Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Norwich

Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market – Week 9 and Delight

This is the ninth week of our plan to eat at every food stall at Norwich market this year. There’s been a slight gap in proceedings since the last expedition was in late March, but maybe we can make up an extra one in May so that my two loyal readers don’t miss the updates too much.

This week’s expedition was to Delight which sells a variety of Turkish food.

The stall’s menu, with some Turkish specialities at the base.

I went for the chicken wrap meal deal which included fries and a rather lovely Dr. Pepper, the premium of all the soft drinks (with the exception of the even more premium Dr. Pepper and Cream Soda). Nathan went for the doner wrap, also correctly going for Dr. Pepper.

The Gözleme on display. At some stage when we’re finished going around the market, we might perhaps start again but having different things on stalls. That should make this task never-ending.

The chicken cooking away nicely at the back. The food was prepared efficiently and the service was polite, engaging and warm. The stall looked clean and tidy, with the surfaces being dry and not sticky. There was a friendly welcome and I know that’s commonplace from the Norwich market traders, but it’s always pleasant being here.

Nathan convinced me to sit outside in the open air and I’m pleased to note that we did manage to avoid attack from pigeons or seagulls, although I still think it’ll be like Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft soon when the birds become ever more aggressive.

The food was perfectly decent, the chicken was tender and moist, the portion size was generous and the salad added some texture. I had opted for a spicy sauce which gave some extra heat to the food and the Dr. Pepper complemented it marvellously. The chips were maybe slightly soggy, but they tasted good and I was full by the end of the meal. It came to £7 for the wrap, drink and fries, which I thought was reasonable, with Nathan’s slightly less decadent affair costing £6.50. I paid with cash today, but they do accept cards.

Nathan’s selection, which I’ll note here that he failed to finish as he had been gorging on handfuls of doughnuts in the morning. I didn’t say anything though as I didn’t feel that was my place to do so. I can say that he did approve of the food.

Overall, this is yet another stall that I’d very happily visit again. I liked the food, the service and the amount of food that I had for my lunch. All really rather lovely, the market continues to surprise and delight.

May 2, 2023
North Walsham Pub Day – Hop In

The Hop In is the only Good Beer Guide listed pub in North Walsham and is a micro-pub that was formerly occupied by a taxi company. I’ve been hoping to come here for some time and it was the pub that Julian and I expected to enjoy the most in our day trip to the town, so we had left it to last.

This was the strongest real ale selection of the day, offering a combination of local breweries alongside some different national breweries to give a little more choice. They had some tempting chocolate bars and crisps on the bar, but I somehow managed to resist buying food that I didn’t really need.

It’s a small venue, just three tables downstairs and around five or so tables upstairs. I wasn’t able to get a photo of the interior as it was busy, but the environment is cosy, informal and extremely inviting for my needs at least. The service was outstanding, with the staff member being knowledgeable, engaging, personable and pro-active. It is absolute no surprise that this pub is doing so well given the welcome that customers are receiving. I was faffing about wondering whether I needed a chocolate bar, and the staff member mentioned that I also had the option of bringing in food from other venues, which is always a kind gesture.

I went for the Pit Stop from Prescott Brewery to start with, an example of my being able to try something new as the brewery is from Cheltenham and I hadn’t previously heard of it. The beer uses Citra hops which nearly always delights me, giving it a pleasant citrusy flavour and it was served in excellent condition.

I didn’t go for Boudicca on this visit, but if my new bar billiards team member friend Emma ever reads this I’d note I’d had one of her brewery’s beers the night before so I haven’t become disloyal to this fine brewery. This is instead a beer I’ve had plenty of times, the ever delightful Blackberry Porter from S&P Brewery. Well, I have to get my fruit intake somehow as it’s important to have a balance in life.

I had absolute no complaints about the Hop In, it’s a standout venue which absolutely deserves to be listed in the Good Beer Guide. Exceptional service, a well thought through selection of beers, an inviting atmosphere and the denizens of North Walsham should be delighted that they have this drinking option in the town. I was surprised and delighted, ready to return to the International Transportation Hub in the car park of North Walsham library.

