Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Norfolk

King’s Lynn – The Wenns Chop & Ale House

NB – I’ve revisited this rather lovely venue as I wanted to try the food.

One of the advantages of the Good Beer Guide is that pubs listed in it can genuinely get more trade from that entry, not least myself today in the Wenns Chop & Ale House in King’s Lynn. I did wonder whether it would have a restaurant vibe, but it was genuinely welcoming to me when I wandered in asking for half a pint. Indeed, their web-site really doesn’t address this issue, it’s very much all about their hotel and restaurant with the chop reference also hiding that their menu is quite broad.

The Wenns name is its historic name, although more recently it was rebranded to be Goldings. Its closure was controversial with allegations of staff not being paid, but regardless of whatever happened there, it seems better now that it has restored its former name. It’s in an historic part of King’s Lynn, opposite the church, a few minutes walk from the town centre.

Just the two real ales on at the moment, but they’re both local and I very much like the Small Town Hero from Three Blind Mice, which I’ve had before. It’s not an extensive selection, but it’s an entirely reasonable offering.

The Three Blind Mice beer, which was reasonably priced and tasting as I hoped for, so all was well there. The reasonably priced element is important here, as if they were excessive with their pricing for the beer than I imagine it might have failed to satisfy the local members of CAMRA. I also understand that they have a happy hour taking place between 16:00 and 19:00 on Mondays to Thursdays, with £1 off the price of a pint.

This was a comfortable and inviting pub, with the staff members being friendly and engaging. I like the informality and the food that was being served looked well presented and of a decent quality. It’s perhaps an unusual entry into the Good Beer Guide, but I’m pleased that it’s in the book as I would have likely otherwise overlooked it whilst meandering around the town.

March 10, 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
Norwich – Coach and Horses (Bethel Street)

Working on my list of Good Beer Guide pubs that I’ve visited, I have been to the Coach and Horses in Bethel Street (not to be confused with the one on Thorpe Road which is also in the Good Beer Guide) many times before but for the purposes of this post I thought I’d visit again. It’s important to be professional with these things…. As a pre-warning, it is a Greene King pub, but as a spoiler, I’d say that it’s as good as a Greene King pub is going to be.

Seven real ales available, which is impressive by any measure and there was a wide choice of different beer styles.

The selection of real ales required two photos and as evidenced here, there was a real cider available as well. One problem with many Greene King pubs is that they sell one or two beers from their own brewery, including Greene King IPA, which don’t exactly surprise and delight. However, here there is an effort to source beers from local breweries with only two Greene King beers.

Given the pouring rain outside at the time, I went for a darker option which was half a pint of the Winter Porter from the Panther Brewery from Reepham. It was well-kept, at the appropriate chilled temperature and it had some chocolate notes which I approved of.

The service was personable and engaging, this felt a well-run pub with an inviting and warm atmosphere. It was surprisingly busy for a rainy afternoon, with perhaps six or so of the tables being occupied. They offer a tapas menu, which I’ve eaten from before and has been of a decent quality in the past and the prices for food and drink are moderate. It’s a very busy pub for pre-theatre drinks as the Theatre Royal is just around the corner, with plenty of lunchtime customers as well. The reviews on-line for the pub are excellent with few negativity from visitors.

I’ve sometimes seen Greene King pubs listed in the Good Beer Guide and I’ve struggled a little to wonder why. The situation at this pub is different given the wide range of ales and I also trust the CAMRA members in Norwich not to let any venues into the book which aren’t of a decent standard. There are some other little highlights in this pub as well, not least the bar billiards table which is always a positive in any venue. For those who need them there is also wi-fi and there are plenty of plug sockets to ensure devices can be kept fully charged. I can happily comment that this seems a well deserved entry into the Good Beer Guide.

