I've neglected Ciao and been away but as from next week I will be back with new reviews - so watch t...
I've neglected Ciao and been away but as from next week I will be back with new reviews - so watch this space!
Member since:12.04.2005
Reviews:104
Members who trust:104
What a crappy, rainy horrible day it's been today! Now usually on days like this I just want to slouch about on the sofa with a cup of coffee and watch some DVD's cuddled up to my boyfriend but I had arranged to meet up with some friends in Sheffield for a spot of lunch and a few drinks this afternoon.
We made the trip from Mansfield to Sheffield and met my friends who then directed me into Sheffield town centre. Now they know what's hot and what's not better than me and they suggested we go to Vodka Revolution at The Plaza, Units 1 + 2 Fitzwilliam Street Sheffield. Located pretty centrally the bar itself specialises in Vodka drinks (hence the name no surprise there).
Located in Sheffield's fashionable West One development the bar offers a light and open atmosphere which is welcoming at day or night. The bar is instantly recognisable with full-length glass windows surrounding two sides of the building, giving the perfect viewpoint to look out and watch, or sit in and be seen. Inside, service is from four bars each offering a different atmosphere, from the quiet, seated area near the front door, the open, comfortable main bar, the intimate and exclusive upstairs bar and recently opened funky new pool bar - with each area being designed and decorated to the same impeccable standard.
Now the first thing I noticed about this bar is how spacious it was. Lots of comfortable big leather sofas and chairs dotted around in the windows with large tables to seat a good few people. A massive bar with bar stools all along and it just all looked very swish but without feeling a bit pompous or too upmarket.
We
got to the bar at about 2.45pm on Sunday afternoon and it was very quiet, a few people sat around but there were plenty of seats available and we had the pick of most of the bar when it came to tables. We decided after sitting at one of the tables that it wouldn't be big enough and moved to the other side of the bar where there are larger tables available for bigger groups of people.
Vodka Revolution are a Nationwide chain and they have a fantastic scheme called the privilege card. Basically you pay £3 for your card which is valid for 1 year and this entitles you to the following deals:
Between 3pm-7pm buy 1 meal get 1 free (on almost all items on the menu)
They also occasionally run extra special offers from time to time.
We all ordered a drink - my boyfriend had a pint of Guinness and I had a Diet Coke. There were only 2 people serving but it wasn't busy and we were served almost immediately.
We decided to order some food, by this time there were about 15 of us who were all sat with each other after moving some tables to accommodate everyone (which the staff were happy to let us do) We settled nicely in our little corner.
Now the menu. It was quite comprehensive. I have included the link to the menu available in our particular bar (they vary from area to area).
It had a small list of starters and platters to share. Then the main meals consisted of the usual burgers, jacket potatoes, salads, and steaks but also had items that you don't very often see such as Goulash and Crab salad.
Now I could see that this menu may cause problems for some people as some of the choices were slightly out of the norm. For instance I really fancied the Revolution Salad which consisted of Chicken, Crispy Bacon, Egg, Beetroot, lettuce, Toasted Goats Cheese and other items. However the toasted goats cheese was somewhat off putting although I suppose you could ask for the dish without certain components.
I also noticed that there wasn't much choice for vegetarians which may cause problems for some people.
In the end both myself and my boyfriend opted for an 8oz Sirloin Steak each which came with a choice of 2 glazes, we decided on the honey vodka glaze. It was accompanied by fries, mushroom and onion rings. Priced at £7.95 it was very reasonable but we actually got 2 for the price of 1 which meant they were actually just under £4 each - bargain!
So after a bit more chatting and after everyone had ordered their food I took a trip to the ladies room. Wow! It was fantastic, absolutely spotlessly clean with gleaming surfaces everywhere. Plenty of toilets and basins I was very impressed at how stylish they were.
By time I had bought another drink for us both - pint of Guinness and an Orange Juice and Lemonade (I was driving boo hiss) came to approximately £3.60 which I didn't think was too bad although I must admit as I am not a big drinker I am not very up to date with pub prices!