April 8, 2023
Harwich – Greater Anglia Train from Norwich to Harwich

Today’s little pub, history and walking expedition is to Harwich since I thought that I needed a day out. I noticed on-line that the London train before mine was cancelled so thought I’d rush down in anticipation of the actual service I was booked on being full. Fortunately, I got a table just in time so was able to merrily type away for an hour or so. The service inevitably got busier and I got chatting to a confused passenger (they weren’t confused by me, or at least I don’t think so) who wondered why the train was so busy. We then shared our thoughts about Greater Anglia, which is a healthy scepticism I would say mixed with a supportive attitude.

My train arrived into Manningtree on time, but since it was a tight connection I didn’t get time to have a look around the railway station.

Looking to the left, the train was empty. Something of a contrast to the standing room only of the train that I had just disembarked.

Looking to the right, the train was empty. Now, I know I complain, but I hate it when they shove five seats in across. They’re so narrow that it effectively takes out the middle seat of the three so I disagree that there’s any benefit in terms of passenger numbers. Indeed, they’ve just made it more uncomfortable for everyone as it’s hard to navigate down the aisle and there’s a reason why trains traditionally have four seats across.

A couple of other people got on and then got off again at the gateway to the globe railway station that is Harwich International.

I do love a bit of history and they’ve made an effort with the boards at Harwich Town. The sign notes that between December 1938 and May 1940 that 10,000 unaccompanied children came to Britain from Europe. Although many people were involved, it is impossible for me not to mention the work done by Sir Nicholas Winton, someone that I consider to be one of the greatest people of the twentieth century. The relevance is that the children arrived here at Harwich and many stayed locally.

Another board about the Kindertransport.

I’ve been watching a lot of Hi-de-Hi recently and I didn’t realise that the programme was filmed at Warners which wasn’t far from the railway station, but unfortunately it was all demolished in 1992. That was a suitable treat to feel so near to where all this comedy action took place.

It’s a pretty railway station and it’s at the end of the Mayflower Line, with the building being rebuilt between 1865 and 1866.

And an information board at the front of the station, it all felt more remote than I had expected with all this greenery. But I had arrived into Harwich on time and ready to explore the town for my first time in recent years.

April 4, 2023
Norwich – 1792 Anti Slave-Trade Committee

Whilst I was looking at the history of The Bell pub I noticed that they were home to the Norwich Revolutionary Society, a group that would probably be called ‘woke’ today. Or, I prefer the word ‘kind’, but each to their own. I found this list of donors to the 1792 campaign to end slavery and I thought how just ahead of the curve these individuals were. But there was also one group in the list which was an organisation, namely the Revolutionary Society who donated nearly £11, equivalent to around £900 today.

Others who donated more than £1 included:

H Bell

G Maltby

Rev. John Buxton

John Birkbeck

James Smith

Yarington and Bacon

Rev. D Foster

Joseph Gurney

John Gurney

Rev. John Prettyman

Miss Green

John Jackson

John Scott

N Styleman

William Herring

Hannah Goddart

Rev. Philip Bell

Rev. Stephen Allen

Rev E Edward

The Gurneys were a local Quaker banking family, with their business eventually becoming part of Barclays Bank. Slavery is a challenge to Barclays, some of their founders over the centuries were slave owners, but some of their other important figures were campaigning against it. William Herring was a wealthy Norwich merchant who became the Sheriff of the city in 1786 and the Mayor in 1796, when he received a present of a sword from Horatio Nelson. I’m intrigued by some of the other names on the list, I may well return to this as it’s a fascinating subject.

March 28, 2023
Norwich – Kimchi

This is my first visit to Kimchi on Brigg Street, which was formerly the Three Ways Lebanese restaurant. It came recommended by a few people and I went today with James since he had already been and he was also smitten by the place.

Their specialism is KFC, or Korean Fried Chicken, although the menu has numerous other options including a tapas selection.

