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What's
your name?
Lou Wilford
Where
is it?
Crucible Theatre Restaurant, The Crucible, 55 Norfolk Street, Sheffield
S1
What's
the number?
0114
249 6000
What's
the grub like, then?
I've been here twice in the past year, both times at Christmas.
In
Dec 2001, we had a Christmas meal prior to seeing 'High Society'
in the theatre, and in 2003, we had what was supposed to be the
Christmas meal prior to seeing 'Sweet Charity'.
I can't
say I was overly impressed on either occasion.
The
Christmas meal in 2001 was reasonable, but sounded much more exciting
on the menu than it looked when it arrived.
Portions
tend to be small, and it was disappointing given the expectations
built up by the fancy food descriptions.
Since
then, the restaurant has been revamped and is now fairly stylish
in a minimalist way, though it does resemble a 1970s caff in some
ways.
The
emphasis on style over substance is, sadly, still there, however.
They have admittedly cool triangular menus, in fashionable brown,
and these days, due to the time constraints on theatre-goers, presumably,
you don't order starters and mains, but just order what you want
and it all arrives together. The
food on the menu is arranged in columns, each increasing in price.
Again,
it looks cool and interesting, but the food was disappointing. I
had red snapper, which was overcooked, and my partner had sausages
and mash, which he quite enjoyed.
Desserts
were humdrum, unfortunately.
What
did you drink?
We didn't have time for much slurping, and my partner was on steroids
at the time so couldn't have alcohol. However, the mineral water
and orange juice was as you'd expect...
What's
the crowd like?
Depends on what play is on at the Crucible and the Lyceum. I guess,
if it's grand opera, you'll get large women in fur stoles, and if
it's Alan Ayckbourne you'll get middle aged, middle class schoolteachers...
Sorry,
I'm stereotyping, but it is true that most of the clientele were
theatre-goers, so in fact it was a mixture of family groups and
couples of all ages when we last visited the restaurant.
And
the vibe?
I don't like the atmosphere much, personally. There is a sense of
being rushed even though the service is actually quite slow (though
pleasant). The small room manages to seem cavernous even when filled
with diners - there is something about this place which sucks out
your will to live.
Anything
else you'd like to say?
I am seriously unimpressed by the organisation at this restaurant.
In
2001, we booked the Christmas meal SIX WEEKS in advance, but when
we visited the theatre a week before our booking and happened to
call in to the restaurant to confirm, we were told that they had
no record of our booking!
After
I threw a duck fit, they did manage to squeeze us in.
This
year, we booked specifically for the Christmas Dinner, but actually
just got the ordinary dinner, while one party in a corner had the
full works complete with crackers etc - though they all clearly
felt very self-conscious among the other more spartan diners.
The
restaurant can't quite shrug off it's air of being run by Rotherham
MBC's catering department - it isn't run by them, but it carries
an air of being so, probably due to the odd mix of waiters/waitresses
who range from handsome young guns to middle-aged women who look
like they should be serving in cosy tea rooms (I've no problem with
this, but it is disconcerting).
And
the whole place is far too impressed by its own supposed coolness,
and in fact has virtually negative elements of genuine style. I
wouldn't recommend it.
Value
for money?
Prices varied depending on what you ordered, but I'd say it is generally
overpriced for the quality of the food.
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