March 9, 2023
Norwich – Brick Pizza

Brick Pizza was established in 2015 and this is a handy off-shoot of my planning to eat at every food stall at Norwich market this year, as it’s not on the market itself but it overlooks it. To take the photo above I was standing in between two stalls, so this restaurant can get an honorary mention on my market post. Anyway, this is a long-standing pizza outlet that I’ve never managed to get around to going to before, with Richard fortunately not needing much persuasion to come along. The photo doesn’t really show that it was starting to snow relatively hard when we left the restaurant and the temperature was dipping somewhat.

Brick offers takeaway pizzas or there’s space for about 20 people inside, but it’s quite compact with four main tables and some higher seats overlooking the market. There was a fair turnover of customers during our visit to the restaurant even on a cold and snowy Wednesday evening. This part of the city is much busier during the day when the market and shops are open, with Brick being open from 12.00 until 22.00 on Tuesdays to Saturdays.

The pizza menu and orders are taken at the counter. The server was conversational and personable, the atmosphere inviting and informal. There was no loud music blaring out damaging the ambience and I liked how the welcome was always warm and immediate.

The drinks and sides menu.

I went for the Dynamite pizza which had salami, nduja sausage and chillies. I like the leopard spots and the toppings were generous, although for a pizza with the name that it has I did think that it could give a bit more heat. But still agreeable and prepared quickly in the wood-fired oven, it did have a depth of taste to it. The beer is Bitburger Premium Pils that they have on draft which was mediocre, but it’s only a small venue so it’s probably a reasonable choice as installing Funky Fluid and their exotic sours might seem a little out of place.

Richard wanted a decadent treat and went for the Emiliano which has toppings of Gorgonzola, mushrooms, rosemary and Norfolk ham. He seemed to be entirely satisfied with his choice, although he did say it wasn’t quite as rich in Gorgonzola as some previous similar pizzas he’s had. I was quite pleased at that, I’m not hugely keen on the small of Gorgonzola.

I liked it here, decent food, a friendly welcome, a clean environment and that sort of laid-back vibe that I like. For those who don’t want to visit in person, they do delivery and also sell frozen pizzas which are available at a number of food stockists across Norfolk and Suffolk. All very lovely.

March 8, 2023
Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market – Week 5 and Henry’s Hog Roast

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

WEEK 5 : Henry’s Hog Roast

If I’m being honest, I did have some doubts about whether I’d enjoy the food here as I’m quite picky with pork in terms of fatty bits, although Nathan was much more excited about the whole arrangement. We had a bit of a wait in the queue as the customer in front ordered four pork rolls, but the owner was efficient at preparing them and it gave us some time to look at the food. Nathan listened in, as he’s like that, to the conversation the owner was having with them in front and his plans for the future. The welcome given to us was friendly and informal, it felt an inviting place with an owner who didn’t want to take life too seriously.

I think at busier times there might be a wider choice of meats, but it was best to try the food that the stall is known for. That food is pork served in a choice of roll with apple sauce, crackling and stuffing. The signage probably isn’t going to win any design awards, but it’s a market and it’s clear what they’re selling. Everything was clear and organised, with Nathan being right in saying that the owner has some decent knife skills.

There was a generous amount of pork and I was delighted, given how bloody picky I am, that the owner was careful to remove any fatty pieces before serving. I was relieved at this policy, the pork was tender and tasty and I didn’t have to pick any bits of fat out. I don’t like crackling, but Nathan excitedly had my bit which was included in the roll. It would be easy to fill this roll up with fatty and skinny bits, but the owner didn’t do that and so I was suitably impressed. Nathan took much longer to eat his roll than me, but I can add that he enjoyed it and was reminded of the many times that he’s visited in the past.

The roll costs £5 and I think that’s reasonable given the quality and quantity of the pork, as it can’t be cheap to buy these joints of meat in. It must also be a little difficult trying to ascertain how much meat to have prepared, although I assume that challenge becomes easier with experience. The stall accepts cash and cards, with the owner having a laid-back approach which came across to me as personable and welcoming. Nathan, who is a social butterfly, was busy socialising with him which was handy as it saved me doing it. All told, I would visit here again, it surpassed my expectations and that does explain why there was quite a queue forming behind us. Another recommended stall to eat at and I’m pleased to have tried it. For anyone who fancies a pork and crackling roll when they’re in Norwich, they could do far worse than come here.

