Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Norfolk

Great Yarmouth – Theatre Tavern

This pub isn’t listed in the Good Beer Guide, not least because it doesn’t sell real ale, but I’ve never visited it before and so Julian and I decided to have a little look inside. It takes its name from the now demolished Theatre Royal first built in 1778 which was located on the other side of the road, which was later demolished to become the Regal Theatre and ended up as a Cannon cinema before it was demolished in the 1980s. The replacement buildings are ugly affairs, it’s a shame that the town lost the attractive theatre building. The pub has had its current name since 1824, meaning it’s not far off its 200th birthday, but there appears to have been a licensed premises here before then called Cups.

There was a tragedy in 1845 when the Great Yarmouth suspension bridge collapsed and the owner of the Theatre Tavern, Mr Harmston, organised a performance at the Theatre Royal to raise money for the families of those who had been killed. Over the decades, many of the performers appearing at the theatre came into the pub, it’s got some considerable heritage.

Wrongly branded glasses as Julian went for a Corona (and the bar did offer lime) and myself a John Smith’s, both tasted fine and were reasonably priced. It was evident that this was a proper community pub, it was busy and there was a vibrant but informal atmosphere so I’m confident that visitors to the town would feel welcome.

The bar area and Julian noted that they were talking about the Sheepdog Peanut Butter whiskey, as he’s sceptical of such flavourings. Fortunately Nathan and I had tried this decadent a shot a few weeks before over the road (well, over a couple of roads) in the Troll Cart pub. I recommend it.

There’s a pool table at the back, which I thought was interesting given the limited space available in the venue. The male toilets are out in the courtyard, seemingly a big improvement when they were installed in 1932 but now increasingly rare.

The old lounge bar sign showing the entrance to what is now the pool room. The bar is open to the front of the pub and has a hatch to the rear, not much has changed in terms of the interior structure over the decades and I think that’s rather wonderful. This is a proper pub with character, not burdened with craft beer or real ale, but nonetheless it seems to be catering very well to its audience and I liked it.

March 30, 2023
Great Yarmouth – South Star / Quayside Tavern (closed)

It’s always sad to see a pub closed, this is the former South Star, later known as the Quayside Tavern and the Quay Pride. It shut a couple of years ago and that closure seems permanent as it appears to be a private residence now. It took its name from the South Star Battery which was a defensive structure built in 1782. Norfolk Heritage Explorer notes that the back garden wall has some reused materials from the former Blackfriars Friary which was dissolved in the 1530s. These are attractive Lacons buildings which are located in numerous places around Great Yarmouth, a distinctive design from the 1920s.

March 30, 2023
Great Yarmouth – Blackfriars Tavern (Second Visit)

This is my second visit to this really very good pub, which I waxed lyrical about before. This time I had visited on a day trip with another Julian where we went to all the Good Beer Guide pubs, plus another pub that looked interesting that I hadn’t been to before.

The welcome was just as effusive this time and I was delighted to see that they have a food menu which I hadn’t realised before.

And I like a pie! They didn’t have a couple of choices available, but they’re home made and the steak and kidney pie was excellent, plenty of steak without any of the fatty bits so that’s a win. Much better than the processed stuff that some pubs sell.

The former smoke room entrance that I hadn’t noticed on my previous visit. I didn’t mention last time that the pub takes it name from the former Blackfriars church which existed in this area. There are bits of that building, which burnt in 1525 and was dissolved in 1534, still visible in the South Star (now closed) and Feathers Inn pubs.

Many of these bottles are for sale, I think I thought that they were decorative last time. This is why I need to revisit pubs to find out things I hadn’t initially realised…… I’m not always the most observant.

The Stout Robin from Barsham Brewery was very agreeable, well kept and had a roasted flavour which suitably complemented my pie.

I won’t repeat what I wrote in my previous post about this pub, the same applied on this visit and I think it’s a welcoming and inviting place with a landlord who understands pubs. But once again, I will say that anyone visiting Great Yarmouth who likes pubs with a comfortable atmosphere would be well advised to take a slight detour to get here. All very lovely.

March 30, 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
Brandon Parva – All Saints Church (Harry Purling)

Richard and I visited All Saints Church in Brandon Parva a couple of weeks ago, but more of that in later posts. This is the war grave of Harry Purling which is located in the graveyard of that church, he died at the age of 28 on 17 May 1918. There’s little more for me to add to what is available on an interesting project in the Group of 15 area as it gives plenty of details about Harry’s life.

In short, Harry was born in the village on 10 July 1889 and was baptised in All Saints Church on 22 September 1889. He was the son of John and Mary Ann and he was one of 12 children, but a later census noted that 7 had died. Listed as being a farm labourer at the 1911 census, during the First World War Harry initially joined the 1st/4th Norfolk Regiment (soldier number 1329) in 1914 and was then transferred to the Devonshire Regiment (soldier number 203948).

His military records don’t appear to have survived, but the war notes show that he died in the UK from pneumonia on 17 May 1918. He appeared to be in the 1/4th Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment which was fighting in the Mesopotamia campaign at that time, not a huge distance away from Baghdad. I’m not an expert in this (or indeed at anything really) but I understand that soldiers often changed regiments at this time as they had been injured and were then sent back out with troops from another area. But without his war record (the majority of records were destroyed in a fire during the Second World War), I’m not sure where Harry spent the First World War, although his medal card (available free from the National Archives) does indicate that he was awarded the Victory Medal and the 1915 Medal, both of which I think required service overseas.

That all means I don’t know where he fought, the destruction of the army records in September 1940 was a huge loss for matters such as this. My very amateurish best guess is that he was sent with the 1/4th Battalion of Norfolk Regiment to Gallipoli where he was injured, returned to the UK and was then sent out to Baghdad before coming back injured. It must have been a grand adventure for someone who was unlikely to have gone far from Brandon Parva where he was born, baptised, lived and worked, but one with a tragic ending. At least for his family his body was returned to the village, where he will forever lie in peace. For reasons I’m unclear about, the stone was replaced in 1980, I assume just because the inscription became unreadable.

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