The Florentine, Sheffield

I'm not a fan of SatNav but sometimes I wish I had it in my car instead of using my own directions.

The Florentine restaurant and hotel is situated a 10 minute drive away from the centre of the city but I was hard pressed to find the place, that is until I came across a local who was more than happy to give me directions.

The 19th century building is in the leafy suburb of Ranmoor in Sheffield, originally built as a residence for industrialist James Nicholson in 1865 the house was built on higher ground to look down on his other industrialist neighbours.

I arrived on an unusually sunny spring afternoon. With an outdoor terrace for drinking it was good to see it was very popular amongst the local population and beyond too with some of the accents I overheard.

They have a Josper charcoal oven for some of the dishes on the restaurant menu which cooks really quickly at 400 degrees meaning you get a great Smokey, juicy flavour for their steaks.

My waiter was originally from Spain so we were able to swap stories about Spain .. and Sheffield.

I chose the Charred Sourdough, hummus, olive oil and balsamic vinegar as a nibble, though I would call it more like a starter and ideal for sharing.

The pizzas are all 2 for 1 Monday to Friday cooked to perfection they say at 350 degrees in a wood burning oven. There wasn't surprisingly a 4 cheeses pizza, they seem to have gone for pizzas with a bit of a twist about them instead.

The menu is very extensive with sea bass, chicken and charcoal oven cooked steaks all for you delight.

I chose the Beef Ragu, Salami Pepperoni, chorizo iberico and prosciutto ham pizza. Nearly as hot as a summer's day in Siena all ingredients complimented each other. Priced at £11.95 it would represent excellent value on the 2 for 1 weekdays deal.

Rounded off with upside down vanilla cheesecake, ginger and honeycomb crumb and salted caramel sauce, I would have preferred it to be served in the traditional style.

The 4 star accommodation ranges from Double Deluxe right up to a Suite.

The rooms have been renovated recently into a very modern style, for that read bathtub at the bottom of the bed, boutique style furniture etc. There was a Nespresso coffee machine too with some Gluten and Dairy Free biscuits too.I liked the powerful walk in rain shower which was in my Suite.

Female guests though might find some of the fittings and decoration very masculine. The bed side cabinet looked like it was a flight case left over from a visiting rock act. Maybe they were thinking of Def Leppard rather than the Human League. I did like though the DAB radio and the long free standing mirror that you often don't get.

There was no fridge in the room nor Air conditioning though you could open the windows. The rooms are quite big so they might not get too stuffy when summer arrives. The bed was very comfy and came with quality bedding.

Breakfast is taken in the restaurant downstairs with a continental buffet breakfast or cooked to order English breakfast. Nice to eat a freshly prepared cooked breakfast.

Because The Florentine is set in its own grounds it has a country style feeling but with Sheffield City centre 10 minutes drive away you have the beauty of the country yet the hustle and bustle of Sheffield on your doorstep.

I might not be a fan of SatNav, but I'm glad I found The Florentine.

The Florentine, Tapton Park Road, Sheffield S10 3FG
Telephone: 0114 230 8692
https://theflorentinepub.com/