There weren’t a large number of beers to choose from, although the soft drinks range is relatively broad for the small size of the restaurant. I was surprised that although they had opened shortly before that they were nearly full when we arrived for our 18:00 reservation. Reservations are also pretty much essential here, although the process is easy enough as it involves just completing a quick on-line booking rather than having to be stressed by phoning them.

I went for a Tiger Beer, the Chilli KFC, the pork Man-Doo, Kimchi and a rice to share, with James going for the same other than he had the vegetarian Man-Doo. The food was brought out after nine minutes and the whole arrangement seemed efficient. As it would be expected for me to say, I would have preferred a Korean beer to Tiger which is a little generic, but I begrudgingly admit that it wasn’t out of place. And that food looked appetising when it arrived, very Instagrammable.

This is the regular sized Chilli KFC which is larger than I had anticipated when I saw it on the menu. The chicken is generously coated in sauce but it retained its crispiness and the meat was tender and moist. It’s all boneless which makes matters easier, although I did stain my fingers with the dark sauce because I decided against eating in a sensible way by using a knife and fork. There was some heat to it in terms of spice, but it wasn’t excessive and it was complemented well with the pineapple mayo that it’s served with.

They were generous again with the steam dumplings which retained some texture as they have been part cooked in the pan. The pork wasn’t obvious by taste, but the overall flavour was slightly complex and the soy sauce went well with them, although I could have done with more of that. There was a compulsive edge to these where I could have eaten far more than the eight provided, they were light and rich which suits my greedy appetite.

The kimchi is provided free of charge and it added an acidic edge to proceedings.

I didn’t get a photo of the interior as it’s a small space and the restaurant was full, so it didn’t feel entirely appropriate. The service was timely and personable, with the environment feeling welcoming. I wasn’t quite sure about the large mirror that we were seated next too, so I positioned myself so that I didn’t have to look into my own eyes, suitable treat as that might have been. I’m not sure that they offer desserts here, they weren’t listed on the menu and we weren’t offered any, although I’m not sure what Korean after meal treats there are to offer.

As I’m not very well trained it did take me some time to wash off my stained hands, but eating in this manner makes it feel more authentic, or that’s my excuse anyway. I was impressed with the portion sizes and the prices were very reasonable given the quality and quantity of food served. It’s comfort food which is always a treat for a rainy Tuesday night and I must say that it’s better than the other KFC that is available in Norwich.

March 28, 2023
Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market – Week 8 and Taste of Shanghai

This is the eighth week of our plan to eat at every food stall at Norwich market this year.

This is the menu at Taste of Shanghai with some tempting options there on the menu board and the prices looked reasonable so my initial impressions were positive.

The server was friendly and helpful, always good to be welcomed with a smile and eye contact, and she took the order in an interested manner. Nathan ‘social butterfly’ Hensley of course sort of knew the man preparing the food, so that all added to the engagement. There is absolutely nothing on either menu board that I wouldn’t have been pleased to try, this is a menu that to me seemed exciting and very much my type of thing.

I ordered the black pepper chicken with rice which was £7 and it was a delight to see that everything was freshly made. There’s a five to ten minute wait for food, but I’d far wait for that short period of time and have something fresh. I also liked that they didn’t take payment, with cards being welcomed, until after the food was served, I thought that was a nice little touch. The extras were also keenly priced, including drinks for £1 each which is towards the lower end of the scale for the market.

Nathan approved of his sweet and sour chicken, which was £6 for what was a generous portion. I liked how his sweet and sour chicken friend asked him if he would like chilli with the meal, a little bit of personalisation there.

Enough about Nathan and back to me. My black pepper chicken was well presented with crispy onions on top and a free spring roll, which was a handy little starter. The portion size was generous, there was plenty of chicken which was tender and moist, the rice was fluffy, the crispy onions added texture and there was some salad element to complete the mix. The sauce was rich and peppery and it coated all of the chicken with everything served at the appropriate temperature. There’s also no MSG used in the preparation of the food which suggests to me a more authentic experience.

