HOME | LAST 100 POSTS | CONTACT ME

Category: Norfolk

Cromer – Gangway (Two Julians)

Next pub on the day’s adventure was the Gangway, a cafe bar type set-up which also has a sister outlet in Sheringham. It’s divided into two, by necessity of the building shape, with shared access at the rear, all a little unusual but it adds to the character. Not knowing this in advance, I went in the first door that I saw and I think that we were in the smaller section of the building.

There was a friendly welcome, one of the best of the day, with the team members seeming enthused and keen to help. It was table service only which I wasn’t initially convinced about as it created a separation with the drinks visible at the bar and the printed menu, which didn’t have the complete list on. However, I have to add that they have listed their beer selection on Untappd which removes that issue for me so I have no complaint. There’s a strong selection of craft beers in can and bottle, nothing quite as decadent on the tap, but still some interesting options including several from Ampersand. It’s the best craft selection that we saw in Cromer, so full credit for that.

The bar is attractive and neatly laid out.

The cocktails menu.

Appropriate glassware for my half and I went for a new beer to me, the Lemon Puff from Ampersand in conjunction with Abbeydale, two very competent breweries. A perfectly decent beer which was citrusy, but I had hoped for more lemon punchiness to the whole arrangement, but enjoyable nonetheless. It wasn’t unreasonably priced and they also had a place to charge my phone which proved to be handy.

The surrounding were comfortable and cosy, there’s a lot to be said for this soft of cafe bar approach and it’s one that Titanic is pushing with its Bod concept. This is all very much to the credit of the town, although Gangway don’t serve food other than for a fine looking selection of cakes.

Some more internal decor. All told, this was one of my favourite venues of the day. It was the only one that had listed their beers on Untappd, it had perhaps the best welcome and it was spotlessly clean. Innovative, interesting and on-trend, I hope that they do really well. And I think Julian is definitely getting a taste for all this beer modernity.

August 2, 2023
Cromer – Albion (Two Julians)

The next location on our Cromer adventure was the Albion which has been a hospitality venue since the 1830s and is now an Admiral Taverns pub.

There were three real ales to choose from which were Legacy from Lacons, Directors from Courage and London Pride from Fullers.

I went for the Directors from Courage and it’s fair to say that I was surprised and delighted by this, a beer that I haven’t had before. I enjoyed the lingering flavours of this, something like a Werther’s Original (I doubt anyone else has thought that). Nicely kept and something different to try. Interestingly, Lacons are very much in evidence in Cromer, their sales rep must have been busy in the area.

Bar runners with a welcome from Steve, Zena and the team. The service was attentive, polite and personable, so it seemed to be a genuinely welcoming environment.

Best pub in Cromer apparently according to the flag. There was a lively atmosphere to the whole arrangement, to the point that it was a little difficult to hear, but variety is the spice of life and there were quieter alternatives in the town for those who wanted that. The pub doesn’t seem to serve food any more or offer accommodation (the venue was for a long time the Albion Hotel), but they’re one of the only venues in town without a web-site so it’s hard to be precise about the offering. Possibly the most vibrant pub in the town, which for those who like karaoke is a positive draw, but it’s probably not somewhere to go for a quiet drink to read a book. Nonetheless, it was welcoming, clean and organised, so all rather lovely.

August 2, 2023
Cromer – Red Lion (Two Julians)

After enjoying a beer on the pier, we hiked up the hill to reach the Good Beer Guide listed Red Lion. This has been trading as a hospitality venue since the 1760s and Norfolk Pubs has this interesting story from the pub’s past:

“Mr. Reilly Mead was summoned on 5th January 1914 of having an unjust glass in his possession and having the same unstamped. On that day Inspector Robinson had sent his assistant, John Youngs, to purchase a pint of beer. It was served in an unjust and unstamped measure. On saying that he (Inspector Robinson) should seize the glass, Mr. Meade sent for the police and said that he would not allow Robinson to thieve the glass. Upon the police advising that the Inspector had authority to act, Mr. Meade said that they had never sold pints OR half pints since he had been at the place. Miss Gow, the barmaid confirmed that she had refused to sell a pint to Youngs and said that he could have `a large glass’. When tested the glass was found to be deficient from a pint by 5 per cent. The Bench convicted and imposed a fine and costs totalling £3/0/6d.”

