Tag: Norwich Market Food

  • Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 14 and Thai Bubble

    Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 14 and Thai Bubble

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    This is week 14 of James and I eating at every food stall at Norwich market, for the second time. We did extra visits in May so I had something to write up whilst away, we are very good at forward planning like that, which means that my two loyal readers won’t go short on posts from this series. I rather liked Thai Bubble when we visited last time, although the service time was a little excessive.

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    It’s not necessarily the easiest menu to understand in terms of the ordering process, but the helpful team member was pro-active in talking me through the whole arrangement. There’s certainly plenty of choice to be had and the stall takes cash and card.

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    After you order, then you are shown where to wait for the drink on the side of the unit. This time, we didn’t have a long wait, with the drinks being served after a couple of minutes. They’ve changed things a little since we last visited and you can’t sit in the unit now, it’s takeaway only. It all seemed clean and organised, with something of a welcoming vibe to it.

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    We relocated to the Castle Mall and this is the mango bubble tea with cherry. Sealed at the unit, it kept its chilled temperature and it had a depth of flavour to it. I really rather like the tapioca ball as they add texture to the whole arrangement, although I’m always worried when James has a bubble tea as he ends up choking on one of the balls. It’s also quite a filling drink, there’s plenty of it although I did opt for the larger version.

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    Talking of which, this is the one that James got and he spent quite a long time trying to work out how to get his straw in. I have to be careful, as otherwise he’ll tell me that I’ve made him sound like an idiot instead of the executive that he is.

    This is a slightly light review as it was a drinks visit only, but I liked it here and felt welcome. I’d say that the concept is slightly complex for anyone who doesn’t know what they’re doing, which is so often me, but the service was engaging and warm so that resolved that. I think that we agreed that we’d both go here again (although we say that and then promptly march over to get chips from Lucys), my drink was £4.50 and that’s comparable to a coffee now and my inner child likes the whole concept behind these drinks….. We didn’t order food this time, but they do offer waffles as well.

  • Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 13 and Bun Box

    Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 13 and Bun Box

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    This week’s attempt to eat at every food stall at Norwich Market was Bun Box, which we visited in 2023 when we last embarked on this little project. Last time we visited, I wasn’t entirely sure about the value for money when I ordered a chicken katsu bun and I thought that the pricing was towards the higher end of the scale for the market.

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    The menu board. Incidentally, I didn’t take as many photos of the stand generally as I didn’t want the police to think that I was trying to capture them in my little arrangement. Neither James or I remembered that they did these more substantial meals which are listed on the lower menu, but having checked on the menu board from last time, not a great deal has actually changed. The price increases here over the last two years are relatively small, mostly either 50p or £1 on the price of a meal.

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    The list of sides. The service was friendly and personable, with the queueing system clearly signed as it might not otherwise be entirely obvious. The stall was busy when we were there and the team member was warning customers that they might face a ten or fifteen minute wait. The stall has clearly built up something of a loyal following judging by the numbers of customers who were coming here, with the menu being quite broad.

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    We had an eight minute wait for the food, but that seemed reasonable given how busy it was. They prefer cash, but they do accept cards as well. They give customers a numbered ticket and also try and batch together food orders so groups get their food at the same time.

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    I ordered the spicy chicken don which cost £9. This was pieces of panko chicken with sticky rice, teriyaki sauce, lettuce, spring onion, sriracha sauce, sesame seeds and Japanese mayo. This surprised and delighted me much more than when I had the bun a couple of years ago. The chicken was very slightly dry, but the coating added flavour and the sauce added some extra taste. The sesame seeds and spring onions added texture and the rice was suitably sticky. The large pieces of lettuce covered in sauce were a bit of a faff to eat and could have been smaller, but I felt that the whole meal was filling and represented decent value for money.

