Recommended - Chez Lahlou Restaurant

[taxman]

It was quite bizarre, a real throwback.

 

At 6.30 we were the only people in there and chose a spot next to the radiator because it was so cold. My other half also said she thought the place smelled a bit damp.

 

The menus came and while we were choosing we also got complimentary crudites and dip which was very nice. The menu is quite extensive, with lots of tempting fish dishes for those who aren't big on slabs of meat. The wine menu is also very good with nothing over £20.

 

I was tempted by the snails but decided instead to go for something light() so chose the trout with almonds and Rivelin6 chose prawns and avocado.

 

The owner came back to say that they didn't have any almonds but the chef could do me a sauce of mushrooms, prawns and peppers instead which I said was fine.

 

While we waited for the starters the famous hot wings and garlic bread turned up. There were about 12 wings, I managed 4 and she packed up the rest for me (lunch today).

 

The starters arrived and were huge. I wonder what (if any) markup they had. £5 for a whole trout with sauce and veggies could hardly turn in a profit and it was big enough for a main course, easily.

 

By then another group had arrived, I think they skipped the starters after I showed them the size of mine (fnuh)

 

My main course was haunch of lamb and could have fed two people easily. Rivelin6 had a vast piece of salmon with sauce. A mountain of veggies also appeared.

 

We both gave a good account of ourselves but we were nowhere near finishing everything.

 

The cooking wasn't perfect. The prawns that came with the trout were the tiny cheap ones and the huge nest of deep fried potato nests with the lamb were superfluous but all in all a great night.

 

£55 for two starters, two mains and a bottle of wine.

 

Only 6 people in there including us which is a bit of a shame but I can imagine it being very cramped and very slow on a busy night.

 

If I were them I'd slash the portion sizes. More is not always better. If they still want to serve chicken wings serve a lot less. A trout starter should be a fillet, not a whole trout and could put people off ordering two courses on future visits. They've been around for ages and hopefully still will be for years to come but given the current economic climate they should reduce portion size, put the menu in the window and maybe spruce up the appearance for passers-by.

 

Definitely recommended.

Edited November 24, 2011 by taxman

[DerbyTup]

I think that's a very good and fair report taxman. It is a long time since I went in but it reflects my experiences as well.

 

I found it CRUDE. I'm sorry but I did. I can't think of a better way to describe it.

 

The place isn't nice inside particularly, you reminded me it was cold and fusty when we went in as well, about this time of year. I remember ordering some kind of empanada - which is like an Argentinian cornish pastie. Normally these are little things about 2 inches long - in this case it was as big as the biggest cornish pastie you've ever seen. And that was just the starter. Then came the chicken wings - which were good actually - but too many of them and caught us by surprise as not ordered.

 

As you described it - "the cooking isn't perfect" - I think you are being kind. The cooking isn't good would be more accurate. And the clue is in the ingredients - you draw attention to the cheap (frozen) prawns for example.

 

For many Sheffielder's this is going to be delightful I'm sure. As I said in my earlier, if your main motive is to stuff your face and not spend a lot of money then you'll absolutely love it.

 

That's not what I go out for a meal for.

[rosaespanola]

Not recommended at all! We've just been for a friend's birthday and it was hilariously bad on all counts - if just one of the issues had happened then it'd have been mildly annoying at worst, but as it was it went right through annoying and out the other side into Fawlty Towers territory.

The table wasn't ready until 45 minutes after we'd booked, waiting staff would wander off halfway through taking our order and not come back for ages, at least half of the things we tried to order weren't available (including garlic bread, filet en croute ("we don't have any pastry"), and bottled mineral water), it took 45 minutes for drinks to arrive, and we didn't get our starters until nearly 11pm (having booked the table for 8.30pm). We cancelled our order for main courses since none of us felt like eating a massive steak at 11.30pm, and I'm quite glad we did because most of the starters were pretty poor and I wouldn't have wanted to pay the £17 for a meal I no longer wanted especially if it was as poor quality as the starters.

Definitely won't be going there again!

[tailgunner]

ha ha ha ha , thats has got to be one funny post iv'e read for a long time

[jaffa1]

I love the place but my partner doesn't. I must admit there is toooo much food and it is not the same taking it home in a " doggy bag ". You might as well just send out for a takeaway.

 

They seem to be able to cope with couples but never book in with a group because they just cannot cope with numbers. You will find some of you have finished eating well before the others even get their meal.

 

Having said that even with just two of us in an almost empy restaurant we had to wait over 30 minutes just to order drinks. But I still love their food.

[rosaespanola]

I love the place but my partner doesn't. I must admit there is toooo much food and it is not the same taking it home in a " doggy bag ". You might as well just send out for a takeaway.

 

They seem to be able to cope with couples but never book in with a group because they just cannot cope with numbers. You will find some of you have finished eating well before the others even get their meal.

 

Having said that even with just two of us in an almost empy restaurant we had to wait over 30 minutes just to order drinks. But I still love their food.

 

I'd have loved for there to have been too much food...from 8.30-10.45pm I was definitely feeling that any food at all would have been great! Unfortunately the food we did eventually get was pretty terrible, so it doesn't inspire me to give them another try.

[rosaespanola]

ha ha ha ha , thats has got to be one funny post iv'e read for a long time

 

We were still slightly hysterical even after we got home and had a takeaway to make up for the lack of food at the restaurant...it was as though someone was trying to show off all the things that restaurants really shouldn't do, I didn't think places like that actually existed, especially ones that have been in business as long as Chez Lahlou has!

[rosaespanola]

I read on Trip Advisor that they have numerous vegetarian options.

 

Nope, they really don't. But they'll apparently make you a bowl of pasta if you don't want any of the numerous meaty/fishy options on the menu. I'm quite glad I didn't get to that stage of the meal, given the quality of the starters my pasta dish would have probably turned out to be a pot noodle upended into a fancy bowl.

[scargill]

Nope, they really don't. But they'll apparently make you a bowl of pasta if you don't want any of the numerous meaty/fishy options on the menu. I'm quite glad I didn't get to that stage of the meal, given the quality of the starters my pasta dish would have probably turned out to be a pot noodle upended into a fancy bowl.

 

Fancy Bowl! now I know you have the wrong place.

[rosaespanola]

Fancy Bowl! now I know you have the wrong place.

 

OK, I was being optimistic about getting a bowl