There’s always one pub wanting to do its own thing 🙂

I liked the effort that they’ve made with their external A-Board.

On first impressions, it looked a little decadent for us on the inside, but it transpired that this was just the restaurant area and there was a separate and more informal bar area. The distinction between the two areas was clear and the menu looked tempting, albeit a bit expensive for our purposes. These study tours we undertake for the community don’t come cheap…..

One side of the bar area.

And the frontage of the main bar area. Above the bar is the acronym WYBMADIITY? which I had to look up and means “will you buy me a drink if I tell you?” which is a clever little ruse for the barman or an enterprising customer to get a free drink 🙂

The Red Lion had eight different real ales available, as well as some ciders, which was the widest selection we encountered during the day. They were all local beers, from brewers including Woodfordes, Green Jack, Lacons, Mr Winters, Grain and Moon Gazer. This is a marvellous selection for any visitor to the area who wants to try beers from a number of local breweries.

This is the latest Norfolk Nips magazine that was distributed at the weekend and it contains an abbreviated write-up of our trip to Wymondham a few weeks ago. How lovely to be in print and Lucy did a marvellous job with it. As for the beer, I went for the Trawlerboys from Green Jack Brewing of Lowestoft and it was of its usual reliable quality.

And another page from the article 🙂

The draught menu.

The bar snacks and doggie menu, the latter of which is certainly intriguing in terms of its concept….

Not an unpleasant view from the window.

The bar when it became a little quieter, but this was a busy venue for the entire time that we were here and many customers were clearly locals.

You can buy your own pub merchandise if you so wish.

And some fun facts.

The Red Lion, which is also a hotel, is very well reviewed on-line and this felt like a really well run venue. There was an extensive range of real ales and other drinks, the service was immediate, there was a timely welcome and the atmosphere was inviting. It has some marvellous views of the sea, it’s got an informal and relaxed feel and their entry into the Good Beer Guide definitely seems a good shout from our experience.

August 2, 2023
Cromer – Pavilion Bar on Cromer Pier (Two Julians)

The next venue on our day out in Cromer is visible at the rear of the photo, it’s the Pavilion Theatre Bar located on Cromer Pier. It wasn’t a sunny day, but the temperature was also moderate and so it wasn’t overly chilly to perambulate down the pier. The pier opened in 1907 and it has been operated by North Norfolk District Council since 1974, being a popular destination for tourists to the region.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, although I didn’t have high hopes as I expected something expensive and limited in choice. But, the purposes of these study tours is to ensure that we give everywhere a proper chance and not go judging a pub by its cover (or whatever the appropriate phrase would be).

My initial lack of enthusiasm was misplaced as they had two Lacons beers to choose from, with one currently not available, but that’s not a bad shout as it’s a local beer and something that visitors to the area might want to try. I went for the Encore and it was well-kept, with Julian’s Legacy also passing muster. I can imagine it’s something of a challenge to serve customers quickly before a show, always the challenge for any theatre bar though.

And some mainstream craft beers, but still offering a very reasonable choice given it’s a relatively small bar. The service was efficient and polite, with everything feeling reasonably clean and ordered. The pricing was also moderate with the modern and inviting atmosphere being a pleasant surprise. There were also some food counters for those who wanted doughnuts, ice cream, waffles and that sort of sugary treat.

There weren’t many tables inside and they were all occupied, but that meant I could take this photo. There’s always something nice about beers on any trip out, but I think that train beers and pier beers might just be my favourite. Julian was busy trying to work out an issue with his iPhone which was not surprising and delighting him, but we enjoyed the environment and there are glass barriers to stop the wind impacting too much on the hardy drinkers.

And our view back along the pier, with Julian being ever so excited that the next pub was at the top of the cliff. All told, this is a very acceptable drinking venue and offered some pleasant views along the beautiful North Norfolk coast.

August 2, 2023
Cromer – Kings Head (Two Julians)

The second pub of the day was the Kings Head in Cromer, but unfortunately it was closed. It seems that they having some work being done so I’m sure they didn’t want to be shutting their doors on a day when the town was packed with tourists, all something of a shame for them.

