Luke and Stacey French’s acclaimed Jöro had long outgrown its cluster of shipping containers when a developer offered them a 19th-century paper mill located to the north of the city, perched between the Peak District and the River Don. Following several years of Grand Designs-worthy renovations, Jöro 2.0 opened in December 2024.
The vast, stone-walled building now houses a bar, seven mini-apartments, and a handsome, double-height restaurant. At its heart is a completely open-plan kitchen (roughly the size of their previous site) in full view of all twelve generously spaced tables. The room’s striking black-led colour scheme is in stark contrast to the warmth of the service (led by Stacey) which is overwhelmingly knowledgeable in its grasp of every last detail of the tasting menu and its eclectic drinks pairings.
Formative travels in Asia influence the menu – there’s a notable Japanese accent and a meal here centres on a £125 tasting menu. At 19-dishes it’s an epic session – upwards of four hours – but it is served with elegance and very little stuffiness. In addition, there’s an express 11-dish lunch for a more kindly priced £45.
Luke French’s skill is combining unusual ingredients. Among the appetisers, a one-bite croustade filled with finely chopped raw beef seasoned with myoga (Japanese ginger), a house-made beef garum, and garnished with a vivid green hoop of candied jalapeño tasted spectacular and familiar all at once – if you like Roast Beef Monster Munch you’ll be in raptures!
These almost perfect versions of everyday favourites were a theme at the original iteration of Jöro too, but now, any lurking sense of gimmick has melted away. That is especially apparent in a sweet course of ‘Jasmine rice koji, Ohitachi soy, Miyazaki yuzu and Madagascar vanilla’, and while the chef’s description of the complex processes proved overwhelming, it was forgiven with every multi-textured spoonful of comforting creamy caramel and a contrasting salty soy drizzle.
Only a few ingredients are imported and savoury courses celebrate premium British produce such as Hampshire Chalkstream trout with salty pops of pike roe, or an enormous stuffed morel that accompanies an exceptionally tender Silver Hill duck breast in blackcurrant sauce.
Drinks pairings are exciting and unusual. At £65, the alcoholic version includes sake and beer alongside exclusively organic, biodynamic or natural wines, while the excellent non-alcoholic pairing (Luke and Stacey are both non-drinkers) ranges from quince juice with cinnamon and ginger to a shot-sized tumbler of Malawian coffee leaf tea for £45.
Rooms weren’t in the initial planning application, but the paper mill was too big a space without them – Luke and Stacey are determined to establish Jöro as a Peaks-side travel destination in its own right. Meanwhile, local residents are already filling the bar on Friday nights and making the most of the mini shop’s fancy bottles and high-end chocolate. Jöro’s suntrap of a 60-seater terrace will soon have an outdoor bar and food menu and there’s a Big Green Egg BBQ terrace in the making, too.
WHERE Outibridge Mill, Main Rd, Wharncliffe Side, Sheffield S35 0LB
FOLLOW @restaurant_joro
BOOK jororestaurant.co.uk
The Good Food Guide allows three to six months before anonymously inspecting a new restaurant. Look out for a full review coming soon.