I’m very much sold on this venue, the service was personable and immediate with the food being well presented and having a depth of taste and flavour. This is Norwich market at its best, that kind of interaction between the chef and customer, providing excellent quality for a reasonable price. Seeing food being made fresh is a bonus and I think it adds to the anticipation and excitement of the whole arrangement. The food was filling and although there is no seating or leaning area at this stall, there are always places to stand around the market out of the way of other people.

The reviews for this venue are nearly entirely positive, indeed there are just two negative reviews amongst the many five star ones and I can imagine how disappointed the owner is with them judging by their response. Not wishing to overly dwell on them, but one is:

“Rachel Irons : Really disappointing! The wait was very long, and then the result was verging on disgusting, we didn’t eat any, neither me nor my friend liked it. We ordered chicken katsu and it was so sweet almost like a desert ! The rice was over cooked and mushy and the sauce really ruined it. Nice people, cheap but not nice.”

The reply:

“Hi, Rachel

We are sorry for your unpleasant experience. As you can see we cook for our customers with one to one service. It might take time to wait during the busy time. Sometimes even bit longer. We use the high quality chicken. Also the sauce is our standard. It is our very popular trademark. We fully understand we can’t satisfied everyone but majority. And as the result you are not happy with the way of our taste. We will be happy to give you full refund. You can come to our stall at anytime with no prove. Your interest is always our priority. Thanks!

15/01/2023

Hi, Rachel

Happy New Year.

Had a review of the ratings for our services. You are the only customer we haven’t heard any reply from you. As we promised that your refund is always available. And we really don’t want to let anyone down. Maybe one day you will find your favourite food in our stall when you come again. All the best to you. Many thanks:)”

I feel their pain, but each to their own as individuals can of course leave their feedback in whatever form they like, but this tells me how much the owners seem to care about the customer experience that they tried so hard to respond, albeit to no avail. But, not dwelling on the negative, this feels a much more typical review and is one that I agree with:

“The boss has a good service attitude and is very enthusiastic. The food is good and cheap is a rare snack that makes my eyes shine. Compared with some flashy restaurants, this small shop gave me many more surprises and surprises.”

Overall, I’d definitely say that this is one of my favourite stalls of our expedition so far, I can imagine that I’ll be back again to start working through some of their other options. I was surprised and delighted, a very impressive little stall and I look forwards to returning.

March 28, 2023
Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market – Week 7 and Churros for the People

This is the seventh week of our plan to eat at every food stall at Norwich market this year.

We arrived at the stall just as they were setting up, so we hung back to analyse the menu. I was delighted to see just how extensive this menu was, as I had initially thought it might just be limited to the churros which are mentioned in the stall’s name. This menu consists some of the standard main items as well as some of the specials, with some very tempting options such as the surf ‘n’ turf option which had chorizo and king prawns flash fried in lemon and chilli, served in a ciabatta roll.

The drinks menu.

The tapas menu.

Some drinks specials and we were both tempted by that honey beer.

Nathan excitedly surveying the surroundings. This is one of the stalls at the market which has its own seating area, something which is very useful and makes it feel a bit more of a premium experience as opposed to being attacked by a pigeon in the outer undefended areas of the market. The surfaces in the stall were all clean and dry with nothing feeling sticky.

Orders in and the food was freshly prepared in front of us.

Revolution and rebellion!

Nathan’s scrambled eggs and chorizo served with a couple of slices of bread. He liked it although commented that for £5.50 it could have perhaps been a little more generous in portion size, particularly with the bread. I have some sympathy with that, the marginal cost of giving a little more would have been smaller, but beneficial to the meal. But remaining with the positives, he liked the chorizo and the taste of the meal, so was mostly content. Although he did go and get an apple turnover afterwards from M&S, which is a reminder of how middle class he is.

