Ecclesall Road’s Honeycomb treads the line between late night bar and early evening dining spot perfectly.
Eccy Road’s Honeycomb is a galaxy away from its previous incarnation as The Botanical pub. It’s more Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino in its appearance now than cosy pub with real ale on the pumps.
Hexagonal light fixtures are dotted around the venue’s ceiling, which certainly gives the place a bit of je ne sais quoi. On the right hand side as you walk in, there are several hexagonal booths which look primed for socialising and drinking and on the left, a raised platform has a more open booth, decorated with a customary neon sign.
The bar is deeper into the venue and naturally splits off the party section to a more sophisticated dining area, though the two aren’t exclusively separated. You can eat or drink in either, as we did bang in the middle of the room on a warm spring afternoon.
Some light house music played in the background as we pondered our starters. I went for the Szechuan pepper tofu and edamame beans, both seasoned and cooked to perfection. Our photographer went for the duck spring rolls which were presented beautifully and tasted almost as good as the chicken yakitori dish. A definite highlight from the first course, the yakitori sauce was truly divine.
Whilst ordering another round of drinks, the bar staff explain the reason behind a lack of Sagres. “We were almost out of everything after Bank Holiday weekend,” one tells us. “We’ve only just about got the lines back up!” You can see why this place would be so popular on a warm weekend session. It may be dimly-lit but there’s definitely a stylish elegance about almost everything here.
Taking our seats after having a wonder around, our main courses had arrived. The massaman curry (rib-eye steak in a mild creamy sauce) made us utter an audible ‘wow’ as the steam rose up from the bowl. It tasted as good as it looked, too. The vegetarian choice was a tendon donburi – lightly battered vegetables served over a bowl of Japanese rice and spicy curry sauce. A delicious option for those who like their dishes meat-free, and one that was clearly thought-through, rather than a token ‘green’ choice.
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Coming highly recommended from our hospitable waitress, we go for the chocolate fondant and coconut parfait for dessert with the latter’s blend of mango gel, lemon meringue and caramelised white chocolate going down an absolute treat.
Finishing our drinks, the staff comment on the perks of our job getting to come out and experience some of Sheffield’s finest restaurants. We can’t disagree, the pleasure is ours!
Honeycomb can be found at 259-267 Ecclesall Road.
Head to honeycombsheffield.com for more information.
