Authentic Spanish dishes served at Sheffield restaurant The Mediterranean

The restaurant, at 271 Sharrow Vale Road, has been serving diners authentic Spanish dishes for over 30 years, all in a simple but elegant setting with simple white tablecloths and stripped floors which are reminiscent of understated Spanish eateries.

I visited with my partner Tom on a busy Saturday evening, with the summer heat and authentic setting making us feel as though we could be dining abroad.

For our starters, I chose the goats cheese parcel (£7) while Tom had the field mushrooms and chorizo (£8.99). For our main courses, I had the vegetable moussaka (£18.99) and Tom chose the roasted duck breast (£17.99).

For me, the goats cheese parcel was the highlight of the meal. The filo pastry was thin and crisp and the goats cheese was wonderfully rich and creamy and a contrast to the sharper caramelised onions. It was incredibly moreish and I would have happily had more.

The vegetable moussaka which followed, with layers of soft and fresh vegetables topped with creamy bechamel sauce, was also perfectly cheesy.

Of the two dishes he was served, Tom preferred the duck he had for his main, which was stuffed with apricots and stem ginger and served with caramelised red onions, vegetables and a port and red wine sauce. This all made for a decadent dish, with Tom saying the meat was perfectly tender and the sauce was complimentary to every ingredient.

He did also like his starter, which was a classic Spanish dish and served to whet the appetite for what was to come – again commenting that the meat was cooked and seasoned to perfection.

We both enjoyed all the dishes we were served, although I must note that as a vegetarian I was very disappointed with the dishes on offer because there was a distinct lack of choice.

I had to ask the waiter what vegetarian dishes were available and was told that only the vegetable moussaka was available as a main course because they were busy. Luckily, I am very open to eating a variety of vegetarian meals and so I was happy to have the moussaka, but I would have preferred to have had a choice – and I was surprised that a vegetable-based main dish was more expensive than a meat-based main meal.

The website does state that “vegan, vegetarian, nut-free, gluten free and coeliac dishes [are] available”, but if you have a dietary requirement I would advise calling to speak to staff to see which dishes will be available to suit your needs before making a booking.

The restaurant is a little pricier than others, although the portions are plentiful and we did leave full and happy. Along with a bottle of house rose wine (£18.50) our bill came to £72.57 in total.