SHEFFIELD’S DARK HORSE FOR THE GBG ?

February 2026. Banner Cross.

A rare trip out to posh (but not snooty, oh no) Banner Cross in Sheffield’s West End, to get Ian his new GBG tick. He wasn’t rushing to leave for the bus back, with the terrifying prospect of a pint with BRAPA at the end of his journey.

I feel obliged to find something new, if not shiny, whenever visitors come to Sheffield.

The Banner Cross recommended by top reader and City fan Kev didn’t open till 2pm, so the Dark Horse would have to do.

It didn’t feel that convincing in 2023, a Slap & Pickle burger joint with high tables and mainstream beers.

The burgers and high stools and Madri remain, but the beer (at least today) was a couple of notches up, and it’s imperative I never lie to you about source. Even if I lie to ChatGPT about cultural stuff.

The culture today was “Smalltown Boy” and Hall & Oates. Culture indeed.

I had two halves. What was I thinking of ?

Two beers from Sheffield’s Little Mesters, the Vulcan (not Spock) and Hollis (not Mark) a cool, chewy NBSS 4 and 3.5 respectively.

I should come here and have beer and burger. The loo rules look a bit terrifying, though.

Oops, we’ve drifted, the bus back to town goes in 2 minutes. Ian displays similar jaywalking skill to that dark horse on the poster, and we’re back on the Moor in 12 minutes, admiring the K-Pop Shop. Does Korea (South) have good pubs. Ian will definitely know.

We’re headed for the Fargate, as certain a pre-emptive tick as Sheffield has to offer, though my arty photo somehow makes this middle-class drinkers pub look like a Hillsborough boozer.

Which it definitely isn’t.

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

20 thoughts on “SHEFFIELD’S DARK HORSE FOR THE GBG ?”

  3. Can I just say that eight pints of heavy and a hot Thai meal is not the best way to start afresh after a 36-hour fast and industrial strength laxatives-prepped colonoscopy.No sirree.

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  4. “He wasn’t rushing to leave for the bus back, with the terrifying prospect of a pint with BRAPA at the end of his journey.”

    (slow golf clap)

    “so the Dark Horse would have to do.”

    (half slow golf clap for the title of the post)

    “a Slap & Pickle burger joint with high tables and mainstream beers.”

    Can’t say I’m a fan of high tables.

    “but the beer (at least today) was a couple of notches up, and it’s imperative I never lie to you about source.”

    You? Lie? Never!
    (maybe pull our leg fairly often) 😉

    “I had two halves. What was I thinking of ?”

    Obviously not trying to avoid ending a sentence with a preposition.

    “the Vulcan (not Spock)”

    (1/4 slow golf clap; no mention of the fire god, nor the type of rubber)

    “and Hollis (not Mark)”

    I had to look that up, being from over here.

    “The loo rules look a bit terrifying, though.”

    (looks down)
    I read that as some of the loo’s patrons are a bit terrifying.

    “Ian displays similar jaywalking skill to that dark horse on the poster,”

    (looks up)
    Ah, good man. He uses a fake pantomime head so they can’t recognise him on CCTV for breaking the law.

    “and we’re back on the Moor in 12 minutes, admiring the K-Pop Shop.”

    (looks down)
    Blimey! Talk about culture shock.

    “though my arty photo somehow makes this middle-class drinkers pub look like a Hillsborough boozer.”

    (looks down)
    Is the camera on your phone acting up again?

    “Which it definitely isn’t.”

    Heh.

    Cheers

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      2. “I occasionally use a feature called Portrait Blur to anonymise individuals who are the feature of the shot.”

        Good point. These days, aren’t we supposed to run around getting folks in our photos to sign a waiver so we can put them online or some such?

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      4. “I think if a single person is the subject of a pub photo I’d blur them but incidental humans are fair to leave in. It’s a pub after all !”

        Fair point. 😁

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  5. Mark Hollis. Now there was a talent. A real shame there isn’t more stuff by him. Talk Talk’s The Colour Of Spring is one of the great albums of the 80s. It’s so brilliantly recorded that it’s the album I always use to set up new hi-fi equipment. Hard to believe it’s 40 years old now!

    You should pop in Oseyo and get a can of banana makgeolli. Very odd stuff.

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    1. I saw them playThe Colour of Spring in a Duxford aircraft hanger in 1986, improbably supported by The Fall. A chap literally bought the shirt (The Wonderful and Frightening World Of..the Fall) off my back for a fiver, which paid for my gig ticket. No idea what I wore after that.

      Talk Talk were only just evolving the highly complex sound that would make Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock so great.

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      1. Spirit of Eden, yes! Incredible album. I got it on vinyl for my son a couple of Christmasses back. His Uni lecturer gave a nod of approval. He’s now doing a Masters in Music Production and he loves it, as organic ambient stuff is where his heart is.

        Funny how the less accessible music is, the more rewarding it proves. Just requires patience, a quality so few seem to possess.

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  7. @Lana Oh dear. I scribe this about the pedestrian path from the route #85A North Central bus to Une Année | Hubbard’s Cave brewpub across Touhy Avenue. Touhy Av. is The Touhy Ave. motor speedway in this span, but Google™ Maps wants you to cross it at the unsignalled Nagle Av. stop. 😱 No. Cross at the traffic-signalled Mobile Ave. stop.

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