March 7, 2023
Norfolk Church and the 1934 Visitors Book Still in Use

On a visit to a number of churches this afternoon I signed the visitors book and then realised it went all the way back to 1934. Not only that, but they’re still only half way through the book so at current rate it should last until the end of this century. I’m bemused, but pleased, that no harm has ever come to this book and it’s still in decent shape. Long may it continue……

March 5, 2023
Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market – Week 4 and A Taste of Punjab

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

WEEK 4 : A Taste of Punjab

This is the menu for today’s dining at Norwich market, a range of meat and vegan dishes all clearly displayed and priced. This is one of those stalls where it’s easy to see what they’ve got available, which is much appreciated for me when I’m working out what to have. I did think that it was quite a wide selection given the small size of the unit that they have to work with.

There was only a brief wait for service at the counter and the server was polite and helpful. When I asked she mentioned that they did accept card payments, but they preferred cash so given that I decided to use my emergency cash supply if that’s what they preferred. At least there was a choice, although I must admit that I prefer to pay by card.

I went for the tarka dall which the menu stated came with a choice of rice or chapati, although I wasn’t offered that choice and was automatically given rice. This is much thinner than I’ve ever had tarka dall before and for my personal taste I think it needed some texture to it rather than being mostly liquid. I was offered coriander and chillies, both of which I accepted and the latter added some slight texture and spice to the whole arrangement. There probably could have been a greater depth of flavour as well and although I’m sure it was freshly made it didn’t have the richness of spice I would have ideally liked. The rice was cooked well, so that didn’t disappoint, with the portion size of the meal being reasonable and everything was at the appropriate hot temperature. I did consider adding on a chicken samosa, but they seem to only sell them in threes and I didn’t want that many.

And there’s Nathan’s vegetable biryani, which looked agreeable to me and he mentioned that it tasted very acceptable. The food was served promptly, near enough immediately for mine and Nathan’s was ready within around ninety seconds. There’s also a handy ledge, which was clean, to stand and eat at if required which proved useful for me to get started.

My food cost £6 which wasn’t unreasonable for a hot lunchtime snack, but I would have ideally liked something with more texture and a deeper level of flavours. I did like the taste of the meal and it was filling, so that’s all to the good. I wouldn’t be averse to visiting again though, perhaps next time going for the chicken biryani.

March 2, 2023
Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market – Week 2 and Ron’s Fish and Chips

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

WEEK 2 : Ron’s Fish and Chips

I wasn’t saddened when we randomly drew out Ron’s fish and chips from our list so early, I’ve visited before and always been surprised and delighted with the value offered. As can be seen from the sign, it was established in 1953 and is run by the third generation of the family. I like a bit of heritage and it was also easy to see what they sell, it’s cod, chips and battered sausages.

The photo is better in my previous post about this chip stall, but this will have to do. I saw that there were just two small battered sausages left in the hot hold and so I thought in case Nathan wanted one I’d have both so he could have a freshly prepared option. I’m always selfless like that.

The service was friendly and the prices are very reasonable, it came to £2.90 for chips and two small battered sausages, which is I imagine going to be one of the cheaper prices that we pay during this culinary expedition over the next few months. And, I have to comment positively on this, they accept cards and that makes things just so much easier. They have put prices up, I think I’m right in saying, just twice in ten years and so that’s a real commitment to affordable food.

These photographs are terrible, not least as I had managed to make the camera lens greasy and so that’s my best effort of taking a photo of Nathan’s food. Note he’s gone for small fish and chips, but he’s always decadent like that but it’s useful to have middle class friends like him. Left to our devices, my friend James and I risk having a rather more louche approach to the whole matter of lunches. Ron’s has the slight disadvantage of not having its own seating area, so we hovered in a nearby row to eat the delightful offerings. Nathan would have preferred to have gone into the great outdoors area at the rear of the market, but there live trolls, pigeons and seagulls. Actually maybe not trolls, but it does feel wild and dangerous to me with these pterodactyl sized birds flapping about the area.

