Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Norfolk

  • West Runton – Hole in One

    The Hole in One bar in West Runton, situated by the Links Country Park Hotel on the North Norfolk coast.

    The bar had one real ale which was Woodforde’s Wherry. It’s all a bit generic and bland for my liking, but it could have been worse I suppose and been a Greene King IPA.

    This is better, the Adnams Blackshore Stout which had some rich flavours, including a caramel taste. The dispense was dreadful though, there’s no need to swirl the glass to get a head on any beer, let alone this stout. The swirling simply sent the beer over the top of the glass and wasted their product.

    The menus need replacing, they’re in poor condition. And the bar has had this marvellous idea to offer a two for one deal on some of their meals, which is ideal if you’ve come to dine alone. The menu is also perhaps too big logistically for the size of the venue, it’s inevitably going to lead to service time issues.

    I noticed that the chefs hadn’t burdened themselves with the presentation of the fish and chips. And it’s evident that the fryers needed cleaning judging by the carbonised particles which came with the fish. However, the fish batter did actually seem fresh and the quality of the cod was also fine, so the core ingredients appeared to be entirely acceptable. The fries were also fine and were served at the appropriate temperature and the peas were acceptable, if rather boring. The tartare sauce may also have been homemade, or at least, it tasted fine.

    Incidentally, I’m not entirely convinced about the bar’s policy on dogs, as they have freedom to roam across the dining area and there were barking dogs during my visit.

    The service was way below standard, with a wait for food of 68 minutes, which in any restaurant should warrant a staff member alerting the customer to the problem at some stage during the proceedings. The menu size clearly caused problems for the kitchen, trying to cook pizzas, fish, ciabattas and grilled items all at the same time in a limited size area isn’t likely to really work.

    For anyone on holiday this isn’t a bad place at all, the slow service isn’t going to make much difference and I’m sure it isn’t usually that long a wait for food anyway. For individuals though there’s limited value given the pricing structure and for groups above four in size I’m not entirely sure that the kitchen could cope with the volume.

  • Norwich – Benoli

    Benoli is an Italian restaurant which opened a few weeks ago in Orford Street, conveniently (well for me anyway) opposite the entrance to the Bell Hotel. It’s run by Oli Boon, who was a finalist in Masterchef the Professionals and who was also previously Head Chef at Roux at the Landau, a role he held in his mid-twenties.

    Anyway, although Norwich isn’t necessarily short of fine dining options, I’m not sure that I can think of another chef in the city with such a glittering CV. I’m sure that Greggs will soon be listed in the Michelin Guide and Norwich will then have several top-rated restaurants, but until then, Benoli is a marvellous addition to Norwich’s dining scene.

    The starter, or to be more accurate, the snack before the starter. I was at the restaurant with eight other people in the private dining room, but I won’t bore everyone with the gossip from the other members of Hike Norfolk, some of which would be unwritable (untypeable) anyway.

    The pre-starter was Pagnotta bread, which has evolved from being a rustic loaf cooked by working classes in Italy. The exterior is dark and firm, whilst the interior is soft and just a little fluffy. Served with oils, I could have perhaps just have had three courses of this. Rather lovely.

    I had to ask the waiter, who incidentally was engaging and competent, what the ‘baccala mantecato’ was. It’s apparently a Venetian dish of salt cod which is mashed and served with the consistency of a pate. At Benoli, this is then served with grilled onions on a sourdough bread.

    I can’t say that I’ve ever eaten anything similar to this and I’m not sure that I would have guessed what the dish was if it just presented to me. However, the mashed cod was light in texture but had a rich and pleasant flavour. The onions added texture and the sourdough bread was softened slightly by the cod, but it remained crisp. Again, quite marvellous.

    For main, I went for the bucatini pasta served with octopus and flavoured with lemon and oregano. Again, I didn’t know what bucatini was, but the waiter patiently explained that it was spaghetti with a hole inside it. That hole running through the centre means that the pasta picks up more of the sauce and it also makes for a softer taste.

    The octopus, and indeed the pasta, almost melted in the mouth and the pangrattato (or bread crumbs) added texture to the dish. The flavours were strong, but the dish was simple in its make-up and tasted freshly made. Perhaps there could have been just a little more octopus to balance the pasta, but I certainly have no complaints.

    On which point, the prices. This pasta dish came in at £12, which seems to me, when taking into account the experience of the chef and the quality of the dining environment, perfectly good value for money. Other mains were a little more expensive, with starters around the £8 to £9 mark and desserts were mostly £8.

    And, finally, the dessert which was morello cherry sorbet served with an amaretti biscuit and garnished with fresh almond. The flavour of the sorbet was intense and the cherry was very much in evidence, with the texture being soft and not grainy. The biscuit is one of the largest of its type I’ve seen served with a dessert and it had a subtle flavour of almond and a suitably crispy texture.

    Partly, writing this post is a bit pointless insomuch as the chef is clearly an expert in his craft and I had to have a waiter explain some of the dishes to me. However, since my only perspective is whether it tastes good, I can confirm that it does. And it was all well presented and at the appropriate temperature.

