Unit 3, the Plaza, 8 Fitzwilliam Street, S1 4JB
Tel: 0114 2732323
Bar 23 is located in the West 10 complex at the top of Division Street. Booking a table is only necessary at the weekends although Tuesday (pie night) and Wednesday (steak night) it does fill up. Downstairs is a cocktail bar, the clientele being 20-30 years old and a bit more upmarket than the vodka revolution next door. The restaurant itself has a good mix of people of all ages who seem to be dressed fairly smartly especially at weekends. The lighting isn’t too bright, and the tables are of ample size and aren’t too close to your neighbours. The decor is of a similar vain to the bar downstairs, with browns, reds and dark wood. It sounds cosier than it feels but overall it’s pleasant. At weekends I can imagine it will get loud from the music downstairs, but during the week it’s fairly relaxed. Bar 23 offers 2 courses for £16 and 3 for £18, however if you want steak those rules don’t apply and you can add another £6 on for a fillet steak. Starters are £5 and mains between £11 for a Crispy duck salad or butternut squash risotto, to around £14-18. The menu isn’t extensive but would suggest things are cooked fresh. We ordered deep fried brie fritters with cranberry jelly and salad to share. Mmm, not much to say really, it didn’t taste of much. The jelly was sweet and bland and the brie should have been left to mature. For mains we ordered pan-fried lamb steak with lamb dauphiniose and red current sauce (£14.50). And the escalope of pork with Parmesan crumb and herb butter (£12.50). The pork was greasy and there wasn’t really much taste of the Parmesan crumb, so some extra Parmesan on top wouldn’t have gone amiss. That aside it was Ok, not the best quality pork. The lamb was delicious, and plenty of it with some really tender lamb sitting underneath the dauphiniose potatoes. To finish we shared a chocolate brownie dessert, which was dark, gooey, calorific, rich and very nice. Overall it was pleasant, reasonable atmosphere, un-rushed, just a shame the pork was a little greasy. With a bottle of beer and a glass of wine, it came to around £45. The service was polite and not rushed, although it just seemed to be two fairly junior people on and no overall restaurant manager. However they seemed to have it together.
Strange really, I can’t say anything too negative about the place but would I rush back? Is it a must go place? Errrr no! I’d probably go there again, maybe with a few friends mid week. All other reviews have raved about it, but for us the food was average to good but not amazing. The atmosphere was perhaps a little flat, the service too, nothing sparkling. However it’s good value, some nice well done dishes on the menu and in a good location.
Food and Presentation 7/10 Ambiance and Decor: 6/10 Favourite Menu Item: LambBest Suited For: A quiet mid week bite to eat with friends (try the steak or pie night).Overall Product Rating: 6.5/10 I was expecting more and for it to live up to it’s reputation.
Tel: 0114 2732323
Bar 23 is located in the West 10 complex at the top of Division Street. Booking a table is only necessary at the weekends although Tuesday (pie night) and Wednesday (steak night) it does fill up. Downstairs is a cocktail bar, the clientele being 20-30 years old and a bit more upmarket than the vodka revolution next door. The restaurant itself has a good mix of people of all ages who seem to be dressed fairly smartly especially at weekends. The lighting isn’t too bright, and the tables are of ample size and aren’t too close to your neighbours. The decor is of a similar vain to the bar downstairs, with browns, reds and dark wood. It sounds cosier than it feels but overall it’s pleasant. At weekends I can imagine it will get loud from the music downstairs, but during the week it’s fairly relaxed. Bar 23 offers 2 courses for £16 and 3 for £18, however if you want steak those rules don’t apply and you can add another £6 on for a fillet steak. Starters are £5 and mains between £11 for a Crispy duck salad or butternut squash risotto, to around £14-18. The menu isn’t extensive but would suggest things are cooked fresh. We ordered deep fried brie fritters with cranberry jelly and salad to share. Mmm, not much to say really, it didn’t taste of much. The jelly was sweet and bland and the brie should have been left to mature. For mains we ordered pan-fried lamb steak with lamb dauphiniose and red current sauce (£14.50). And the escalope of pork with Parmesan crumb and herb butter (£12.50). The pork was greasy and there wasn’t really much taste of the Parmesan crumb, so some extra Parmesan on top wouldn’t have gone amiss. That aside it was Ok, not the best quality pork. The lamb was delicious, and plenty of it with some really tender lamb sitting underneath the dauphiniose potatoes. To finish we shared a chocolate brownie dessert, which was dark, gooey, calorific, rich and very nice. Overall it was pleasant, reasonable atmosphere, un-rushed, just a shame the pork was a little greasy. With a bottle of beer and a glass of wine, it came to around £45. The service was polite and not rushed, although it just seemed to be two fairly junior people on and no overall restaurant manager. However they seemed to have it together.
Strange really, I can’t say anything too negative about the place but would I rush back? Is it a must go place? Errrr no! I’d probably go there again, maybe with a few friends mid week. All other reviews have raved about it, but for us the food was average to good but not amazing. The atmosphere was perhaps a little flat, the service too, nothing sparkling. However it’s good value, some nice well done dishes on the menu and in a good location.
Food and Presentation 7/10 Ambiance and Decor: 6/10 Favourite Menu Item: LambBest Suited For: A quiet mid week bite to eat with friends (try the steak or pie night).Overall Product Rating: 6.5/10 I was expecting more and for it to live up to it’s reputation.
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