1 of my 2 favorite Sheffield restaurants, by far. I'm a tough customer, having friends/family in the restaurant business, and growing up amongst some of the best food in the world. I don't dine at many local places more than once, as I'm so often let down. I've eaten at Native twice, and looking forward to my 3rd time, which won't come soon enough. I was raised on seafood and living here, I've missed it terribly. I wasn't sure I'd ever have a delicious fish/shellfish meal locally. I'm so glad to have been proven wrong. This isn't just good for Sheffield, or the UK. This food would hold up in San Francisco and LA. Yes, it's that good.
I've ordered the lobster twice, since that's what I miss and crave most. I've always been a thermidor fan, but my first time, the server recommended garlic butter. It was perfect. The next time I got my beloved rich sauce, and while tasty, it just seemed a bit much. The lobster was so good that I prefer it with the simpler garlic butter. I'd never eaten lobster with fries (or chips as you say) previously, and don't really care for them, but the fries here are delicious! I surprised myself by eating most of them. The Caesar salad that comes with it is very good as well...the flavors are so perfectly balanced in this trio, it nearly brought a tear to my eye. I need to order a vegetable side next time, since that's how I was raised, but I'll likely have to go without fries in that case, since the servings are fairly generous.
While the one thing I was slightly less pleased in was the scallop starter - cooked well, I just like a bit more flavor (tho know they're catering for local tastes), the crab arancini is astoundingly good. In fact one of the best starters I've ever had (and I've had some fantastic starters at well-known, highly praised establishments). I only wished there'd been more sauce, it's heavenly. I didn't try any dessert as I don't have much of a sweet tooth, and was too full anyway, yet highly recommend the cocktails. I'm not a wine drinker, but a proud mixed drink connoisseur. They make some strong, mighty tasty ones here. The margarita and amaretto sour are especially nice, however I wish they'd use maraschinos rather than those sticky, mushy glace cherries. It really makes a difference, and the stickiness wasn't fun.
The service was excellent, both when we were the only table and when they were at 80% or 90% capacity.
Though they were using the accessible toilet to store some things, which meant I had to wait for it to be moved (and standing isn't always easy for me). That's always a huge disappointment, and often makes the difference between me never going back to a restaurant, but idk if they're still doing that as I didn't use the facilities my last visit. I hope not. Disabled folks are already made to feel like they shouldn't leave the house here in UK, so it's disheartening when businesses make us feel like we're asking too much. Everything else is so good that I won't hold it against them too much. And they have an accessible entrance, which is huge, since most don't here. Disabled patrons are made to feel welcome, which is rare around here, so immensely appreciated.
Other than that, the only thing that seemed incongruous to me was the decor. As a stylist and former decorater, I can't help but imagine what would really make a place shine, add to the aura, and emphasize what they do and are. There are a few things they could do to really create an ambience, while remaining true to their soul, but I know that's not big here in the north of England. It would make it that much more enjoyable however.
Anyway, if you're local, you've got to try Native. If you're visiting, you should put it on your itinerary. This is seafood done right. I'm so glad it exists.
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