So Famous (American Diner) – Sheffield

There’s trendy and there’s trendy, and then there’s the fully Halal American diner So Famous in the heart of Sheffield.

This restaurant is a huge contemporary establishment that can cater for 130 guests spread across two sumptiously kitted-out floors.

In fact, its neon-lit interior, which includes neon angelic wings, comes complete with a 142″ media screen, plenty of eye-catching artwork, a VIP stage with comfy leather sofas, and even a Harley Davidson bike display.

Truth be told, when it comes to Halal and aesthetics, then we’d have to agree with them when declaring that this place is “like nothing else in Sheffield”.

With the University of Sheffield only a few minutes walk away, you can imagine this place simply coming alive in the evenings.

As an American diner, they offer a large variety of items too ranging from burgers and shakes, to waffles and other sweet treats. Sadly, beef wasn’t available on the day of our visit due to some technical issues.

Mocktail Virgin Mojito £5.49, So Famous Shake (Jammie Dodger) £5.49, Mocktail Strawberry Daquiri £5.49

As a litmus test, we tend to try the ubiquitous Virgin Mojito mocktail where available to get a taste of how good the mixologist is. Alas, this was nothing special. A hint of mint and lots of lemonade didn’t quite hit that zing-factor. Similarly, and despite not being overly sweet, the same was true of the Strawberry Daquiri.

The thick and rich Jammie Dodger shake, on the other hand, was as good as any milkshake we’ve had in quite some time. Full to the rafters and with plenty of soft-scoop ice cream, this was more a dessert, with its rose and strawberry flavoured syrup coming through really well.

Loaded Nachos – Nacho cheese sauce, green & red jalapenos, pico de gallo, black beans, cilantro & lime sour cream, red onion, crispy fried onion garnish, guacomole, chunky salsa, £6.49

These vegetarian Loaded Nachos weren’t just unique, but also packed quite the punch thanks to a deliciously strong buffalo sauce, and plenty of it too, which enveloped all the various condiments that made up this sharing dish.

With some heat in the background courtesy of the green and red jalapenos, this was a visual and oral treat, which primed the taste buds for what’s to come.

Fried Buttermilk Chicken – 3pcs £2.49, 6pcs £4.49

These mildly herbaceous Fried Buttermilk Chicken wings, while beautifully executed with a golden crispy exterior and a succulent interior, would have done even better with a dip.

Famous Buffalo Wings – 3pcs £2.99, 6pcs £5.49

And this just proved our point. Doused in plenty of sauce were these Famous Buffalo Wings which, given the optimum level of heat that tantalisingly tingled the taste buds, made for a very addictive dish.

Mac ‘n’ Cheese Bites, £3.99

Not sure if this was worth the £3.99 price tag or not, but these dainty Mac ‘n’ Cheese balls were delicately crispy on the outside, and were filled with gooey-melted cheese. A small finger-food snack which kids too will enjoy.

Dynamite Chicken, £4.99; Dynamite Prawns, £5.99

Deep fried pots of goodness. Smothered in a strong tabasco-flavoured sauce were these Dynamite Chicken bites which, given how generously coated they were, turned out to be some of the best we’ve had in a while. Having said that though…

Dynamite Prawns, £5.99

… these plump Dynamite Prawns trumped their land-dwelling counterparts and some! Not only did these boast an almost caramelised crispy-cum-viscous coating, but turned out soft, tender and wet once bitten into. Do not depart So Famous without ordering these beauties.

Return of the Mac – curly fries & shake, £7.99

Curly Fries (s) £2.49

Return of the Mac? You bet, especially at this bargain price. With a thick and juicy fillet of fried battered chicken, this is one of the better chicken burgers out there.

If we did have a complaint, it was that the chicken wasn’t cooked to order, due to the deep fryer not able to accommodate one chicken piece at a time. For that reason, this wasn’t quite there. The nachos and Mac ‘n’ Cheese fillings, however, did bring something different to this burger. Yet, a lack of sauce meant that this never really came together into a coherent whole.

Nevertheless, this meal also came with some good’n’crunchy curly fries, which would otherwise have cost £2.49.

Infamous Waffle Burger – Famous Shake Meal, £9.49

Classic Fries (s) £1.99

The last time we reviewed a waffle burger was last year in London’s Bird in Camden last year.

So Famous’ version though was better, with, most importantly, a satisfyingly juicy fried chicken nestled in between a light, though rather hollow, waffle.

Although the maple sauce should have been double the quantity given the size of the chicken, and while looking past the meagre sprinkling of salad therein, flavour-wise, this was still a good waffle burger.

And unless you enjoy your fries with maple syrup, it might be a good idea to request some sauce to go with this meal’s classic fries.

Dessert Burger – Brioche bun, nutella, oreo, strawberries, white chocolate, £4.49

So Famous pushed the boat out here with their dessert burger. The last time we reviewed something similar was at MasterChef champion Shelina Permalloo’s impressive Lakaz Maman in Southamption.

And yet, even with our sweet tooth, this one wasn’t anywhere near as good. With nothing to counter all that sweetness, we could only take so much before admitting defeat.

Cookie Dough (Spider Man) – Double chocolate and strawberry, £6.49

One thing’s for sure, So Famous has such a huge range of desserts that you’ll be spoiled for choice.

And this homemade cookie dough, being soft and chewy on the inside, with an icy-cold ice cream on the side, was a scrumptious little treat, although dare at £6.49.

Dubai Waffle (Fererro) – Soft scoop ice cream, £6.49

It was disappointing to see that while there’s 23 variety of toppings to choose from, only vanilla is made available for ice cream, and that too one which ended up erring on the icy side.

This time, however, we’re glad to say that the waffle actually came out far better than the first time round. And opting for Ferrero Rocher also meant a very satisfying Dubai Waffle.

Sundae 007 (Flake), £6.49

29 variety of Sundaes

For Your Eyes Only – the Sundae 007. A triple-layered flake extravaganza, which could easily be shared between two.

In short, three layers of soft ice cream juxtaposed with white chocolate sauce, plenty of pleasant bits of flake, and cream on top to boot, should all translate into you eating The Living Daylights out of this one.

And again, with 29 variety of Sundaes to choose from and enjoy, you’ll be coming back time and time again for sure.