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    James sashayed excitedly towards the counter and went for a spicy chicken bun which was £5.50 and he seemed pleased after ordering. When the two meals arrived, with his looking like a little side to mine, he then promptly spent the next half an hour complaining about how small his selection was. He received one piece of chicken, mayo and lettuce, which didn’t seem to me to be quite as good value. I wonder if they’d be better charging a little bit more and giving customers two of the buns, as James didn’t find his selection as filling as mine. Indeed, he complained about numerous things about the bun, but he was centred on that he finished eating it in about twenty seconds. I think he spent longer taking a photograph of it rather than eating it, but I didn’t say anything. I’m apparently meant to explain that he was disappointed about the amount he received compared to how many chips he got last week, but I feel that I’ve done that now.

    Basing this on just my experience, I thought that this was all quite agreeable, with the service being friendly and the food having a suitable depth of taste and flavour. However, for value for money, I’d personally go for one of the larger meals.

  • Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 12 and Lucy’s Fish and Chips

    Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 12 and Lucy’s Fish and Chips

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    This week’s episode of James and I working our way around every food stall at Norwich Market. And, this week, it was a visit to Lucy’s Fish and Chips, where James and I have been going for over a decade and which received the incredible accolade as our second (well, my second as I’m writing it) stall in 2023. James only walked by three people he knew today, although I suspect there were more as he disguises the interactions to pretend he’s anti-social. The stall also has a sister outlet on the market which we’ve already visited this year.

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    The menu and the prices, with an apology printed on the counter that price increases have been necessary due to increasing costs. The price increases are in keeping with other stalls, with the haddock going from £5 to £6.50 in two years and the cod from £6.50 to £8. The stall accepts cash and card, although there’s now a sign stating that they prefer cash. The queueing system felt suitably logical and the stall was constantly busy when I was there, with a wide selection of different items being ordered.

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    The specials are visible in the background and a reminder that they use vegetable oil here. There’s also a vegan and vegetarian menu available to broaden their appeal to non-fish eaters.

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    I decided against the battered cauliflower, though to be fair, anything’s an improvement on plain cauliflower. The service was friendly, engaging and personable, although it helped that they knew James as they probably remembered some odd social interaction he had with them years ago or some joke or pun he made. There’s an informal and inviting feel to this stand, so I felt welcome. I went for the small cod, chips and curry sauce for £6.50, which I thought was reasonably priced. It took twelve minutes to be prepared which seemed a long time as James got him immediately, but sometimes food is worth the wait and they were busy.

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    The seating area where we were able to get a seat, although James had a bit of a wait to get us one. Not that it mattered to me as I was standing on the other side of the stall excitedly waiting for my number to be called out. The problem with us deciding these stalls on the day is that I don’t know in advance to bring my own ketchup, as I’m too tight to pay whatever the cost is here. The seating area was clean and ordered, with customers sitting here fairly reliably having ordered from the stall and not being interlopers from nearby stalls which don’t have their own executive seating area.

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    The cod was larger than I expected and they had forgotten the scraps (which I insist on calling them, although they call them crispies at the stall), but willingly added them in a bag on request. The bottom of the cod was perhaps a little soggy, but the fish flaked away and had a depth of flavour. The batter had some crispiness to it and a pleasant taste, whilst the chips were firm on the exterior and suitably fluffy on the interior. The curry sauce was also served as a generous portion and added to the whole delicious arrangement.

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    James went for his usual and he was moderately annoyed to discover they’d forgotten that his usual was two small battered sausages and not just one. He forgave them though, one of the few stalls where he would. I do remember the butcher’s sausages that they used to have here and I do miss those, although James was content with the quality of his battered option today.

    I left the stall feeling that I had enough food as it was sufficiently filling and the value for money was excellent. The cod was of a decent quality, the service was friendly, the surroundings were clean and it was good to be back. This is, once again, one of the best stalls that we’ve visited this year on the market. All really rather lovely.

  • Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 11 and Go Crepes

    Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 11 and Go Crepes

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    This week’s visit on our quest to eat at every food venue at Norwich Market was Go Crepes, which we visited when we did all this before in 2023. I must admit that I briefly forgot that we had done it before when the number was randomly drawn to come here, but it was last visit that we did and so perhaps my memory was clouded with sadness that it was all over…. I have to add here that every lunchtime is getting more ridiculous as it’s now turning into a “how many times will someone say hello to James?” as we walk around the city, it’s usually about five different people. This having lunch with a social supernova is getting quite exhausting.

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    The menu board, which is now a price free enigma, but the increases have been moderate over the last two years and seem to be around 50p for each crepe.

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    In addition to the sweet and savoury crepe options, there are some pasta options as well which I think might be a relatively new addition and James was tempted to go for one of these, but the pricing was a little punchy. The service here was friendly and immediate, with the stall taking both card and cash payments. There wasn’t the engagement that I remember from the stall holder a couple of years ago, but it was still welcoming and everyone was served in turn.

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    There’s my crepe cooking and I must admit that I’ve broken my intention of always having something different. I went for banana, Nutella and coconut, forgetting that’s what I had before. It came to £5.50, which is an increase of 50p. There was an entire banana included, along with a generous amount of Nutella and coconut flakes.

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    And there we go. This isn’t my sort of go to food for lunch, but it was warm, generously filled and it had a depth of flavour. I thought that it represented decent value for money, it was quick and a handy lunchtime snack.

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    James faffed about getting a classy photo of his crepe with Norwich Castle in the background. Unfortunately, in his eagerness to eat, the strategic intent of the photo failed.

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    So James has drawn it in. He went for a cheese and a pepperoni crepe and I asked him about the food and he said:

    “Upon presentation, the galette délicieuse, a thin farinaceous creation of Gallic origin, enveloped a savory melange of lactescent curd and thinly sliced suine preparations, yielding a surprisingly replete sensation upon consumption. The constituent elements exuded an aura of recent provenance, their individual gustatory profiles harmoniously intermingling to produce a discernible and rather pleasing savor. Furthermore, the entire culinary opuscule was ensconced within a sumptuous and texturally refined cellulose-based towelling, hinting at an elevated level of epicurean consideration.”

    He was particularly keen that I mention that he liked the quality of the paper towel that was used, which isn’t something I think that I would have otherwise added here.

    I’m not sure that the lunch was quite as filling as some of the other market options, but that’s basically because I’m quite greedy and isn’t a criticism of the stall as their portion size for what I ordered was generous. The service was friendly, the food was freshly made and I felt that there was reasonable value for money.

  • Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 10 and Deb’s

    Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 10 and Deb’s

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    This week’s visit on the plan that James and I have to eat at every food stall at Norwich Market was Deb’s, which we visited when we did this market tour in 2023.

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    The hot food options. We were welcomed promptly by a friendly team member who took the order and checked if we were eating at the stall or taking away. I went for a sausage & bacon large bap which was £5.50, an increase of £1.10 since we last visited which is in keeping with the general price inflation of the market. I also asked for the bacon to be crispy and the team member was happy to accept that request, as I sometimes think that some people find my bacon demands as a little sub-optimal.

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    Wise advice, although the bloody things circulate freely around the market now.

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    My bacon and sausage cooking away. James went for a double cheese burger, encouraged by myself to be fair as he was intending to have a single one, and that’s starting to cook on there as well. It was agreed by myself that I wouldn’t wait for his food to arrive before I started mine, as I wanted to ensure I started my meal at the temperature that the stall intended.

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    It’s all a bit cluttered, but I like an authentic feel to a cafe rather than polished steel all over the place. Craft beer bars I like to be on-trend and shiny though of course, I don’t compromise on my standards there. I make this point as this felt like a traditional market stall, the kind of set-up that one might hope to find for a traditional lunch-time snack.