Upon returning to the table our food had arrived. I had requested my steak to be cooked medium as we had been warned that they have a tendency to overdo what you had requested so as I usually like my steak medium to well done I decided medium was the best option. It was actually less than medium and a bit pink in the middle but not so much so that I couldn't eat it. However the steak was a good size and very thick too. The mushrooms which surprisingly came in breadcrumbs which the menu didn't state were lovely though I was expecting just plain mushrooms. The onion rings were huge and cooked to perfection and the fries which came in a separate bowl were lovely.
The best part of the meal though was the honey and vodka glaze - my god I gotta find out what they put in this because it was gorgeous. It came in a separate bowl so you could put as much as you wished on which was good as I hate it when they cover everything in sauce! We both ended up pouring our sauce over the steak. It was a lovely sweet tasting glaze and you couldn't taste any vodka in it but it was just the perfect accompaniment to the meat.
Unfortunately some of the other people didn't have such luck with their meal. 4 people ordered the Aribiatta Pasta which upon arrival was cold and quite frankly looked absolutely vile. It looked like cold Heinz spaghetti with a few shards of parmesan on the top. After much discussion we told them to complain as the food was cold, not even lukewarm.
The staff couldn't have been more helpful, she returned to tell us that unfortunately there was no more of that particular dish (it appeared they had been served the scrapings lol) and to apologise they would refund their payment and give them another meal of their choice for free. Can't say fairer than that!!!! The replacement meals did take rather longer to arrive than I think was acceptable (over 50 minutes in fact) and in the end we did have to go and chase them up as the people who were waiting were absolutely starving. I felt really bad as half of us had eaten and the other half were still waiting!
When their meals came the serving staff couldn't have been anymore apologetic though and in the end everyone was happy with their meals.
After the food everyone started on the cocktails (well at 2 for £6.50 why not) I had a look at the cocktail menu and they had some really lovely sounding things like Jaffa Cake cocktail, their own take on a white Russian (which I actually tried a bit of my friend and it was gorgeous). I am partial to a cocktail or two and could've quite easily worked my way through a large chunk of their cocktail menu but unfortunately we had to return to Mansfield so my boyfriend could drive home to Milton Keynes.
I was very impressed with my first visit to Vodka Revolution. The bar itself was very relaxing with calm music playing in the background although they do have party nights and certain days of the week, the seating was amazingly comfy and the food was delicious. I just felt bad for the people who were with us who didn't have such a good experience with that side of things. I think I shall definitely be investing in one of the Privilege cards as it is worth it even just for the 2 for 1 meal offer you get if you have one.
It was a great day all round, I got to see friends of mine that I haven't seen in almost 2 years, have a nice meal and some good conversation. I had almost forgotten about the rain outside but was harshly reminded when we left! Would definitely recommend this chain of bars to anyone although if you are of a quieter disposition maybe best to avoid these bars on Friday and Saturday nights as I could imagine them to be very lively indeed but for a relaxing Sunday afternoon meal they are a good choice!
Thanks for reading hope you have had a good weekend.
Shazza x
PS I know this is in the wrong place I didn't realise it had gone into the Manchester section and it will be moved once I have found out how to do it!
Pictures of Revolution
Main bar Area
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Great Review - we practically live in our one in Reading!
Checky282 29.12.2006 00:51
Really enjoyed the review, and sounds like somewhere to visit next time im in sheffield.. thank you... shame it wasnt the one in Manchester, i would have gone next weekend :)
Dan
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Advantages: Central for clubs, cinemas and theatres; great vodka Disadvantages: Spend a couple of hours in there and you won't be fit for much else afterwards
Chucklebutty 09.07.2000 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Revolution
Advantages: Central for clubs, cinemas and theatres; great vodka Disadvantages: Spend a couple of hours in there and you won't be fit for much else afterwards
Chucklebutty 09.07.2000 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful
Review of Revolution
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