James and I are eating at every food stall at Norwich Market again this year and this week we visited a Taste of Punjab, which Nathan and I visited in March 2023.
The stall and there were a few customers around when we arrived and it remained consistently busy. We were greeted by a friendly team member who smiled, made eye contact and was focused enough to take orders and remember what everyone had ordered when their food was cooked. Indeed, not only that, she was also cooking the food, a combination of things and level of multi-tasking that would have confused me.
The price increases here are the highest that I’ve seen so far, with nearly everything having increased by £2 or £2.50. Something like the Baby Dosa has increased from £4.50 to £6.50, which has taken this from being a keenly priced stall to one of the more expensive. Although now I’m sounding like I’m taking some sort of bold leap into “I remember when this was all fields” territory.
I’m not personally a fan of these as it makes anyone paying by card feel like they’re not supporting local businesses as much with signage worded like this. But, each to their own. To be helpful, I paid by cash, but noted that no other customer did. They can obviously put what they want, but a “cash preferred” sign would seem a little more welcoming than a suggestion that you don’t support local businesses by paying by card.
I had tarka dall when I visited before and thought it could have had a greater depth of flavour and I noted that next time I might have chicken biryani. Well, that moment came and that’s what I went for. They dished what James had ordered first and there wasn’t much information on mine, but it was served seven minutes later and I was surprised that a microwave was used with the rice. Anyway, the biryani was freshly made and it was decent. It was at the appropriate hot temperature, there was a generous amount of chicken, the rice had a firm texture, the chicken was tender and the lime was a useful citrus addition. The portion size was decent for the money, it was a filling meal and although the prices have risen, this is still not unreasonably priced.
Unlike my overhead food shot, James, ever the connoisseur, snapped a photo on a jaunty angle that he is best known for. Well, that, and seemingly knowing most of the middle class population of Norwich as we’re walking to lunch and he keeps getting recognised. James wasn’t unhappy with his lunchtime meal, but I don’t think that he was surprised and delighted with the food, it was served promptly, looked appetising and it was a large portion, but he thought it verged just a little on the bland side and lacked the depth of flavour he craved. He moaned about the price, but he did get a lot of chicken, but he’s right that this sort of cost is now pushing it towards being a treat rather than a routine lunch.
We decided to eat at the stall as they had a section of the counter that seemed appropriate to do so, although if it was busy we would have been in the way of the queue. They seemed to have some regular customers including a lady that took a lamb biryani away for her evening meal, so they seem to be doing well. I rather liked the whole arrangement and thought that the food had a depth of flavour and range of textures, with the portion size being sufficient. The prices are just a little punchy now, but they’re still reasonable and I’d come back here as there are still a number of dishes I’d like to try.