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    The sauce is sweet chilli that I’ve put on. And as a food review, this is as good a bacon and sausage roll as I could desire from a market stall. But let’s take this opportunity to talk bacon, shall we? This wasn’t the anaemic, apologetic stuff you sometimes encounter. This was bacon as it’s meant to be, each rasher a crispy, bronzed warrior having bravely faced the heat and emerged victorious, with absolutely no sign of that dreaded, flabby surrender. I reject the out-dated concept that the fat is somehow the tasty bit, it isn’t, the meat is the tasty bit. I want crunch to this arrangement and that’s what I received. The portion size of the bacon was generous, perhaps overpowering the sausage slightly, but the food all tasted fresh and of a decent quality. I was left surprised and delighted by this roll, it felt like value for money to me.

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    James and his artistic photos. I have to move out of the way of these as he doesn’t want me cluttering them up. He mentioned afterwards that he saw two frozen burgers being cooked and that he wasn’t expecting a gourmet experience. But, he thought they were excellent in terms of their depth of flavour, so that’s another win. He also said:

    “When asked, I must recount a recent gastronomic encounter with a seemingly unassuming double cheeseburger, procured from a purveyor of street-side sustenance – a quintessential market stall, if you will. The bovine patties themselves presented a quite remarkable profundity of flavour, a veritable symphony of umami notes that danced upon the palate with unexpected sophistication. Encasing this delight was a bun of demonstrable freshness, its delicate crumb yielding with pleasing softness. The accompanying verdant assemblage, colloquially termed ‘salad’, provided a most welcome textural counterpoint, its crispness juxtaposing splendidly with the tender succulence of the meat and the molten embrace of the fromage. Furthermore, the entire construction was served at a most agreeable temperature, ensuring optimal sensory engagement. Indeed, this offering transcended its humble origins, representing a paradigm of market stall culinary artistry, a truly delightful and surprisingly nuanced gustatory experience.”

    I was very pleased with this food, the service was friendly, the surroundings were clean and it’s a welcoming stall. I liked that there was quite an array of different sauces and condiments, all which the customer could access themselves so they could have as much as they wanted. The bacon was cooked perfectly, I felt that the pricing was reasonable and this is one of my favourite market stalls so far this year. I also noticed that there seemed to be a higher proportion of regulars than at other stalls, so they’d soon recognise me and my bacon requirements if I went on a regular basis.

  • Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 9 and Jacket Spuds & More

    Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 9 and Jacket Spuds & More

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    This week’s attempt to eat at every food stall at Norwich Market is Jacket Spuds & More, which we visited last time we embarked on this same project in 2023. Incidentally, for anyone thinking that we’ve done three visits this week, we have as I’ve been away which has disrupted our dining schedule no end. Since we made our last visit, jacket potatoes have undergone something of a revolution in this country and that’s to a large part down to social media. Operating from his van in Tamworth, Spudman has become something of a viral sensation and he’s been able to build up a large regular trade on the back of that. Following this have been numerous other retailers trying similar things and even Subway got into the action when they started to sell jacket potatoes in a trial that was launched a couple of months ago. I’m not sure whether that trend has impacted this stall on Norwich market, but I’m impressed at how many toppings that they offer here.

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    The service from the two team members was friendly and I think that they thought I was nervous in ordering, when I was just faffing about deciding what to have. There is a wide variety of choices including jacket potatoes, sandwiches, toasties, breakfasts and omelettes. The reason for my delay is I was debating having something different to a jacket potato, but I decided in the end to stick with that as I’m sometimes not very adventurous. It was clear how to order (unlike last time when we got muddled up) and the whole service was efficient and helpful, with the team members checking if we wanted a drink or anything else with the food. The stall accepts card and cash, with the prices having gone up around £1 an item over the last two years.

