By
Andy
The
Rutland Arms has always held a special place in my heart, on account
of it being a perfectly placed pit-stop on the walk between Sheffield
station and Bramall Lane. With the opening of the Sheffield Tap
in 2010, I subsequently developed a two-stop strategy, benefiting
from the additional opportunity to refuel.
Just
enough off the beaten track to be classed as a secret, yet still in a
great city centre location, the Rutland Arms has recently been
building an excellent reputation for its food, where it strives to
achieve “good value restaurant-standard cooking in an unfussy
atmosphere”.
Here
at Pubquest, we have already accepted the destruction of our livers,
but are yet to consent to the morbid obesity that would derive from eating a meal at every pub, so we reluctantly stuck to the
beers.
I
know what you're thinking: how can a review of a football-pub
renowned for its food be complete if you go on a non-matchday and
don't eat?
Panic
not – this wasn't our first time at the rodeo.
***
A
few months prior, Rob had received free Sheffield United tickets from
university (yes, he is STILL a student). Seeing as I already had a
ticket, he rounded up his usual assortment of post-grad friends (some
American, some Chinese, some southern) and took them to Sheffield
United vs Barnsley.
Hilariously,
during pre-match drinks at the Rutland, the Americans amongst the
group started asking Rob questions about football – an exercise
about as useful as asking the Queen for tips on living below the
poverty line.
“How
do you get a penalty?”
“What's
the offside rule?”
“Who
are 'Leeds scum' and why does everybody hate them?”
Panicked,
Rob gave me a call, and I popped over to explain.
After
guiding them through the aforementioned basics, I advised the guests
that it could be somewhat of a needle match, and it might be best to
try and blend in to avoid trouble. Everyone nodded, before heading to
the bar.
However,
either the entire group had completely ignored me, or they truly had
no idea how to 'blend in' in a city-centre Sheffield pub shortly
before a South Yorkshire derby.
Forgoing
the matchday classic Slutty Rutty Butty (a chip butty with cheese and
bacon), they ordered an eclectic mix of terrines, roulades and
risottos. All looked fantastic. All tasted fantastic. And all
attracted quizzical looks from the hordes waiting patiently for their
butties while we completely hijacked the kitchen.
Perhaps
I'm being harsh. For it turns out Americans know neither the word
'chip' or 'butty'. Nor breadcake. In fact, it took a good ten minutes
of explaining the concept before we settled on 'french fries
sandwich'. But when in Rome, eat pizza; and when about to watch
Sheffield United, eat a chip butty (making sure to leave enough room
for your chicken balti pie at half-time).
***
Anyway,
back to the Official Pubquest Visit.
Having
already established that the food was both delicious and versatile,
it was time to put the beers through the same scrutiny.
The
selection was glorious, ranging from wheat beers to stouts. We went
for Attack on Blue Falcon by Northern Monk, a brewery which was on
its very last chance with me after a few terrible pints.
The
beer was a 7% 'blueberry and mosaic black IPA', and it soon became
apparent that it fell into the same category as every other
Northern Monk beer I had ever tried – a vile concoction designed
for shock rather than taste.
In
fact I once called in at the brewery while passing, and headed to
their on-site bar. There were over a dozen beers on offer, only two
of which were under 7%. Every single one had clearly been created in
reverse – which weird flavours can we put together, rather than
which flavours work well. The complete opposite of classier breweries
such as Saltaire and Thornbridge, where no matter how strange a
beer's premise, the end product always takes priority.
The
pub was small and busy, and it can constantly be a battle to find a
table upon arrival. But there is also a pleasant beer garden out
back, perfect for warmer days. In addition, the pub possesses a
brilliant old-school jukebox, which is so popular that any song you
select doesn't come on until several hours after you've left.
 |
| A friendly pub... unless you fancy a WKD |
Ignoring
our poor choice of pint, for us this has always been a pub that ticks
all the boxes.
Food:
√
Beer:
√
Friendly:
√
The
latest addition to the coveted 10/10 club.
Pub:
Rutland Arms (86 Brown Street, S1 2BS)
Rating:
10/10
Pint:
Attack on Blue Falcon
Brewery:
Northern Monk Brew Co (Leeds)
NEXT UP: Pubquest visits a 'beer bar', at The Devonshire Cat...
NEXT UP: Pubquest visits a 'beer bar', at The Devonshire Cat...
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