RED SEA CUISINE
Ellesmere Road, Sheffield, S4 7JA
Telephone: 01142 760 541
Opening Times:
Sun to Sat: Details to follow
"I Set Sail For The Red Sea..."
Date of Visit: Sunday 22/03/15 - 1pm
And Holy Moses, I ended up in a Yemeni restaurant!
I was in Kimberworth (Rotherham) on this particular morning and with lunch time fast approaching, I was beginning to feel a little peckish. I considered dropping in to Zaika's (Wellgate, Rotherham) but decided that I had been there quite frequently just lately.
Where else could one get something hot and spicy on a Sunday lunch time? Well, the Burngreave / Spital Hill area of Sheffield has a good ethnic population and I have noted many an eatery located there whilst on our travels.
I had a couple of pints of Sam Smiths Sovereign Bitter (£2.10) in the Royal Oak, which is a 2 minute walk from the Red Sea Cuisine.
I parted (the door from the frame of) the Red Sea (Cuisine) and entered.
Small Beef & Rice £4.00
Halwa (dessert) £1.00
Chocolate Brioche 50p
Shahi Haleeb (Tea with milk) 50p
A community "curry" cafe. I was the only Westerner in the place but I didn't feel unwelcome or threatened. In fact, the owner was a very friendly chap.
I selected the Small Chicken & Rice but unfortunately they had already sold out (it must be good), so I opted for the Small Beef & Rice instead.
The Beef & Rice was fine, nothing to grumble about here. It was a utilitarian, functional meal in comparison to the offerings of most SYIR's. In fact, it was probably the most basic and humble surroundings in which I have ever eaten in this country.
I asked the locals, as to what the Halwa dessert tasted of and after asking 3 chaps, I gave up… not one of them was partial to it. Undeterred, I ordered a portion and looked forward to eating it with the Chocolate Brioche and Yemeni Tea.
As I was eating the dessert, an elderly gentleman entered the restaurant and asked me how I found it. I informed him that I liked the initial taste but had noticed that a stronger flavour kicks in after a few seconds and reels you in. The old chap started to chuckle and did the impression of an angler reeling in a fish. His companion explained that the old boy had made the Halwa to his secret recipe this morning. The gentleman took up a seat looking very pleased that someone was enjoying his labour of love.
It's not a restaurant I'd recommend to you, not because the food is poor, but because you probably wouldn't feel comfortable there. It's not the (as was) Kashmir Curry Centre and if you ever went there, then you will know what I mean by that.
On a different note, the owner informed me that a civil war was likely to break out in Yemen within the next 24 hours.