And here’s mine, a soft toasted ciabatta with spicy Brindisa chorizo, rocket, manchego cheese and piquillo peppers. I was very pleased with the soft bun, I don’t like eating through rock hard bread. Every component part of the ingredients inside the ciabatta had a depth of taste, this was a delightful mixtures of tastes. The chorizo was rich, juicy and packed with flavour, the rocket added a little texture, the peppers added sweetness and the cheese added an extra bit of refinement. It’s a generously sized lump of a lunch, I was very pleased with this and didn’t feel the need to go and buy an apple turnover.

The exterior of the ciabatta roll along with the La Socarrada beer that we each ordered. I’ll pinch Nathan’s Untappd comment about this:

“Lots of honey and spicy goodness in this, and the addition of rosemary gives this a warming earthiness too”.

I didn’t even taste the rosemary. He’s getting like Roger Protz with his tasting ability.

Although we were the first customers at the stall, a variety of locals and visitors were seated during our time there. With the best will in the world, very few stalls in Norwich market really get near to transporting me to another place. The Chinese a few weeks ago from China Wok didn’t make me think of Shanghai or Beijing, but I have to say that this stall did feel like a little slice of a Spanish market. There was an extensive range of authentic food and drinks which were more than I would have expected from a stall of this size and it had an inviting and homely atmosphere.

The prices were moderate given the quality that was being offered, with the service being polite and timely. We were never hurried along and the server was doing well coping with different orders and engaging with customers. The server was content to split out bills so that we paid separately and we were able to pay by card. I’m glad that we’ve set out on this expedition of various market stalls as I would have missed this one out which would have been my loss. All very lovely and full credit for making this feel like an authentic Spanish experience, it’s somewhere that I’d like to visit again and I think Nathan was in agreement with that (as in him coming again, not just me).

March 21, 2023
Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market – Week 6 and Ruby’s

This is the sixth week of our plan to eat at every food stall at Norwich market this year.

Once again, I was unsure what to expect in terms of the quality of this venue but the menu looked suitably enticing. They sell burgers, BLTs, toasties, pastries and hot rolls, with the pricing being towards the lower end of the scale. The service was friendly and welcoming with the stall being busy when we were there, although the wait time was minimal. I was pleased to note that they took cards and I went for the burger at £3.50 and the sausage roll at £1.30.

Nathan went for the BLT and this looked very decent (the BLT, not Nathan). I’m reluctant to orders BLTs as I’m fussy with bacon and it’s not worth the hassle opening it up to remove the fat, but it wouldn’t have been a problem here as they were using proper bacon and serving it crispy just as I like it. For £3 this was good value for money and it exceeded Nathan’s expectations which is always a bonus.

My burger, which I had gone for without cheese. This was much better than my expectations, it was served in a large bun, it was a meaty and juicy burger with salad adding texture and onions adding extra flavour. I was suitably impressed, they could have taken short cuts with the BLT and burger, but they didn’t and they were clearly keen to ensure that the food actually had a depth of flavour and taste.

The sausage roll was warmed up for me and it tasted OK, nothing exceptional, but for the price it seemed perfectly reasonable.

This is one of the stalls that I would come back to, I liked the friendly staff, the efficient service, the freshness of the food and most importantly of all, it tasted decent and was keenly priced. For a cafe set-up, I can see why this stall has clearly attracted itself some regular customers, I was suitably surprised and delighted. There’s some background to why the stall has the name it does at https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/obituaries/20994618.tributes-ruby-butcher-founded-popular-rubys-tea-stall-norwich-market/.

March 14, 2023
Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market – Feast (Permanently Closed)

This was part of our plan to eat at every food stall at Norwich market this year, but unfortunately the unit closed in January 2023. It sold burgers, hot dogs, dirty fries and the like, with the photos making the food look quite impressive. The Norwich market web-site is out-of-date and is showing it as still open and it’s not to be confused (as we momentarily were) with Indian Feast which is next door to where it was located.