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    I opted for the jacket potato with chicken curry and no butter, which was £6. That heap of black pepper on the top is me and not them, I’ve made that look worse presented than when it was handed to me. I’m not usually one to opt for a jacket potato when dining out (pizzas make quite an appearance though), but this whole arrangement did surprise and delight me. The jacket of the potato was crispy, the inside retained some firmness but was cooked through and the chicken curry was plentiful and actually had some reasonable sized pieces of chicken in it. There was sufficient curry sauce for the amount of potato, with the portion size in general feeling generous.

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    After standing about taking photos from odd angles, James started to eat the beef chilli jacket potato with extra cheese added that he’d ordered and he noted:

    “During a recent midday peregrination through Norwich, serendipity led me to partake of a rather exemplary tubercule en chemise. This was no quotidian spud, but a specimen of discernible, superlative provenance, its preparation evincing considerable culinary adroitness: the integument crisped to perfection, the interior exquisitely fluffy, and the whole presented with commendable aesthetic fastidiousness at an eminently suitable thermal point. Crowning this farinaceous marvel was a generous impartation of piquant bovine concoction – a beef chilli of satisfying depth – further embellished by a liberal cascade of molten caseous adornment. The resultant gustatory experience, an agreeable amalgamation of textures and flavours, represented remarkably judicious expenditure considering the modest pecuniary outlay. One departed thoroughly gratified by this unexpectedly sophisticated rendition of humble fare, acknowledging the substantial contentment derived from its consumption.”

    In short, he liked it, even though he managed to spill some on his trousers, nearly choke halfway through and have chats with about ten people he knew. Talk about a social butterfly.

    All told, I thought that this was a really decent visit that was really most lovely. The service was polite, the potato and the topping had a depth of flavour, there were a range of textures and it felt like value for money.

  • Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 8 and Henry’s Hog Roast

    Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 8 and Henry’s Hog Roast

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    Next on our project of visiting every food stall at Norwich Market for the second time was Henry’s Hog Roast. Last time I did this, it was Nathan and I who visited this stall back in 2023 and it did surprise and delight me at the time. I’m not the normal consumer here, I don’t like crackling, I don’t often eat pork and I had the expectations before of a fatty roll that wasn’t inspiring. On our 2023 visit, my fears weren’t realised and I rather enjoyed the food.

    On this occasion, I wasn’t overly excited when we randomly drew out this stall, but James was much keener on the whole arrangement as he sometimes tries to overturn the random stall that we’ve selected (but I’m tough, I never cave in). This time, there was a short queue to be served but the team member was efficient and we didn’t have much of a wait. As an aside, I understand that when we visited before we were served by the then owner, Neil Bowman, and he was enthusiastic and keen. Since that visit, he has left the stall and it has been taken over by new operators.

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    The menu has expanded a little since we last visited in 2023, although when James tried to order the hog roasted tatties they didn’t have them. The price of the roll has gone up only 50p in over two years, with the addition of a new larger option.

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    The pork ready to be sliced. I went for a white roll which included apple sauce and stuffing with the pork. I refused the crackling and asked if James could have it, but they rejected that which feels a little sub-optimal, but there we go. Next time, I’ll do what I did before with Nathan and just accept it and take it off myself. The service was otherwise friendly and they accept cards and cash, although they state that they prefer the latter. The team member was efficient and they’ve got the service down to a fine art here.

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    OK, I’m not going to hide around this opinion, this didn’t really meet my expectations although I suppose every winning streak has to come to an end. The pork was fattier than I’d like it, but I set the bar hopelessly low there and so it would be unfair to be critical that there was some fattiness to the arrangement. But, more hard to hide was that the taste was bland and the stuffing was served as such a small portion that it wasn’t discernible. The apple sauce could have been more generous, but the pork desperately needed something more and stuffing would have likely done that. The team member did put pepper and salt on the food (although very little, I would have rather done this myself), but I was struggling to taste this as the pork over-powered it. That meant that the roll was a little dry and lacking in flavour for my liking, although credit is due and I’ll note that they didn’t skimp on the portion size of the pork.

