A sure thing

CHRIS WILSON VISITS ONE OF THE BEST VALUE-FOR-MONEY DINING OPTIONS IN THE CITY.

ver the years I have always enjoyed the air of expectation that comes with a visit to Napoleons Casino. Games of chance (I’m sure some would say skill) aren’t really my bag, so we’re talking about the restaurant, rather than the card and roulette tables.

Nevertheless, the fact that a visit to the dining area requires a walk through the low-lit permanent neon glow of the gaming floor adds to that sense of occasion.

It also doesn’t hurt that Napoleons remain one of the very best value-formoney options in Sheffield’s competitive eating out scene, with the Dine in Style menu offering three courses and a drink from the bar for £29 per person from Sunday to Thursday and £35 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Old hands will know that Dine in Style also offers a £5 bet and despite my lack of knowledge in this twilit world it did provide a frisson of excitement at the end of the evening. More of that later… we’re here to eat.

The restaurant is nice and spacious, service is extremely attentive and the menu changes every other month so there’s always something new to try.

For starters, lamb koftas were succulent and spicy, imaginatively presented in a popadom basket, while the accompanying raita sauce, apple and coriander salad and mango syrup ensured that every mouthful was an explosion of tastes and textures.

Another starter scoring highly for imaginative flavour combinations was a rich, fleshy fillet of scorched mackerel served with beetroot and horseradish relish, pickled cucumber, and radish and watercress oil.

Our meal had got off to a great start and standards remained high as I ordered a classic chargrilled sirloin steak, served with wilted greens and smoked bacon, gnocchi with creamed garlic mushrooms. Main courses are served with seasonal vegetables and portions are on the generous side but seeing as I was treating myself to a hunk of red meat I couldn’t resist a side order of triple cooked chips (£3) and very good they were too, crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, perfect for that juicy steak served medium rare.

My friend Claudia ordered Korean glazed belly pork which came with stirfried noodles, a crispy pork wonton, pak choi and sticky plum reduction. Not too spicy but certainly not bland, it was demolished with great relish.

And so to desserts, and we shared a warm gingerbread pudding which was wonderfully moist and was served with clotted cream ice-cream and butterscotch sauce, and an equally splendid Biscoff cheesecake, with caramelised bananas and salted caramel sauce.

To drink, a large glass of the house Sauvignon Blanc (£6.70) and another large glass of the house Shiraz (£6.70) eased me into the weekend nicely. Claudia sipped water and kept a clear head, perhaps aware that there was that small matter of a free bet to tackle before we called it a night.

We decided a spin on a roulette wheel was the way to go, for no reason other than it was close to the restaurant, and while our decidedly scattergun approach lacked any science or aforethought, we quickly built up a small profit and quit while the going was good.

So, no gaming tips from me but do visit the Napoleons restaurant. It’s the nearest thing you’ll find to a sure thing.

Napoleons

17 Livesey Street, Sheffield S6 2BL Tel: 0114 285 5566 www.napoleons-casinos.co.uk

At a glance:

H Contemporary setting

H Varied menu, changes regularly

H Attentive service