The Kings Head has been a pub since the 1780s, making it one of the oldest in Cromer. They were unfortunate enough to go through the cycle of Brent Walker, Pubmaster and then Punch Taverns who are still the owners, so all credit to the pub for carrying on. There is food served at lunchtimes and in the evenings with CAMRA noting that there are usually four real ales available.

Hopefully we’ll return in the future as it seemed a decent pub.

August 2, 2023
Cromer – Wellington Pub (Two Julians)

The first pub of the day was the Wellington on Garden Street which has been operated by the same family for thirty years. It’s been a pub since the beginning of the nineteenth century when it was converted from fishermen’s cottages, but it was rebuilt in the 1890s after a fire. After a period as an S&P pub it became part of the Watney Mann estate, but they sold it in 1970 and it has remained free trade since.

There was perhaps an absence of welcome if I’m being honest, but the service was efficient and the pub was busy with the staff concentrating on a few larger orders when we arrived. There were no tables free when we arrived, so we sat at the bar and everything was clean and tidy. There was certainly quite a variety of customers in the pub, including families, solo drinks, different ages and it gave it a community feel to it which I rather liked.

There were three beers available, Ghost Ship from Adnams, Wherry from Woodfordes and Golden Jackal from Wolf. I went for the Golden Jackal and that was well-kept and tasted of a good quality, with Julian’s Ghost Ship also being agreeable.

I’ve been out of the trade for so long that I’m no longer aware of new drinks, but I hadn’t heard of the Disaronno Velvet before. Sounds suitably decadent though.

The entrance to the sizeable courtyard. The pub usually serves food but for whatever reason it wasn’t when we visited. A customer came and politely asked if they could eat their chips in the courtyard given that there was no food available, but the staff member said they couldn’t. I can imagine the pub has difficulties with people doing that without asking, so I can see why they wouldn’t want to.

It’s a decent courtyard space and gives more seating options given that it was full inside.

The reviews are a bit mixed, but I can imagine it’s challenging running a venue which is popular with tourists as that creates all sorts of staffing complexities. I had a look at the reviews though as I like to read about a bit of drama.

“My husband and I visited this pub today on a lovely day we had a glass of Aspall cider each and I realised my glass had a big crack so I went to the bar and asked if I could have a clean glass but you will never guess what the barmaid did??!! Well this barmaid poured the cider I had in the cracked glass into the clean one!! 😳, I just couldn’t believe it, what if there are splinters of glass in it!!!”

A customer not happy with food service times:

“Amazing food in the Smokehouse but….. Closes at 4pm (yes 4pm ffs!) during the week. I know it’s Cromer but that’s a ridiculously early closing time. Really wanted to eat here again but somewhere else that’s open until a grown up time got my money….”

But I liked the venue’s response:

“Hope you enjoyed your grown up meal!”

Sub-optimal….. Anyway, I digress. The Wellington have four rooms for those who want to stay the night and their food offering is the Smoke Kitchen where the meals sound delicious although there’s no pricing on the web-site. Anyway, we enjoyed this pub, it had something of an atmosphere to it, everything was clean and it seemed to be welcoming to all. A very solid start to our day.

August 2, 2023
Norwich – Edith Cavell Pub

The Edith Cavell is back open again, so Julian and I thought that it would be only polite to go and have a little visit. In normal Two Julians style, this post will also be appearing at our web-site at http://www.norfolksuffolk.org.uk/. It’s a Victorian corner pub which was known as the Army & Navy Stores until 1981 when it changed to its current name. There have been a few periods when it has been called other things, including rather oddly Coles, with some slight variations to the name along with some troubled times for some operators of this venue.

Edith Cavell is something of a local hero, she was a nurse from Norfolk who was working in Brussels at the outbreak of the First World War. When the Germans took over the city of Brussels, Cavell started to assist British and French soldiers there to leave the occupied territories so that they could fight against the Germans. So, the Germans shot her in October 1915 with the defence that:

“It was a pity that Miss Cavell had to be executed, but it was necessary. She was judged justly … It is undoubtedly a terrible thing that the woman has been executed; but consider what would happen to a State, particularly in war, if it left crimes aimed at the safety of its armies to go unpunished because they were committed by women.”

Cavell was buried at Norwich Cathedral and there’s a memorial to her located opposite to the Edith Cavell pub.

