retiredmartin

August 2023. Sheffield.

After the minor disappointment of “Future Restaurant” I pressed on up Ecclesall Road and found a second pre-emptive tick just up the hill,

and to be honest I bet the Dark Horse would be a GBG shu-in (shoo-in ?) in Scunthorpe or Paisley.

Actually, a suburb of Scunthorpe or Grimsby would work well, as it combines the “banging burgers and loaded fries” menu beloved by North Lincs with these fashionable drinking booths,

and a limited but customer friendly beer range.

It looks the sort of place that wouldn’t be serving cask anywhere outside Sheffield; certainly not a beer you’ve never heard of from Wakefield, which most folk have never heard of either.

It might have had some interesting crafty keg a year ago but now it wisely sticks to Madri, SALT and Beavertown, which probably constitute 83% of Sheffield beer sales outside Kelham.

I should have had Madri Neck Oil, as the house blonde (as it were) looked superb,

but showed the signs of slow turnover. Drinkable, but not enjoyable.

But the pub itself was infinitely better than the upmarket diner I’d just come from, with an Old Mudgie friendly soundtrack of Free and the Zeps.

And a really good barman who topped up my half, and a cheery family adding Hendos to the burgers.

They serve those Slap & Pickle burgers with dirty fries you enjoy and then regret in the morning, and I may well come back for that experience,

particularly if the dad whistling along to “Runnin’ Down A Dream” makes a return appearance.