Last weekend we ended up with a child-free day, so we made the most of it by treating ourselves to a nice lunch. We were intending to try the highly recommended Rhubarb Shed but it was fully booked, so we ended up going to Tonco, a small restaurant, hidden away in Dyson Court, just off Sharrow Vale Road.

The place itself has a fairly industrial vibe – simple wood and concrete decor with pops of yellow – and an open kitchen. And the seasonally changing menu is all about tapas-style small plates, ranging in cost between £6.50 and £14. Lots of the menu is marked as gluten free and the chef was quite happy to tailor a few dishes as well. They were great about cross contamination, despite the presence of some home made bread on the counter.

Apart from the plate of charcuterie meats, the majority of the savoury options were completely novel to us. My absolute favourite (top middle on the photos) was a salad, newly devised by the chef this morning, of purple sprouting broccoli, blood orange, ricotta cheese, hazelnut puree and chopped hazelnuts. It was so good, we ordered it a second time!

We also tried vegan croquettes, brandade, which was olive oil mashed potato with confit egg yolk inside, liberally sprinkled with flakes of dried fish. The leeks with smoked beetroot, chilli and almonds were fantastic. It was all fabulous, and I enjoyed a couple of glasses of crisp Alvarinho wine as well.

We probably didn’t need a pudding, but on spotting a fairly unusual gluten free option, I decided to indulge. Floating islands with custard, rhubarb and almonds, which tasted as gorgeous as it looked! The tangy rhubarb really balanced out the sweet custard and meringue, and the crunch of the nuts made the texture combination perfect.

We chuckled when we got the bill and it said “VERY COELIAC” in capital letters, which was reassuring. I definitely felt looked after here and we had lovely, relaxing late lunch. I really can’t wait to go back.

Tonco
2 Dyson Place, Sheffield S11 8XX