FOOD REVIEW: Mama Mia, Abbeydale Road, Sheffield
IT'S not often you get something for nothing – these days you're lucky to get a bread roll without reaching for your wallet first – so when Francisco presents us with a plate of food before we've even placed our order, we know this is going to be our kind of restaurant.
"The chef would like you to try this and tell him what you think," he says, leaving us with a dish of floury potatoes smothered in a spicy garlic sauce.
Its exact identity remains a mystery but we think it's delicious.
Mama Mia is the latest addition to Abbeydale Road, on the site of the former Seasons restaurant (before that East West and Bosworth's Bistro, among others). This time it's being run by the Cerpa family, which once had Kito's at Woodseats.
It's very much a family concern, complete with children's menu for around a fiver: "We want to be known as a family restaurant. It will be cheaper to bring the children along than to hire a babysitter," says manager Francisco Llaca.
"Mama Mia means 'my mum' – it's the mothers of every person who comes here; a Latin-style home-cooking experience."
The Cerpa family has Chilean roots while Francisco is a Spanish Moroccan, who married into the family afteer meeting Paola on his first day at college in Sheffield.
Head chef Abdrabou Achnatih is a Latino who worked for many years in the Canary Islands – all of which adds up to the perfect recipe for a Latin American restaurant 'with a European twist'.
"We're passionate about our food; that's what you need for success of a restaurant," says Francisco.
To ensure they got the recipe right the Mama Mia team started out with a lengthy menu then gradually refined it to feature a broad range of both dishes and prices.
The accent is on authenticity: where else in the city can you get paella for one, made with real paella rice?
Pasta and pizza were banned until they gave in to perceived demand and settled on a token two of each. "But people don't ask for them – in four weeks we've only sold ten…"
At the other end of the scale sauted scallops are straight off the famous El Bulli menu (though made with sambuca instead of aniseed to avoid any potential conflict). Sadly Francisco doesn't tell us this until after we've finished our meal, so I can't vouch for their quality, but they sound divine.
The place has a relaxed feel about it and we pick a table near the window, with monochrome cloths and quirky, mismatched chairs.
There's a decent wine list – the 'house' Chilean merlot (12.95) is smooth and fruity – and we tuck into bread, oil and the chef's mystery dish.
Starters range from 2.95 to 7.50. We start with homemade soup of the day – vegetable broth, thick and rustic – and a succulent portobello mushroom, stuffed with wilted spinach and basil and oozing melted mozzarella.
Paella is a must after the build-up and it certainly proves a dramatic choice… Francisco delivers the pan with a flourish, setting fire to a napkin as he does so and retreating hastily to douse the flames!
There's no questioning the authenticity: soft, plump grains of rice are cooked with prawns, squid, pieces of chicken, finely chopped onions, tomatoes and herbs and topped with a half-lemon and a whole prawn.
It's a treat worth waiting for and the combination has me sighing in appreciation. The only grumble is that it's a tad oily for my taste.
My companion goes for estofado Chileno, a traditional stew of beef, carrots, onions, herbs and wine. This, too, has the authentic touch: a hearty serving with three huge pieces of beef, falling off the bone, and floury potatoes on the side.
By this time pudding is out of the question, though we could have had cream caramel, pannacotta or Catalonian cream with a brandy flamb.
We settle for coffee – which is great – served with liqueur chocolates. Dinner for two, excluding drinks and service, is 31.35.
- Verdict: Mama mia! Authentic Latin cuisine with no song and dance.
- Open: Daily 9am-3pm and 6.30- 10.30pm.
- Mama Mia, 238 Abbeydale Road, Sheffield (0114) 327 9597.
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Weather for Sheffield
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 12 C to 23 C
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