This is just a little taster of what ayah and I had been up to, makan-wise, since March.

Firstly, we have Carluccio’s, a chain of Italian eateries that we first tried out in Bicester a few years back. A branch finally opened in the Oasis section of Meadowhall, and I thought to revisit the place. The waiting staff was very friendly and attentive, despite it being a very busy Saturday afternoon.



Ayah had a similar pan-fried sea bass dish we had last time, with the difference the branzino con finocchio e capperi was that it was served with fennel and capers. I felt like a pasta, and ordered some garlic focaccia with it. I chose the pasta alla puttanesca and I was glad that were happy to let me choose to have the linguine as opposed to the penne. The anchovies were not overbearingly salty and the linguine was spot on al dente. It was light enough, too, which I didn’t really complain about as I had, err, something to eat just a few hours before. And because of that, I didn’t really have space for an affogato. I’ll defo come back.

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Another new(ish) makan place in Sheffield is Patisserie Valerie, a chain that actually had its roots in early 20th-century London. The first and last time I visited the place was at its Bayswater branch at which time I only something hot to drink. Well, this time was more of a hari ini aku nak makan kek! day. Ayah ordered the obligatory hot choc which I followed suit (still doesn’t beat the one we had at Edinburgh’s Golden Mile back in ’08, said ayah).

I had a choc mousse (above left) one time and on a subsequent visit had a similar one called a giotto (above left). Cannot eat selalu but damn nice. Heh.

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After all these months, I finally got to try the sushi at Edo Sushi, a small take-away hidden away in Highcourt Chambers in the city centre (I had to use Google Maps as I was not familiar with the place, and I’ve lived here like 15 years?). This place is relatively new, and since I was blown away initially by the sushi at Wasabisabi, and then Yama Sushi, I had to try this place. The photos on their Facebook page were enticing, and the chef was actually Japanese! Both ayah and I love the salmon teriyaki rice, and he would take all the beni shōga 「紅生姜」, aka halia, as I don’t really like them in vast quantities (a lil’ bit is OK, and you have to have it in takoyaki, which I just love). For sushi, the fish they have would be the usual さけ (salmon[1] – they do a seared version if you cannot tahan raw fish), まぐろ (the less controversial line-caught yellowfin tuna[2]), すずき (sea bass), and sometimes はまち (yellowtail) if they get the supply. They have たこ (octopus) but not いか (squid), which I prefer.

Verdict? Absolutely gorgeous. For me, the sushi at Edo and Yama Sushi will be a tie, quality-wise, if not better[3].

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[1]Salmon was never originally used to be eaten raw as sashimi or sushi (salmon was usually eaten cooked in Japanese cuisine then). It came about after the Norwegians marketed salmon to the Japanese in the 1980s and Norwegian salmon is said to be the salmon of choice in sushi in Japan these days.
[2]No おとろ. We ain’t at Tsukiji.
[2]We’re talking Sheffield here. South Yorkshire. London semua tu jangan la kira.