March 14, 2023
Norwich – Bell Hotel

I haven’t written much about this JD Wetherspoon pub in Norwich, but since it’s listed in the Good Beer Guide I had better do so for completeness. It feels a long time ago now, but the above photo is from when the Bell Hotel was closed during lockdown, days I’m very much glad are in the past. This has been a hospitality venue in some form since 1485 and has been an important coaching inn over the centuries, but despite its name it hasn’t been a hotel for decades. JD Wetherspoon acquired the property in the 1990s and it was one of their first acquisitions outside of London, likely saving it from demolition. A few years ago there was a major expansion to the pub (and here are some photos of that, since I got to get a free meal and drink as part of their soft opening) which brought a former part of the hotel back into usage that had recently been used as offices by a bank.

And a little bit of history from the front of the pub. There’s a photo taken in 1938 by George Plunkett of the pub which is one of my favourites that he took, it’s a very different city today but the Bell is relatively untouched. As an aside, that balcony type structure has been removed from the front of the pub now, but in a photo from 1954 a bit is still remaining. I’m not sure if some of it fell off or something, but I’m quite intrigued by it.

This photo from 1936 interests me, I hadn’t realised that the hotel was previously in two bits. What is now the entrance to the lower bar was the entrance to the garages, along with its petrol pump, with that gap having now been filled in.

These are the only two old photos I’ve seen of inside of the Bell, with this old advert being on the JD Wetherspoon web-site.

This photo is from Norwich Heritage (I can’t link directly as it’s an image in a gallery) and shows The Bell before the tramways required the building to the left to be demolished.

I’ve many photos of the food here, but here’s once from 2017 when they still sold the pastrami bagel, which I think is one of the best things that they’ve sold.

The mushy peas are slightly splodged on, but I’m sure it tasted delicious.

And a breakfast from when they used to be more affordable, as there have been a series of price increases over recent months making everything more expensive.

Back to the beer and away from the food, there are usually seven or eight real ales available on a regularly changing basis. I’ve never had any issues with the beer here, it’s always well kept and at the appropriate temperature. At the time of writing they’ve got eight real ales on, with three of those being their staples of Greene King Ruddles, Sharp’s Doom Bar and Greene King Abbot Ale. They’ve currently also got Adnams Ghost Ship, Beartown Bearskinful, Brains Rev James Original, Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing and Woodford’s Phoenix IPA.

This was one of my favourites that they had on a few weeks ago, the Red Herring from Green Jack Brewing in Lowestoft and it’s a Rauchbier.

The pub is relatively well reviewed and I think it’s the busiest of the JD Wetherspoon outlets in the city. Looking through the reviews:

“This used to be my favourite Wetherspoon restaurant in the city until yesterday when I came in with my family for a meal and I was welcomed by a living SNAIL on my bbq chicken pizza”.

That sounds exciting to be fair, I’ve never been served a snail in any JD Wetherspoon pub.

“After 22 years of not eating any animals, I was served chicken nuggets today at The Bell Hotel instead of quorn nuggets. I’ve never had quorn nuggets in Weatherspoon before and I have not eaten chicken for 22 years, so I have not realised what happened until the mistake was discovered after I have eaten some of the meal.”

That is far from ideal, although I have often been served the wrong meal in this chain, so I’m not entirely surprised. The mistakes that they make with my order don’t have the same impact as this customer.

“No wonder the owner wants European staff, they don’t understand the negative comments”.

Oh good, a bit of hatred and piffle thrown into the mix.

“I asked for a double jack and coke with no ice the guy put ice ion not a big issue but instead of making another one Jim I think he was called just put his hand in the drink picked the ice out and then gave it back to me what the hell and during a pandemic”

I’d like to think that this isn’t true.

“Ok if you are a non-smoker. 13 tables to choose from, 4 if you smoke. WOKE PUB”

Of all the pubs that is ‘woke’, it’s not ones operated by Tim Martin. Unfortunately, the chain decided to scrap their social media presence a few years ago, so none of these reviews are ever replied to.

Anyway, I digress. It’s a perfectly well managed pub from my experiences and there’s a choice of bars with a smaller one downstairs and the main one upstairs. There’s plenty of real ale and also craft beer, I suspect it’ll be remaining in the Good Beer Guide for some time to come.

March 9, 2023