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    James went for a tiger roll which he said wasn’t just as firm as you might expect, but that it was also a little stale. That made his roll more challenging as it had the same problems of being dry. I won’t give his comments in full (some lunch-related sorrows are private) as I might usually, but he was disappointed as he remembered the stall from years ago when the portions of stuffing and apple sauce were as he recalls rather more generous.

    I don’t intend to be negative, but this blog is full of tens and tens of positive visits and so it’d be wrong to mention when I wasn’t surprised and delighted as the roll verged on being, well, a bit arid. On an unrelated note, the local pigeons seemed particularly enthusiastic about sharing our meal, but we were very brave in fending the bloody things off. Ending on a positive, there seemed to be a regular trade here, so they’ve obviously getting a lot right, I think I was just a little disappointed that this wasn’t as good as when I visited before.

  • Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 7 and China Wok

    Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 7 and China Wok

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    And the next in our series of James and I visiting every food stall at Norwich market (again) was China Wok. Last time I did this in 2023, this was the period when Nathan and I did them and it was the first one that we went to. That was over two years ago and the prices here have remained moderate, with a price increase of just £1 since then so at least some things haven’t been ravaged by inflation.

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    The concept is to pay for a base of either rice or noodles and then select a choice of three different toppings. We started off well as we queued at the wrong end, which was some navigational brilliance of ours that felt slightly sub-optimal. I recall this being the only food stall at the market which doesn’t accept cards, but fortunately we had just enough cash on us.

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    It’s a solid food rating which is reassuring enough.

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    The food offerings aren’t huge in number, but they had a suitable number of chicken permutations for me. There was a choice of chilli beef, chicken curry, chicken black bean, sesame chicken, sweet & sour chicken, salt & pepper chicken and fried vegetables. There is also the option of adding on chicken balls or spring rolls. The service was polite and efficient with a relatively brief wait in the queue. The nature of the service means that there’s no wait for the food as it’s served up immediately when ordering.

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    From left to right, this is the chicken black bean, the sesame chicken and the salt & pepper chicken, with the meal costing £7.50 as we went large. On reflection, I would have asked for the chicken black bean sauce to be poured along the top as the rice down one end was quite dry, but the sauce added some depth to the arrangement. The chicken was all tender, a little firm with the sesame chicken, but the tastes and flavours were all there. There’s a handy and civilised area to eat our food at the end of the stall, so we didn’t have to go and face the wild pigeons, seagulls and other aerial rodents of Norwich.

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    James and his artistic efforts. He had to edit me out and I rejected his later offer to draw me back in, as I would have likely been highly offended and annoyed at the results. I asked him to sum up his thoughts about the food and he replied:

    “Ah, the anticipation of discovering the culinary treasures held within the unpretentious confines of a simple metallic vessel is a pleasure in itself. Upon parting the folded edges, one was immediately greeted by a generous and inviting panorama: a substantial foundation of perfectly prepared farinaceous strands, serving as a delightful canvas upon which a triptych of savoury delights was artfully arranged. It was clear from the outset that this was a collation designed for substantial enjoyment, promising a diverse exploration of textures and flavour profiles within its humble, yet effective, packaging.

    Exploring the varied landscape of toppings proved to be a most gratifying endeavour. The purported sesame-infused avian constituent offered a delightful chewiness, a robust texture that provided a gratifying counterpoint to the yielding nature of the noodles, while its glaze contributed a pleasant, sweet depth. Beside it lay the bovine offering, exhibiting an exquisite tenderness that truly impressed, each morsel dissolving with minimal persuasion, complemented by a subtle, beguiling warmth that stimulated the palate without overwhelming it. The third element, the alternative gallinaceous preparation, proved equally commendable, presenting succulent pieces of poultry enveloped in a perfectly balanced seasoning of crystalline sodium and pungent piper nigrum, showcasing a simple yet profoundly satisfying flavour harmony.