This much better photo, of only slightly eaten food, was taken by Nathan and I was impressed at this little culinary arrangement and suspect I might go back to Ron’s to try the fish. Keenly priced, freshly made and flaking away nicely, that’s a good piece of fish. The cost of the fish varies slightly depending on the size, but it’s usually around £2.80 to £3.20. Whether by design or not, Nathan wasn’t given a fork so he had to drop his middle class mannerisms to just treat it like a large fish finger eaten by hand. If required, salt and vinegar is provided, although sauces come at an extra cost, but that’s entirely reasonable given the low price of the food.

Moving onto the food, if I can be picky and go on about my personal taste (which I feel it’s fair to do on a blog post I’m writing) I do prefer a slightly firmer chip exterior. But, the portion size was generous for medium chips and they tasted of a decent quality and were cooked well. As for the sausage, the batter had a richness of flavour and they were evenly coated in the batter so there weren’t lots of bald spots. I do though prefer a meaty butcher’s sausage, which is actually the reason I defected to Lucy’s a while ago. There’s nothing wrong with these sausages, but they’re the processed type and they don’t have the same depth of taste. But that’s more all just a personal preference thing, there was nothing wrong with the food here and I wouldn’t want to give the impression that I was at all disappointed.

All told, this feels like a really professionally run unit, they’re friendly, the service is prompt and there’s a consistency so that customers know what they’ll get. They’re made an effort to keep prices low, without cutting back elsewhere, and this feels like one of the stalls that is the backbone of Norwich market. Definitely recommended.

March 1, 2023
Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market – Week 1 and China Wok
This is the first week of our plan to eat at every food stall at Norwich market this year.

WEEK 1 : China Wok

Our first randomly drawn location was China Wok who have a double unit at the market with their buffet counter on the left and then a handy ledge on the right from where to eat from. I must admit to being slightly confused at first as there are two sets of options here, but in essence there’s either the choice of going for the rice or noodle base and adding three toppings, or just selecting one dish from the menu and then picking a side with that.

The market is always bustling at lunchtimes, people winding their way through the rows and trying to dodge the pigeons which are getting ever braver. Fortunately, the seagulls are still too frightened to enter the inner sanctum of the market and long may that continue. First impressions were though positive here, it had a steady trade and they seemed to be loyal customers who knew what they were doing.

Nathan went first as he was particularly hungry and ordered sweet & sour chicken with noodles and they offered him an extra meat dish, so he went for the salt & pepper chicken as well. I then started to wonder whether I was getting the concept right, so slightly tentatively ordered my rice and salt & pepper chicken from the upbeat staff member. I wasn’t offered anything else, which threw me slightly as I had started to feel my options were quite dry and I had been eyeing up some of the chicken in black bean sauce. However, the staff member was enthusiastically loading up my tray with salt & pepper chicken and that didn’t seem a bad thing, especially as she was trying to cram in as much as she reasonably could and what customer would baulk at that? That meant no great loss, I just ended up with a lot more of the same thing, but as that’s what I ordered it would be hard to complain about that. And indeed, I don’t think think that the staff member would have been at all concerned at whatever a customer wanted within their tray, it had that nicely informal feel.

It came to £6.50 which seemed reasonable given the cost of other hot meals in fast food venues in and around the market, although as with many other locations there’s been a bit of a price rise here over recent months. One limitation that I feel the need to comment on is that they don’t accept cards, just cash. I fully accept that there’s right to do as they choose, but I don’t generally carry cash (I was prepared for the purposes of these visits, I’m not a heathen) and so just as my own personal preference it’s unlikely that I’d ever return here just because I’d have to take some time to find a cash machine. That might only take five or ten minutes depending on the queue, but in that time I would have made a decision to go to Lucy’s as I’m a creature of habit. Given how many people I know take the same approach (with wanting to pay by card, not being obsessed with chips, battered sausage and scraps from Lucy’s), I assume that this venue is already busy enough and they don’t need the hassle which is understandable. Ultimately, if a venue is taking all the money it needs and maintaining a strong customer base, I fully respect their decision not to go after new trade if things are going absolutely find as they are.

