Cricket Inn, Penny Lane, Totley

THERE are blackboards to the left of me, blackboards to the right. I almost can't see the pub for blackboards: ones for starters, mains, sweets, specials, classics and early birds, let alone the drinks.

A kindly waitress points to the dining room. There's the mother of all blackboards where I can see everything at a glance.

Now there's a phrase for all this, which all veterans on the dining out trail will recognise. It's "bunced out," from Brian Bunce of the old Druid Inn at Birchover who had giant blackboard menus with well over 100 dishes you memorised before ordering.

At the Cricket Inn, Totley, Sheffield's latest gastro-pub, it's not quite that bad but when we find a table it's by a door with a blackboard completely empty. Scary.

This is the first venture by the new local BrewKitchen company, half of which is made up of chef Richard Smith and his wife Victoria. The others are millionaire Jim Harrison of Thornbridge Hall and Simon Webster of Henderson's Relish.

Richard, with restaurants Artisan, Catch and Thyme Cafe already under his ample belt, has the knack of turning out tasty, relaxed food in generous portions for decent prices. He's also been pretty successful although less so at his previous pub (the Druid, curiously).

Under its previous ownership the Cricket was trying for the fine dining market. Now it's been given the sort of makeover you see at Thyme Cafe in Broomhill; mix and match chairs, zinc buckets for cutlery, big wooden tables and old pews on the wooden and flagged floors.

Like Thyme it also has a 'no bookings' policy but seats 100. I was prepared to chunter about this but just found a table. They clocked up 5,000 customers in the first four weeks.

Thyme regulars will find much of the menu familiar -pies, fishcakes, fish and chips, burgers, risottos - but why dump a winning formula?

They also offer dishes like chateaubriand (for two) and head chef Jack Baker, a Thyme graduate, has done brawn with Cunninghams pickle and Thornbridge duck eggs with Henderson's gravy, keeping things in house. Coming soon, tripe!

What we eat is first class. A Stilton and courgette soup (4) has bags of cheesy flavour and a chunky texture. Jack says later that it would be pureed at the restaurant but here he wants a country feel. Our other starter, a 'tart' or pastry disc covered with chopped olives, red onion, goats cheese, feta, rocket and pesto (7), was a lively little number that has served well in several guises.

I'm a sucker for shepherds pie but I'd not seen the Indian-style version (11) before, spiced up but not too hot in a big dish. At first I thought it a little sloppy below the potato topping but that's what you'd expect from a keema.

It came with crunchy green beans and a small dish of home made mango chutney. Smoked haddock Welsh rarebit (12) is also substantial and surprisingly elegant as the tang of the fish, served as whole fillets, plays well against the grilled cheese sauce coating. The brown flecks look like fish scales.

It's topped with a perfectly spherical poached egg.

Puddings come in trencherman portions. A sticky toffee parkin, with toffee sauce, looked heavy and was surprisingly light. A treacle tart, with clotted cream, managed to taste delicate - some feat. Both were 5.

I've been rapped by a reader for not describing the beer in pubs. The Cricket has a slate of real ales, all from Jim Harrison's Thornbridge Brewery and I can recommend them all. So does chef Baker.

The Jaipur goes in the beer batter, the Lord Marples in the sausages and the St Petersburg in the toffee sauce.

Our bill for food was 44. Richard and co have got a winner.

Factfile

CRICKET INN

Penny Lane, Totley.

Tel 0114 236 5256.

Mon-Sat 12-2.30pm and 5-9; Sat 12-9.30pm; Sun 12-8pm.

Credit cards.

Disabled toilets and access. Car park

Star ratings:

Food *****

Atmosphere ****

Service *****

Value *****

Pub food category. Do not compare ratings between places of different style or price.