    Collectively, this assemblage within its unassuming conveyance proved to be a truly gratifying collation. The interplay of the silken substratum with the distinct characteristics of the three proteinaceous components – the delightful chewiness of the sesame chicken, the melting tenderness of the chilli beef with its gentle thermal caress, and the succulent, well-seasoned salt & pepper chicken – created a harmonious and deeply satisfying gastronomic experience. It was an exemplary execution of comfort cuisine, demonstrating that even within modest presentation, genuine culinary pleasure can be found in abundance.”

    Anyway, enough of James. Overall, I thought that the food was of a decent quality and represented value for money. Not accepting cards is a reason I might not rush back, not out of any annoyance about their decision, just that I don’t tend to carry much cash so it is a slight logistical challenge. However, it was a filling lunch, the service was friendly and we didn’t have long to wait. Given all of that, I’d recommend this stall to others, there appears to be some consistency to the arrangement and I like that reliability in this unpredictable world.

  • Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 6 and Coral Bay

    Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 6 and Coral Bay

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    Next up in our second round of visiting every food stall at Norwich Market took James and I to Coral Bay. Here’s when we visited in 2023 and we took advantage of the two meals offer, with both of us being suitably impressed by the quality of the food. This time the service was once again friendly and efficient, with the stall taking cards and cash. Ainsley Harriott has visited this stall and been surprised and delighted by the quality of the food, fine praise indeed. There’s a vegetarian curry available, a vegan patty and the ackee and salt fish curry sounded delicious, I’ll likely try that if we do a third round of visiting every stall in a future year (although I think we’ve identified some other things to aim for first).

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    The menu this time, with prices going up around £1.50 per dish and there’s also now the appearance of large meals to offer more selection. The Jamaican patties are still available and there are a variety of fillings, with this being the lower priced point selection. There is a small seating area at the stall, but it was quite quiet and we wanted to gossip about the food, so we went to the area near city hall whilst trying to avoid the ever increasing number of pigeons and seagulls.

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    I had jerk chicken last time, so this time I went for curried chicken and that included salad and rice, with the Encona hot pepper sauce being free of charge. The portion size was generous and the quality of the food was high, with the slow cooked chicken being tender and having a richness of flavour. The hot sauce was very useful and mixed in well with the rice, with the salad adding some firmness of texture.

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    This time, I trusted James to take a photo of his food so that my two loyal blog readers could get an indication of everything we ordered. Unfortunately, he forgot until he had nearly finished the food, but I obviously didn’t say anything… But, luckily, he has been able to recreate in almost snapshot imagery what he was served with. I asked James what he thought of the food and he said something like:

    “Upon perusal of the menu’s manifold offerings, my selection gravitated towards the establishment’s interpretation of brown stew chicken, a Caribbean culinary staple. The presentation, upon arrival, was characterised by a substantial apportionment of the principal gallinaceous component, veritably luxuriating in a deep, mahogany-hued sauce redolent with aromatic allusions. The chicken itself, subjected to what must have been a significantly protracted and punctilious simmering process, exhibited an extraordinary degree of tenderness; the flesh, utterly succulent, providing a most gratifying and unctuous mouthfeel indicative of superlative preparation techniques. The sheer quantitative generosity of the serving was noteworthy, promising thorough satiation for even the most prodigious of appetites.

    Accompanying this delectable centrepiece was a commensurate portion of traditional rice and peas, the grains perfectly distinct and imbued with the subtle, saccharine perfume of coconut milk, punctuated by the earthy depth of the leguminous inclusions. Furthermore, a colourful mélange of crisp, horticultural elements constituted a refreshing salad, providing a counterpoint of chromatic vibrancy and textural variation to the richer constituents of the plate. This tripartite arrangement – the profoundly flavourful and tender chicken, the gratifyingly substantial rice and peas, and the invigorating salad – represented a commendable and thoroughly well-executed example of gastronomic synergy, leaving this particular gourmand unequivocally contented with the entire gustatory experience.”