Back to the pub, the interior of the venue has been redecorated and it has a cosy and warm feel to it. I’m not sure how functional some of the seating is as I prefer tables, but it’s all inoffensive. It was also clean and warm, with the reduced lighting adding somewhat to the atmosphere. It seemed inviting and it’s in a beautiful location in Tombland and overlooked by Norwich Cathedral.

Apologies that the lighting made it difficult to take a clean photo, but there’s Camden Pale, Camden Hells, Lagunitas IPA, Brixton Pale Ale and Tiny Rebel Easy Livin’.

And apologies again for the photo, but Birra Morretti, Amstel, Beavertown Neck Oil, Guinness and Cruzcampo flavoured water. My first impressions were that I found the set-up a little depressing as it’s nearly identical to some of the Ibis hotels that I’ve stayed at recently, but no point being too judgemental too early.

Julian had arrived before me and asked about their range of real ale, but they don’t sell that. It transpired, as we have similarly highly developed ordering strategies, that Julian and I both tried to order the Tiny Rebel Easy Livin’, but they had run out of that. The service was polite though and it’s cashless, something which I have a lot of sympathy for, but it’s going to be a challenge for them in terms of reviews as there are some militant cash is king customers around who will make their views known when they realise.

I went for the Cruzcampo flavoured water, which Heineken are throwing huge marketing spend at in a bid to position it as a reasonably priced premium beer. It’s not a great surprise to see it so badly reviewed on Untappd, it tasted bland, generic and pointless to me, it perhaps needs to be served in a hot environment so it’s a refreshing option at least.

The pub is owned by Stonegate, who had to force their way in earlier in the year to “make it safe”, so it’s had some very recent challenges. This presents some problems for the new tenants as they’ve now I assume hit the Stonegate tie, which is forcing them to go for some rather generic keg options. Julian is a real ale man, whereas I’m more excited by decadent keg options such as offered by the Artichoke, Leopard, Plasterers and Malt & Mardle, all a relatively short walk away. There are no beers here which surprised and delighted me, with the problem that some of these drinks such as Beavertown are a chunk over £6 a pint, which is a brave position to be in given the current economic climate.

The venue is planning to open a separate gin bar on the first floor in a few weeks, in the space that was formerly used by Prime to serve their steaks. They’ll be able to get some decent mark ups on that sort of drink and I can imagine it’ll be popular on Friday and Saturday evenings, although there’s the limitation that the venue is relatively small. I imagine there will be a rush to sell cocktails as well, another gross profit winner. I’m sure that they’ll make a decent job of the interior of the first floor to ensure that it remains comfortable.

For me, this isn’t a venue that I’d return to on a regular basis, although I can understand the attraction and don’t want to be negative. Writing just for me, I don’t mind whether a pub does real ale well or craft beer well, there are some smaller breweries offering both types of beer which continue to surprise and delight me. But, just as I don’t run to the bar with excitement when seeing Greene King IPA, I’m not going to rush for premium priced keg beers that I can get in any number of other places.

But, positivity is the key, the owners are trying something new, they’ve ensured that the pub is open for the local community and I’m sure it’ll be the offering that many customers want. And variety is the spice of life, it would be a nightmare if every pub was the same with the same choices at the bar. The pub was clean, the staff were friendly, the atmosphere was inviting, it felt safe and so that’s all to the good.

PS, apologies again for the poor quality photos!

July 27, 2023
Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market – Week 16 and Bun Box

Next in our series of visiting every food stall at Norwich Market was Bun Box, which occupies four stalls and aims to offer traditional Japanese food. It expanded from its smaller outlet at the market and has attracted somewhat of a loyal following from what I’ve heard, so my expectations were high.

The clearly laid out menu, which consists of primarily of buns and rice bowls. The service was fast and efficient, with the stall accepting cards and cash. Everything looked clean and organised, but the stall doesn’t have anywhere to stand or lean on to eat the food. They did have some folding ledges, but they weren’t in use when we visited. As an aside, the number of seagulls seems to have increased at the market recently, so I still don’t dare leave the confines of the stalls with food.