    The service was attentive and professional throughout, with the dining environment being clean and comfortable. In terms of negatives, I’m hard pushed to find any. Perhaps some of the seating in the restaurant is a little exposed and there’s a traffic of customers going by, but there’s still an authentic feel to the whole arrangement. I also like the bar section at the front of the restaurant, so those just wanting a quick snack can easily pop in.

    There has unfortunately been a lot of rubbish served up as Italian food in restaurants in Norwich and across the country over the last few years. Mid-market restaurants have opened up, and in some circumstances served some really low quality fare and then tried to get customers in by cheap and even slightly squalid Groupon offers. Fortunately, Benoli appears to be authentic, genuine and informal, based on quality and not generic mass produced pasta dishes. So, how lovely.

  • Thetford – Spring Walk

    Just a short walk from Thetford town centre is this interesting and peaceful riverside path, known as Spring Walk. It takes this name from when the walk was laid out as part of a project to make Thetford a spring, or spa, town. This effort wasn’t really successful, lasting for under twenty years, but this path is one legacy of the project.

    One of the interesting heritage walk boards which have been placed around the town, giving more information about the history of the spa town project.

    There is some sad history to this location though, as in September 1911 a 13-year old boy, Arthur Robert Tuck, fell into river at this point. Arthur died from drowning, but the inquest noted with “astonishment at the action of three unknown men who were told of a lad falling into the water just after the accident, but they walked away”. The boy lived on Old Market Street and sadly drowned in just five feet of water.

    The local newspaper, the Bury Free Press, reported that:

    “The funeral of the deceased took part with five of his companions acting as bearers”.

    I’m not sure we’ll ever know who those five were, but I do wonder if any of those fought and died in World War One.

    Above is the census record which was taken just a few months before the boy died, with Arthur Robert Tuck having exactly the same name as his father. His mother was Bessie Tuck and he had two sisters, Gertrude Tuck and Mabel Gladys Tuck, as well as a brother, Charles Bertram Tuck.

  • Thetford – Tank Track Marks on Bridge

    I would have never noticed this, but there’s a wonderful Heritage Trail board nearby which explained what these marks are. They’re from a tank which drove down here, which is Nuns’ Bridges Road, during the Second World War. I can imagine the concern of the tank driver when he realised that his vehicle had damaged the bridge and perhaps threatened to knock the entire wall down into the stream below.

  • Thetford – Thetford Priory (Gatehouse)

    I’ve never visited this gatehouse before, which is accessed from the main priory site by using a path across a private garden. I was having a little rummage about the area ready for my heritage walk this weekend and was surprised at just how impressive this gatehouse is. The above photo is taken from the priory side of the gatehouse, so it was the other side which would be visible to the townspeople.

    The gatehouse is the best preserved of any of the priory buildings and was first constructed in the late fourteenth century. It is well built and that is at least evident by the fact that it hasn’t fallen down over the centuries. Any travellers visiting the priory, or indeed anyone wanting food, would have knocked on the door of this gatehouse to ask for assistance.

  • Norwich to Dereham Tickets….

    Next on Julian’s list of things to complain about….

    Why does the live feed for Norwich railway station departures include a service to Dereham, which doesn’t even have a Network Rail station….. There is admittedly a bus that goes there, but there are buses that go to a lot of places from the railway station.

    Just to add more confusion…. The ticket to Dereham, which is a coach ticket, is priced at £2.60. Unless you read the top section which says that the train is £2.60 and takes 48 minutes and the coach is £8.30 and takes 30 minutes.

    As clear as mud….

  • Norwich – WH Smiths Railway Station

    Cheery little selection of books at the railway station bookshop in Norwich. Nice to get some light reading in on the train…..

  • King’s Lynn – King’s Lynn Minster (Carved Screen)

    This carved wooden chancel screen was originally made in 1584 and it’s another one of those marvels of history that it’s still here, although not in its original location within the church. I can’t find any actual evidence of this, but I assume that the chancel screen was built to replace the rood screen which would have been destroyed during the reformation.

    The screen was “beautified” in 1621 and although its age is apparent from the design, it’s still in excellent condition.

  • King’s Lynn – King’s Lynn Minster (West Facade)

    The west facade of King’s Lynn Minster, with the tide clock visible on the top right and the flood markers by the main entrance.

    And a very helpful illustration to the west front of the building, produced by the church.

  • King’s Lynn – King’s Lynn Minster (Eagle Lectern)

    This eagle lectern is made from brass, dates to the fifteenth century and it was once covered in rich jewels. The feathers are apparently slightly later replacements, but this bird is still something of a survivor given its age.

    There is a hole in the lectern’s beak which was once used to collect Peter’s Pence, money which was meant to go to the Catholic church although how far it actually went is a different matter. Despite Peter’s Pence being abolished at the time of the reformation, it was still collected in some areas, with it instead being seen as a tax to the church.