retiredmartin

No, that’s not a photo of the in-laws who we’re entertaining for fourteen (14) days and nights. #prayforretiredmartin

I’m still on Thursday, the day after (checks notes) Wednesday

From the Sheaf View in Gleadless I wandered through London Road’s cosmopolitan eateries to the Sheaf Island on the edge of studentland..

They used to brew here before someone realised that it was better if Wolverhampton brewed all meaningful beer.

At 16:30 it was fair heaving with those young people who are singled-handedly saving our Proper Pubs while old folk sit in their underpants drinking Mikkeller St Mars of the Desert cans.

Young folk know a bargain.

How did I resist the “Guest Ales” you ask. Well, I was taking a couple of days off beer, and testing these new-fangled “Low alcohol options“. Ugh.

It took 10 minutes after ordering a Heinken 0.0 for a nice man to come over and say they had none, even though it was in stock on the App, so I ended up with some muck from pashmina Suffolk.

Having complained that the Ghost Ship 0.5% was served at room temperature before, it was served far too cold here, but actually pretty decent. What we really need is a low alcohol version of John Smith Smooth, of course.

Later that evening we popped back into town for a late birthday meal with James at SMOKE Barbecue.

Mrs RM took the tram, I walked so I can look longingly at a re-opened Fagan’s. Will they have Tetley on ?

Central Sheffield grows busier by the day.

And more lovely. We all met up at the Cathedral (named after the tram stop), where a few Japanese tourists were happily snapping away.

Never noticed the gargoyles before. These ones aren’t Mrs RM and myself after a night in the Brown Bear, either.

SMOKE was full of young people (and us), and had the best service and most calories of any place visited so far.

Mrs RM asked for the “Guest Draught” and the waitress even knew what it was !

My own “strawberry saison with whipped cream” may divide opinion on here.

No, I’m not counting Smoke as a Sheffield pub as I don’t think you’d just walk in for a pint of Purity, and if you did more fool you.

You’ll never guess where I went on Friday, which is a shame as I’ve already forgotten and will have to look at Google Maps and any photos RIGHT NOW to remind me.