I went for the chicken katsu bun which cost £4.50 and although it’s a little difficult to judge from the photo, it is relatively small so they needed to deliver on quality if not quantity. The bun had the appropriate light texture, with the chicken being cooked well and crispy on the exterior. The sauce wasn’t particularly punchy and I couldn’t taste any pickled ginger, so there wasn’t much depth of taste to the whole arrangement. Using the comparison of other stalls on the market, the prices were also towards the higher end of the scale, although not entirely unreasonable.

Trying to be as positive as I can, but I can’t say that my high expectations were met here. JD Wetherspoon, who aren’t necessarily a bastion of food quality, sell bao buns now at half the price charged here and their quality I have to regretfully note as better with a wider range of flavours and tastes. James ordered the same as me so I can’t comment separately, although I wondered if perhaps the pork bun might have worked a little better for me as that seemed to have some stronger tasting ingredients.

However, the stall was busy and they’re clearly surprising and delighting customers on a regular basis. I can’t say that I was ever particularly bowled over with bao buns when I was in China, but I did have higher expectations from this stall. At some stage we’ll revisit all of the stalls and I think that I’ll opt for something like the chicken katsu curry which might have a greater depth of flavour. Hopefully I’ll get to visit them again soon, as I’m always ready to find a different menu item which I might fall in love with.

July 25, 2023
Norwich – Weavers Arms

The Weavers Arms on Muspole Street has recently reopened, so Julian and I felt the need to pay it a quick visit (this post will also be appearing on our web-site at http://www.norfolksuffolk.org.uk/). The venue has gone through a succession of owners, as well as new names, but the incoming tenants are also behind Brick Pizza and the Yard restaurant, so they have some considerable experience. There is another Woolpack in Norwich, operated by Greene King, which might be the reason that they haven’t returned to that name, although it’s always a shame when heritage is lost.

There’s some religious heritage to the site, as not only is it opposite St. George’s Church it also stands on the former site of the residential property used by the Prior of the Augustinian Priory of Our Lady Walsingham. It has been a hospitality venue called the Woolpack since the middle of the eighteenth century, hence why its recent change of name feels sub-optimal. The listed building record notes that there is an re-used sixteenth century wooden beam on the ground floor which is likely from 1510 and so it might have been in the Prior’s living room before the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

There were four real ales available and there were a couple of new beers here that I hadn’t had before. The combination of having a local brewery along with some ales from further afield that customers haven’t had seems eminently sensible.

And there were some craft keg options as well, although other drinks such as coffees, cocktails and generic keg are also available as well. For the size of the venue, the choice of drinks seems entirely reasonable and met my expectations.

The back bar arrangement. The service was attentive and polite, with the venue being relatively busy on the Saturday evening that we visited. Julian is excited and delighted about their extended hours on a Friday and Saturdays night, as we both share enthusiasm for longer hours in pubs so that we’re not forced into visiting cocktail bars. Which has been known.

To ensure that our research was thorough, I had half a pint of all four of the real ales, with the prices for these being around £2.10 each which isn’t unreasonable. They were all well kept and at the appropriate temperature, so there’s clearly some cellar knowledge here. The lighting was a little dark when we visited, but that seemed to fit the inviting and cosy nature of the venue, this isn’t somewhere that needs fierce lights. We sat at the bar, carefully ensuring that we weren’t blocking the view of the beers, where the seating was comfortable and the interior redesign has been sensitively done.

I went for the Slap Bang Citra from North Riding Brew Pub, which has a decent flavour to it but really needed more citra with a beer name like that. Brother Rabbit is one of the few beers from Thornbridge that I hadn’t tried, it’s a suitably decadent golden ale. Then comes the old reliable of Encore from Lacons Brewery and the session bitter of the JHB from Oakham Ales.

Although we had arrived too late for dining, the pub is offering food, with some tempting delights including the chicken & tarragon pie and the beef shin & Guinness pie. For those who don’t go straight to the pies section of the menu, there are also salads, steaks and fish options. It feels like a compact and manageable menu, I suspect the food quality is very high given the provenance of the owners. There are three rooms in this venue, but as it was busy I couldn’t easily go around taking photos.

Onto the toilets, which are in a more recent extension to the building. My friend Gordon also visited the pub this weekend and sent me some photos of the venue’s rather more, er, revealing artwork in the facilities although I hadn’t noticed those. One thing they’ll need to resolve is actually putting male and female signs on the toilets, the whole arrangement at the moment is confusing and a customer was commenting about it to a staff member.

