A new Mediterranean restaurant in Sheffield city centre, Ego is part of a successful, growing chain.

The Venue
Ego is sandwiched between St. Paul’s Mercure Hotel and the Winter Gardens, right in the heart of an area that has seen some of Sheffield’s most successful regeneration efforts in recent years – the award-winning Peace Gardens, the heavily-renovated Crucible Theatre, the Winter Gardens, the Millennium Galleries, and soon, the redeveloped Tudor Square, to name but a few.

Ego takes over the space formerly occupied by the hotel’s own restaurant, though there’s been a complete refit in the meantime. The previous incarnation of the restaurant was never much of a success – it suffered from its association with the hotel (of which Ego is completely independent even though it can be accessed internally from the hotel) and despite being open to the public was unknown to many. It also suffered from problems with access – a problem which Ego has solved by a dedicated entrance on Surrey Street; though the restaurant is visible from several other directions, it’s here that you’ll most likely enter from.

The restaurant’s lavish redesign has seen its look more closely allied to the popular Winter Gardens, alongside which it sits, rather than the St Paul’s Mercure Hotel. The wooden beams and their adjoining metal fixtures mimic the Winter Garden’s own arches and both share a sloping glass roof, while one whole side of the restaurant looks out into the Winter Gardens, providing one of the more distinctive views to be had at a city centre restaurant.

You’ll be greeted, as you enter, and seated in one of the restaurant’s three seating areas: overlooking Surrey Street; overlooking the Winter Gardens; or at the larger central seating area in front of the bar. Ego’s glass roof, however, and the fact it’s surrounded by glass on one whole side as well as to its front, means the restaurant is light and airy throughout, regardless of where you sit. The tables are low ones, surrounded by comfortable chairs. The open front of the kitchen is visible at one side of the restaurant allowing you a view of the chefs at work.

The Atmosphere
The restaurant is well-suited to groups, small and large; it’s open in the daytime as well as the evenings, meaning the place will inevitably draw a varied clientele, and it has the kind of relaxed atmosphere – neither too formal, nor too raucously packed – which will appeal to virtually anyone (there’s even a kids menu). Background music is kept to an unintrusive low level, and the bar – somewhat screened from the rows of tables by a small partition – is unlikely to attract too many drinkers anyway. The restaurant certainly does have the makings of a friendly, relaxed, casually-minded one, but these are things that can take time to truly take shape.

The Food
Ego describes itself as a Mediterranean restaurant, which means the menu draws primarily on Italian and Moroccan cuisine, with French, Spanish and Greek dishes also featuring. Most of the dishes reveal their origins in their names – the olives are Andalucian, sharing boards are French, Spanish, or Italian, the meatballs Tuscan, the moussaka Greek, and so on. The varied selections mix well, however, sharing, as they do, the greater part of their ingredients and flavours, so you won’t find yourself faced with some incongruous fusion of styles across the courses, or forced to stick only to one of the menu’s many threads for fear of baffling your palate. The menu’s dishes are well-chosen and complementary.

The soup du jour passes the homemade test, authentically simple but well-made, the cream of tomato is served garnished with parsley and a little dash of olive oil, adding obvious presentational flair to the already high culinary standards. The grilled goat’s cheese shows equal concern for presentation, being pleasingly layered on caramelised red onions and toasted brioche, though the bread could be crisper, given the strong flavours and textures with which it competes. Both of these are joined on the menu by starters such as gambas al pil pil (prawns sautéed with garlic, chilli and parsley), calamari, and pan fried chorizo, amongst others. All of the starters cost between £3.75-£5.95.

The menu offers the choice of a pizza and panini section (the variety of which compares favourably with a genuine pizzeria), or the more typical list of main courses. The salmon and smoked haddock fishcakes (£8.95) are light, crumbly and richly flavoured, and are served with French fries and rocket – a rather simple accompaniment, but one that shows the restaurant caters to a variety of tastes without overcomplicating things.

Alternatively, the Moroccan vegetable tajine (£7.95) – a slow-cooked lamb version is also served – is an incredibly tasty dish, and a sure-fire speciality dish in the making. Aubergine, chickpeas, olives, butternut squash, peppers and countless other vegetables all retain their own flavours while each taking on a little of the richly spiced flavour of the casserole. The pistachio crumb and couscous, with which it’s served, add texture, and the accompanying tzatziki offers a fresh and cool foil. Take care, though – the tajine is very hot, in terms of temperature, so approach with some caution.

Elsewhere on the menu you’ll find many familiar Mediterranean-inspired dishes – there’s pan-fried seabass, bouillabaisse (a fish stew), gnocchi, a couple of pasta dishes, mushroom risotto, moussaka, pork saltimbocca (very popular), and so on. With most of the mains under a tenner (and several of them, particularly pizzas and paninis, well under), Ego is actually surprisingly good value for what is high-quality food.

The dessert menu (£3.95-£4.95) is the simplest part of Ego’s offering, and arguably the least characteristic – though perhaps that’s just a sign of how much Mediterranean fare has already permeated British cuisine. The chocolate fondant (which will take about 10 or 15 minutes to cook) is a very light, fluffy dessert with a richly chocolatey liquid centre, served with ice cream and fresh raspberries. The selection of ice creams shows real quality if nothing completely out of the ordinary – the pistachio contains just the right number of pieces of nut for the perfect crunchiness, the honeycomb offers a richly-flavoured alternative to vanilla without being sickly, and the addition of a mix of fresh blueberries, strawberries and raspberries is a slight but telling touch. There’s a cheeseboard (to share, £8.25) for those with more savoury after dinner tastes.

The Drink
There’s the almost-obligatory Peroni on tap and several other beers in bottles. The house white – Marche Bianco – is a dry, mellow wine at £3.55 a glass or £13.95 a bottle. There’s a dozen or so whites ranging in price up to £24.95 for the Gavi di Gavi Poggio del Toglio, which is flavoured with peaches and apricots, and the same number of reds, from the house Marche Rosso up to the £28.95 a bottle Barolo DOCG Cru Castiglione. Champagne and sparkling wine is also available, and there’s a cocktail menu and a dedicated list of 5 bellini’s (offered 2-for-1 between 4pm and 7pm – perhaps an effort to attract a drinking, as well as dining, clientele).

The Last Word
Ego has made a favourable impression and it deserves to be tried. Those who do will more than likely return.

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