baking trays (remember I recommend that you grease the trays then put greaseproof paper on them.  Sounds daft but it makes the paper stick to the tray and stops the cookis from sticking).
2.  Beat margarine untill soft, then add sugar and cream together until light and fluffy.
3. Stir in syrup, flour and cocoa and stir until well mixed.  Add milk and chocolate and stir until evenly mixed.
4. Place table spoons of the mixture onto the baking trays and bake for NO MORE THEN 10 MINUTES!  I don't care how not done they look, bang on 10 minutes, no more and no less.  
5. They will be hard to get off the baking tray and they may attempt to fall apart when you do.  You must remove them to a wire rack to cool straight away, just be very gentle with them.

These are James' favourites.  They are ultimately chocolatey and may be very cloying but as they crumble so easy they can be eaten in little bits.  They are gooey in the middle and go great with ice cream.

The Sandwich Division, Division Street

I had an amazing roast beef and salad sandwich in town yesterday.  So there I was, it's just gone one o'clock and as my James doesn't check his phone, I'm all alone and at a loss as to where to go to eat.  I considered Subway as I always have my kindle and wanted to sit in somewhere but the darn place is always so full.  I was on my way to a different sandwich shop when I passed The Sandwich Division.  It was an irregularly sunny day and I thought hmmmmmmmm.....why not?  And I'm very glad I did.  There was a great big chalkboard behind the counter which was clear and the choices/pricing was easy to follow.  There was a choice of bread and when I asked for the roast beef he asked if I wanted it pink.  Which, let's face it, is always going to be a great big YES!  I asked for salad and when I looked at the choices under the counter it wasn't just same old lettuce cucumber and tomato.  There was grated carrot, sweetcorn, beetroot and a host of other healthy optional extras.  There was also plenty of additional sauces.  

I ended up being one of those people who sit eating lunch on the steps of the city hall.  With my trusty kindle and a bottle of water I was all set.  The bread cake was soft and doughy and the beef was pink (as requested) and juicy.  The iceberg lettuce was a bit on the yellow side but still crunchy and the rest of the salad perfectly complimented the meat.  All the vegetables were tender and crisp.  They were also dry enough so they didn't make the sandwich all soggy.  I was pleasantly surprised by my sandwich and I would definitely go back again!  So often sandwich shops are over the top these days, trying to be gourmet, it was a breath of fresh air to find somewhere that is simple and honest and happy to have basics like potted meat on the menu.  They also sell salad boxes, individual fruit, fruit salad boxes, crisps, soft drinks and a very tempting range of delicious looking baked treats.

Had it not been a sunny day I don't think I would have ended up there as it's a proper takeaway so there is no seating.  But for anyone who works in the city I would highly recommend The Sandwich Division whatever the weather.  I rate it at 7.5/10.