Review: Proove Pizza

Take another little pizza my heart

New year, new me. Since my new year's resolution was to try to be a bit more classy at uni (if you know me, you'll know that this is necessary), I'm gonna write about a place with a little more sophistication than your average late-night kebab shop. Not every day has to be about downing blue pints, stealing cones and dropping your chips on the pavement on your walk home from a BNO. Sometimes we can have nice things. This is where Proove comes in. 

If you live in Endcliffe/Ranmoor you'll have probably seen Proove on your way into uni. Its Broomhill location makes it perfect for a quick lunch to celebrate a special occasion like end of exams (or, in my case, the end of having my soul destroyed slowly, piece by piece, by ThinkCreate). The best thing about this place is that it can still be enjoyed if you're a bit skint - they do a lunchtime deal during the week where you can get any pizza, salad, and a drink for £6.90!! The atmosphere inside is on point, nicely done up without being pretentious and the staff are always overly lovely and attentive. 

Let's talk about the pizzas. First off, the base. I am all about Proove's base. It's a properly authentic, wood-fired crust (the ones with the little black spots). It's thin but not too thin, crispy but satisfyingly chewy. They have a good range of fresh Italian toppings, such as prosciutto, ricotta and portobello mushrooms. And they don't scrimp on portions. Obviously I picked the cheesiest option, the Pizza Bianca with a holy trinity of mozzarella, ricotta and parmesan. All topped off with sheets of prosciutto and fresh basil to tie it all together. Beats Pizza Express ANY DAY. 

Rating: 9.5/10

Proove Broomhill, 261 Fulwood Rd, Sheffield, S10 3BD

http://www.proove.co.uk/#woodfiredpizza

Review: Broomhill Friery

Hanging out with the man, the legend, Dan Bean himself

As an English student, it's safe to say I have spent more time in Broomhill Friery than I have in lectures. For Sheffield students walking back after a night out, Broomhill Friery is a bit of Mecca. It is positioned perfectly on Whitham Road, about 10 minutes walk away from Endcliffe. One of the main attractions of this place is that it is run by local celebrity Dan Bean (nephew of Sean Bean). Nights out often end with a drunken conversation with Dan, often about his passion for yoga, or his penchant for trout. 

Broomhill's menu is extensive, and includes almost anything you could want after one too many Corp blue pints. The kebabs are generously sized, and delicious. You can stomach them when sober (which is saying a lot for a kebab shop) and they don't give you food poisoning (again, high praise). Whoever crafted this menu obviously knew that drunk students don't care much about calorie counting; the burgers here are not for the faint-hearted. The Ned Stark burger is a favourite - a battered beef burger topped with chicken kebab meat and cheese. It might be a heart attack in a bread roll but it's worth it, trust me. The best thing about Broomhill Friery is that the food is of such good quality you don't just want it at 3am. I would come here on my day off to get a Big Cheese. The Big Cheese is undoubtedly my favourite item on the menu. It's a beef burger, topped with feta, pesto, and cheddar. It is the closest I've got to gastronomic heaven. An unsung hero is the Boromir special: chips with gravy, cheese and onion rings. It's delightfully Northern and lovely. When I go home back down South I'm going to introduce my local chippy to the wonder that is gravy and chips; it's something that everyone needs to experience. 

Overall the Broomhill Friery is as close to perfection as a fast food joint can get. The only way it could possibly be improved is if you could have a sit-down meal there (for romantic dates, of course). One of my friends sacked off a potential one-night stand for a late-night Broomhill Friery, which I think tells you all you need to know. 

Rating: 10/10

Broomhill Friery, 197 Whitham Rd, Sheffield S10 2SP

https://www.facebook.com/BroomhillFriery/

Review: Falafel King

For your average Sheffield uni student, Falafel King is a pretty well established institution. Located just opposite the SU on Glossop Road, this is the perfect spot for a between-lecture snack (and not too far from Endcliffe that it's definitely worth the walk for falafel alone). There is a good selection of wraps but I always keep it simple with the classic falafel and hummus. They're cheap as shit at £2.50 for a massive wrap (thank the Lord for Northern prices). You can go large for £1 but that's kinda unneccessary since the standard ones always put me in a food coma anyway. 

The ratio of hummus to falafel is spot on, enough to make it not dry but not overpowering. The falafel themselves are heavenly balls of deep-fried but not greasy, crunchy on the outside, soft in the middle goodness. The abundance of salad also makes it seem like you could be eating something healthy. My fave thing about Falafel King is that they toast the wraps, giving them a satisfying crunch. The only thing I would change about this place is to offer customers a choice of sauces with their wraps, especially hot sauce. But then again I'm a bit of a sauce obsessive so this probably wouldn't matter to the average diner. Overall as a fast food experience I can't really fault Falafel King. It's one of the only things that I will drag my arse out of bed for on my days off, and that's saying a lot.

Rating: 9/10

Falafel King, 323 Glossop Rd, Sheffield S10 2HP
https://take-a-way.co.uk/menu/6990/falafel-king-sheffield/