Julian has decided to make extra visits to the pub to ensure that his high standards are being met, and I’m pleased to note that his considerable research efforts have confirmed that all seems well. The pub is a little bit tucked away and unlikely to get much passing trade, which all means that it’s going to have to get a solid reputation to ensure that customers go out there. However, from what I’ve seen, it looks likely that they’ll make a success of this pub.

July 24, 2023
Norwich – My Makan

I was surprised and delighted to hear that there was a new Malaysian restaurant in Norwich, located in the culinary quarter that once housed the Westlegate McDonald’s on the ground floor. My Makan opened earlier on in 2023 and they’re attempting to offer authentic Malaysian cuisine, so Bev, Gordon, Brian and I thought that it was only right that we paid it a visit.

The 50% off sale was for next door, although I did have a buy one get one free voucher for a free main for the table. There’s a five star food hygiene rating certificate there for those who require such reassurance.

The menu and it wasn’t bloated in size, which is always a positive first sign for me. When aiming for an authentic Malaysian experience, I don’t want to see chicken vindaloo or something which seems to be a cuisine mission creep that some restaurants fall into the trap of. My one free main meal was slightly undermined by Gordon ordering two main meals, although I pinched a chunk of that so all was well.

It wasn’t packed on our Thursday evening visit, but it did get busier later on. The atmosphere is quiet and inviting, the acoustics work well here so it’s not too loud. It was perhaps just a little hot, but they’ve got vertical fans going which resolved the issue.

The blue butterfly pea flower drink, which I didn’t quite understand from the menu, but as they don’t sell alcohol it seemed intriguing. Bev was going on about it turning green when lime is added and it does appear to be a drink that changes its colour depending on the acidity. It’s not visible in the photo, but I found the streams of blue going into the drink from straw really quite hypnotic. When it was served the drink looked as though it was a weak cordial, but this had a depth of taste to it and a flavour that I’ve never had before. It stayed resolutely blue, but this was one of the better soft drinks that I’ve had. I was also fortunate as I ordered first and when Brian tried to order they told him that they had run out.

The view over the Pig and Whistle pub. I mean, it’s not the Petronas Towers, but watching the denizens of Norwich meander by was suitably calming.

This is the Nasi Lemak with ayam rempah, or spiced fried chicken. Firstly, I’ve never had dried anchovies and they added texture, a salty fishy taste and no shortage of flavour. The peanuts added more flavour and the sambal was moreish and had a spicy edge to it. The rice was well cooked and the salad element added some extra colour to the plate. The chicken thigh was tender, moist and the coating was crispy and packed with various herbs and spices. Dipping that chicken into the sambal was evidence that simple things done well are all that is often needed. In some senses there were an awful lot of things on the plate, but it was a delight to work my way around the plate, and the pledge of authenticity that the restaurant made certainly seemed to have been honoured.

The dessert photos, although they’re listed in plain text on the main menu as well. Photos of desserts usually indicates that they’re bought in and the restaurant has pinched the stock photos, but here it’s more because they want to show what the food actually looks like. We can’t all be Malaysian food experts and I thought this was useful.

Rice pudding is one of my favourite things, particularly on long walks when I need some liquid and solid refreshment at the same time and am too tired to chew. Long distance walking isn’t all glamour, but I digress. This is black, and as the restaurant notes glutinous, rice pudding served with thick coconut milk and vanilla ice cream. The portion size wasn’t the most subtle, but I never complain about too much food. It was served warm, it was light but yet filling and the flavours once again worked beautifully. Bev, who complains about everything, was very quiet on that front and she muttered only that she had eaten too much. There is rarely much more praise than Bev can give than to only complain that she’s over indulged.

I tried to take a photo of Gordon’s banana fritters dessert, but he had eaten most of them before I had chance, so Brian’s meal was instead brought into play for the purpose.

Bringing all things together, this was an exceptional meal. The service was attentive, polite and kind throughout the entire dine. The restaurant was clean, the surroundings comfortable and the prices reasonable. But, the food and drink continued to surprise and delight me, especially experiencing new flavours which I hadn’t had before. I am sure that I’ll be back and I hope that the restaurant continues to get busier through word of mouth, it certainly deserves to.

July 14, 2023