    Overall, the food here was excellent and filling, possibly one of the best that we’ve experienced this year. It is though still expensive, a challenge which is obviously not easily resolved given food and wage inflation at the moment. However, sometimes it’s worth paying for quality and I liked the whole arrangement. And I’ll remind James to take a photo next time, but we both left agreeing that this was an enjoyable meal.

  • Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 5 and Falafel and Friends

    Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 5 and Falafel and Friends

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    This week’s visit in the project that James and I have to dine at every food stall at Norwich Market (2025 edition) was to Falafel and Friends.

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    The menu is extensive and is displayed across two boards. The stall is one of the larger ones at the market as it takes up four units and it’s clearly signed so customers know where to order. The stall takes cards and cash, with everything being clean and tidy. There was a friendly and immediate welcome from the team member, with the ordering process being efficient and well managed. I was given a little slip with my order number, although the team member brought it over around six minutes later without needing to be reminded what I had ordered.

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    I took a seat in the small dining area which overlooks the servery and the waiting customers, although it was quiet for the half an hour we were there with just a couple of customers. James had to hide from the staff at Lucy’s Chips, once again, as they will wonder why he’s defected away from them. When seated James excitedly told me his latest joke, which was as funny as usual, but was at least not offensive to anyone in the surrounding area.

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    I went for the Kimchi Dog, which is what I had tried to order when we visited in 2023 but they weren’t available at the time. This was decent, the roll was lightly toasted and the falafel sausage was firm on the exterior and yielded when cut to a softer interior with the falafel having a depth of flavour. I liked the homemade kimchi element under the sausage, although I thought that it could have been a little more powerful in flavour. The Cajun potatoes were crispy and tasted rather pleasant with some lingering heat, whilst the sauce added some extra piquancy to the whole arrangement. The elements worked well together, with the blend of spices and ingredients being thoughtful.

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    James had pancakes and I asked him what he thought, which was something like (and he’ll forgive me if I’ve got his words slightly wrong):

    “The culinary endeavour presented by these Kimchi Pancakes offered a fascinating exploration of flavour and texture. Anchored by a foundation of meticulously homemade kimchi, whose inherent piquant undertones provided a nuanced savour, the pancakes were skillfully crafted with gluten-free flour, resulting in a commendably tender consistency. Visually appealing with a scattering of verdant spring onions and an artful drizzle of vibrant sriracha, the initial gustatory apprehension revealed a complex interplay of umami and spice. While the anticipated savoury notes were indeed present, an unexpected yet intriguing sweetness emerged, creating a paradoxical harmony that, though not entirely conventional, proved to be a noteworthy characteristic.

    Despite this subtle saccharine inclination, the Kimchi Pancakes were ultimately a satisfying and substantial offering. The inherent density and the fibrous nature of the kimchi contributed to a pronounced sense of satiety, rendering them a decidedly filling option. The thoughtful integration of high-quality ingredients, from the homemade kimchi to the gluten-free base, alongside the considered garnishes, elevated this dish beyond mere simplicity. Though the sweetness introduced a minor divergence from typical expectations, the overall experience was one of sophisticated flavour and considerable substance, marking it as a commendable and intellectually stimulating culinary encounter. Oh, and it was a bit sickly.”

    So, that’s all rather lovely. I really enjoyed my Kimchi Dog which was filling and had a range of tastes and flavours. The challenge is that two years this was £7.50 and it’s now £9 for understandable inflationary reasons, but it’s now at a very punchy price point. I can understand their cost base and I’d still come back here again, as the quality of the food is definitely one of the best in the market. I mentioned in 2023 that this isn’t one of the stalls that James and I would have thought to go to before (we are a bit chips based), but it has surprised and delighted once again.