You left me in the unmarked Cloudwater Tap, waiting for the Trans Pennine Express back to Sheffield.
Another hour on a packed train full of football fans, including a seated Lincoln City fan who reminded me why I resent that county so much.
He’d taken his son to see the Imps (Imps huh !) stay top of League 2 with a late winner at Macclesfield, but spent the whole trip trying to get the cap off his train beers with teeth, nails, keys and Uri Geller mind control. Without success, and BRAPA gold.
The worst thing was, it was two bottles of Purity UBU. WHO BUYS PURITY UBU FOR A TRAIN ?
Back in Sheffield, I ignored Mrs RM’s request to check James had made his bed up. His room looked OK to me.
Much more importantly, he explored the area between the digs and the curry houses on West Bar and the Wicker. As you’ll see it’s prime Sheffield.
No pressure, but if he can’t understand the appeal of pubs living on the edge of Kelham Island he never will.
We met up at Seven Spices Balti, a friendly and professionally run place catering for the mature curry connoisseur rather than the midnight drunk. My Lamb Handi would meet Dick and Dave’s exacting standards.
Washed down with a big jug of mango lassi, it was a meal fit for a second year student. I couldn’t move, let alone contemplate more pubs. And if you don’t believe me, read Hector’s Curry Heute review here. Hector knows curry.
But I had to wobble over to Bar Stewards, the place that had taunted the pre-emptive tickers on our meeting with Roger Protz last year.
Important life advice. NEVER drink on top of mango lassi (Exhibit A – Bradford International/Sir Titus Salt 2014). So I claimed my tick by asking for “Something strong and bottle-conditioned to take away“.
Without blinking, the nice man gave me the tin of fresh beer from Verdant (top).
I really don’t want to tell you it was £8 (Mudgie and Stafford Mudge doing maths right now).
But Mrs RM was pleased when I got back the next day, declaring it “Mmmmm“.
I just hope the Society of Pub Tickers don’t disqualify my tick.
More Proper Sheffield to come, I fear.
retiredmartin 
“(Imps huh !)”
At least it’s not the Blue Imps. 🙂
“Without success, and BRAPA gold.”
LOL, indeed.
(and who buys bottles instead of cans for the train?)
“Studentz”
I think it will be a work in progress for the entire year.
“Bit of art. Don’t forget art.”
For the sake of decorum I’m not even going to attempt to comment on that.
“Without blinking, the nice man gave me the tin of fresh beer from Verdant (top).”
Vegan friendly? I would’ve thought most beers could be called that. 😉
“More Proper Sheffield to come, I fear.”
Fear as in bad, or fear as in too many gooduns to check out.
Cheers
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Of course ! Yes, he should have had cans. Who takes bottles on a train !
Both sorts of fear, yes.
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I’ve always wondered if vegans would have a problem ingesting the residual yeast left in beer…
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Oooh. Good one Dan. Never thought of that. 🙂
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I’ve seen that debate online. Almost good enough to go on Discourse…..
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Mango Lassi – oh yes!
Though of course Northern Monk do Mango Lassi Heathen, an excellent beer; but yet to have had the opportunity to try the effect of a full on meal accompanied by Mango Lassi, followed by a session on 7.2% Mango Lassi Heathen… think it could work, if potentially messy.
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Messy. Don’t run like Messi after it, anyway.
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His digs are in easy striking distance of two excellent pubs. Nice to know about Seven Spices for the next time we visit Sheffield. Not if, when!!
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Or should I say, at least two excellent pubs.
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Very civilised unpretentious place. Well cooked and not overspiced.
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I’ve just added Hector’s Curry-Heute review of 7 Spices to that post.
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I may have to try that gingery Aloo Gosht.
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My turn to be anonymous.
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Never !
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Kind of reminds me of my drink options in college… He doesn’t know how lucky he is does he?
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Not yet !
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He has time:)
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“I really don’t want to tell you it was £8 (Mudgie and Stafford Mudge doing maths right now)”.
My maths tells me that £8 is 4 pints of Humphrey’s OBB across in the Brown Bear where I was in June.
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Still some really good boozers in the North.
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Morten,
Yes, both sides of the Pennines.
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But mainly west.
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Ah, so now I understand the Pet Shop Boys song.
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The “it’s a mango lassi sin” off Actually ?
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Please don’t restart the debate on where the North starts, Morten. (It’s Stoke-on-Trent)
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Only now starting to catch up on your new GBG posts. The tick may not fully comply with the widely adopted definition but it’s whatever you want it to be. Sure you will be back anyway- went there a couple of years ago and stayed for a couple. Good people..
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Good point. Bound to pop in again (two more in central Sheff, first for a while). Although it was an expensive recommendation I was pleased to get a recommendation rather than a “It depends what you like”.
I guess you have a fair amount of cross-checking to do back in Paisley. I won’t spoil the surprise for you.
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How many did you lose?
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I’m still checking. Out all Saturday. Should finish tonight. Looked ok then loads of Midlands micros 😱
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Done 3 in Surrey then 4 in London today but now heading back to airport so a poor haul with rest of September taken up with other things. Will have a look at the good book when I get back but doing it on an unticked app is tough going.
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Impossible I found. Some new entries only became apparent when I saw them written down. The App doesn’t even appear to have pub social media links on it via the GBG section !
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“Loads of Midlands micros” – even at Rugeley and Uttoxeter now though I don’t know if they’re in the new GBG.
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I’ll let you know, Paul. Staffs seems a county particularly hard hit my micros (read that as you will).
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At £8 a tick I wouldn’t dare not count it!
Still no good beer guide for me.
Is there a better cluster of pubs in the UK than Kelham Island area?
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Well, perhaps not. But Halifax still for me.
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Sorry RM, not sure it counts if you drink the purchased beverage in a different county than the one is was served in! Surely to tick the pub you have to have at least a half of cask in the pub or garden, or tip it into the plant pots there?
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Good point Chris. I’ve kept the can and will drink the last dregs within sight of the Henderson Relish factory when I go back to Sheff.
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Doesn’t get better than Verdant – tried some 200 Empire State this morning and it was wow! Only £2.50 a third, which makes your can expensive. Really fancied that microbes when we were there last time, shame it was closed.
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