There’s Nathan’s selection of noodles, sweet & sour chicken and salt & pepper chicken. I recall he felt that it was entirely agreeable, although he came to the conclusion before ordering that it was easier to eat noodles than rice. I’d also like to note that paper napkins are provided, always handy. We also had this standing space to ourselves, so I could concentrate on listening to Nathan’s witty and charming conversation rather than feeling barged out of the way by people nearby.

And my rice and salt & pepper chicken. It wasn’t as dry as I had briefly feared after ordering, the rice seemed freshly made and so had a fluffy and moist feel to it. The chicken was served as a large portion and I liked the taste, although there was minimal evidence of the pepper, just the salt although that wasn’t overpowering. The chicken was perhaps just a little firm rather than tender, but not to the point of being problematic and the exterior was crunchy, but I did think more pepper would have worked well here. All very acceptable though, filling and tasty comfort food is something that a market stall should be getting right, as they did here.

I did like the separate eating area, there are a limited number of locations on the market which are able to offer this, but it does make matters much more convenient. Nathan has reminded me that the Garnet, the pub by the market, allows food to be brought in at lunchtimes and so that’s a possibility in future as well. It was clean and tidy at the stall, with everything ordered and seemingly well managed. All in all, I thought that this was a suitably positive first week of visiting all the stalls and the staff were all most welcoming.
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March 1, 2023
Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market – Introduction

In my latest series, since I’m in Norwich more this year, my friend Nathan and I have set about visiting every one of the food stalls on Norwich market. Doing around one a week, this will take around six months to complete and we’re drawing the locations at random to ensure we don’t visit all our favourites first (well, in my case, just going to Lucy’s). And I’ll be continuing to go to Lucy’s with my friend James a couple of times a week, as I don’t want them to lose out on our loyal custom. *NB, since Week 10, James has been accompanying me to these market stall visits, selflessly missing out on his chips…..

I’ve taken the list below from the official Norwich market web-site, I’m aware it’s just a little out of date, so I’ll make changes below as we go along. Given that this list is fluid and changing, if a venue isn’t open when the official market web-site says it should be, then I’ll check the stall itself for any reasons for closure, then check their social media and if there’s no explanation I’ll assume it has permanently closed. I’ll link in the individual posts below throughout the year.

I’m not going to use scores as it’s too subjective and these market traders are working hard in difficult economic times, so it feels wrong to start trying to give marks. Just a few remarks in the most positive way that I feel appropriate, all with the hope of encouraging more people to try and the food and drink available at the market. Also, it’s not a market stall, but it is right on its boundary and that’s Brick Pizza.

A Taste of Punjab (Week 4)
And Eat It (Week 18)
Bodega (Week 15)
Bread Source (Week 27)
Bun Box (Week 16)
Chimneys (Week 3) [now closed]
China Wok (Week 1)
Churros for the People (Week 7)
Cocina Mia (Week 12)
Coral Bay (Week 20)
Deb’s (Week 17)
Delight (Week 9)
Falafel and Friends (Week 25)
~~Feast~~ (Permanently closed)
Go Crepes (Week 29)
Henry’s Hog Roast (Week 5)
Indian Feast (Week 13)
Italian Street Food (Week 24)
Jacket Spuds & More (Week 14)
Lucy’s Chips (Week 22)
Lucy’s Fish and Chips (Week 26)
~~Meat and Co~~ (Permanently closed)
Norwich Fresh (Week 10)
Reggie’s (Week 19)
Ron’s Fish and Chips (Week 2)
Ruby’s (Week 6)
Taste of Shanghai (Week 8)
Tasty House South East Asian Street Food Emporium (Week 21)
Thai Bubble (Week 23)
The All Electric Banger Stop (Week 11)
Walsingham Farm Shop (Week 28)

March 1, 2023