Date night last week was spent feasting on a fabulous 3-course meal in this beautiful corner of the Florentine Pub…

We had a lovely meal and I’ve been meaning to write this review up for the past few days … but you know sunshine. I’ve been more or less laid horizontal for the past few days in the back garden and you know what it’s been really rather nice.

We are back to drizzle in Sheffield, so here I am … like Arnie.

The Florentine is situated on Tapton Park Road which is just off Fulwood Road. It stands regally in its own grounds with plenty of car-parking.

The entrance from the car-park takes you up a fleet of stairs which may prove tricky for elderly and disabled customers but I did note there is another entrance to the side of the building with no steps. Just worth noting.

Interior wise The Florentine is a mismatch of colours and furniture. Slightly worn [in areas] striped carpet, bold print wallpaper and lots of unusual nick-nacks. I loved it however the Boyfriend wasn’t so sure he thought it was a bit dark and dated.

After quizzing our waiter we discovered its actually 4 years ago that it was last refurbished. To be honest apart from the worn carpet it doesn’t look in bad nick.

Interiors discussed [and disagreed upon] we perused the menu. As per usual I couldn’t decide what to have. Sometimes the easiest of things become such a big issue for me !

They offer such a large choice of food from burgers, roast dinners to charcoal oven steaks and wood fired pizzas

In the end I plumped for duck starter, vegetarian main and Lemon Meringue for dessert. I’m not vegetarian it just sounded right up my street.

The Boyfriend had scotch egg, fish and chips and panacotta.

We were recommended a bottle of white wine to compliment our meals . Our waiter suggested ‘Saint Clair’ a Savignon Blanc and who were we to argue.

OMG …

it was seriously the best bottle of wine I’ve tasted in a while. I’d even go as far as to say it’s maybe the best wine I’ve ever tasted . We aren’t big wine drinkers but we both thoroughly enjoyed this bottle. Absolutely delicious.

Saint Clair Savignon Blanc

• 125ml glass – £5.60
• 175ml glass – £8.00
• Bottle – £31.00

Starters :

Soy marinated duck, cucumber, radish , spring onion noodle salad with sesame seeds and soy sauce – £8.50

Again as always with me it’s a case of not reading the menu correctly.

I don’t really like noodles , so when it came out I was like “argh”. However I’ve got to say I enjoyed it [I just couldn’t look at the noodles as I ate] I’ve never experienced noodles cold before and combined with the richness of the duck, the soy sauce and fresh lime it was actually rather tasty.

Ham and mustard scotch egg with cauliflower purée – £5.95

The BF scoffed this down in no time . His verdict “very nice definitely a 9/10” My BF is the fussiest eater ever so this is high praise indeed!

Winner, winner scotch egg dinner.

Mains:

Roasted cauliflower and chestnut mushroom Pennie pasta , Creme fraiche [ V ] – £9.95

It was nice, if a little bland. I had to add a lot of salt and pepper. I realise I chose the vegetarian option [ I know , I know ! ] but I couldn’t help thinking a few pieces of chicken thrown in would have made it superb. I’m a massive pasta fan but I couldn’t see an option with meat in on the menu … perhaps an addition that they could think about in the future ?

Ale battered fish, triple cooked chips, mushy garden peas , rape seed mayo and tartare sauce -£12.95

I have to admit I was dribbling as the waiter put the fish and chips down in front of the BF. They looked and smelt bloody amazing.

He gave it a 7 out of 10. His words “nice but nothing special” See so fussy !

Desserts:

Lemon Meringue Pavlova, lemon curd and toasted almonds – £6.50

OMG …

that’s the second time I’ve said that today! This was the daddy of desserts. Quite seriously I could have eaten this again … and again . The meringue combined with the lemon curd and almonds set off a taste-bud party in my mouth!

Delicious.

If you’ve not got the appetite of two grown men [ like me ], you could probably get away with sharing this as its rather large portion.

Buttermilk Pennacotta, freeze dried raspberries with raspberries sorbet -£6.50

While I didn’t think it looked as good as mine [ or as big – my eyes are definitely bigger than my tummy ! ] BF reassured me it was seriously good and gave it an 8 out of 10, which as BF ratings go – is bloody amazing.

So there you have it …

I have to say we both thoroughly enjoyed our night out . Stand out dishes for me where the dessert and the bottle of wine. From the BF marks out of 10 his would appear to have been the starter and the bottle of wine.

The Florentine is open 7 days a week and serves food from 12 noon to 10pm Monday to Saturday. On a Sunday from 12 noon to 9.30pm.

To book a table or make an enquiry please call 0114 230 8692.

If you fancied making a night of  it they even offer accommodation in the form of  11 boutique rooms. Just think of all the Saint Clair you could drink!

Have you been to The Florentine and if so what should I try next time? I’m sure we’ll be back soon.

Thank you for having us.

Tracey x

• The meal was complimentary in return for a review. As always all words and opinions are strictly my own. Thank you
• Feature photograph is courtesy of Roche Communications