Tag: Norwich Market Food

Week 15 was one of the stalls that I had most been looking forwards to visiting on my eating quest around Norwich market. I have eaten here once before and it has one of the best reputations for quality sandwiches, so a return visit was most agreeable for the purposes of this market food eating project.

The breakfast and lunch opening hours.

The menu with numerous tempting options, although I had already decided that in tribute to Katz’s deli in New York that I would go for the pastrami sandwich. The fish finger sandwich sounds delightful as well and that seemed to be the option most ordered whilst I was standing there.

I like the subtle humour dotted around the stall.

The stall uses the strategy of having a staff member outside taking orders so that the counter doesn’t become cluttered up. He was welcoming, engaging and knowledgeable, with the option to pay by card. Service was fast and customer names are taken so that they can shout the order out when it’s ready. The stall was busy, but it was all efficient and organised, with food orders taking around five minutes as they’re freshly made.

I very much like pastrami and so this suitably surprised and delighted me. The pickles and sauerkraut added texture, with the sauce ensuring that the sandwich wasn’t too dry. The pastrami was tender and very peppery, just as I like it to be, with the portion size being generous. It’s not necessary cheap at £7.50, but it is high quality and proved to be filling. James had the same pastrami sandwich and was also pleased, although pointed out that it does require some thought to work out how to eat to avoid any spilling incidents. As an aside, he was also keen to discover where on Norwich market they sold biltong, something we never really resolved.

The whole arrangement including signage, ordering, service and the food was all impeccable, so it will come as no surprise that I’d very happily recommend this stall to others. And I look forwards to returning and trying some of the other menu options. Definitely a contender for my favourite market stall and writing this has made me fancy another pastrami sandwich.

Next in the little adventure of eating at every Norwich market stall was Jacket Spuds & More. This one was just a little challenging as it’s the only stall I’ve yet encountered, which the exception of Toby’s Beer which is a slightly different issue as it’s a bar, which has customers standing eating where I would usually expect to order.

The menu which doesn’t just have jacket potatoes, but also breakfasts, sandwiches and muffins.

And the drinks menu. The service was polite, but there was little opportunity for the engagement offered by other market stalls as orders have to be shouted over the top of other customers (or at least mine did). I understand it’s a market stall, but it just means that I can’t much comment more here, although they did take cards and everything was polite and welcoming.

I was pleased that they checked if I wanted butter or not, as I’m not keen on it on jacket potatoes. The potato was cooked well, had a crispy skin and there was a generous portion of beans, so everything was as expected. There was apparently black pepper available on the counter, but I couldn’t get to it and nearly every meal is improved with a generous sprinkling of it. James went for a similar menu option, although he went for cheese and beans, as well as having butter. He’s always been much more decadent than me though.

Overall, I felt that this stall offered decent food at reasonable prices, so I can’t imagine that anyone would be disappointed. I didn’t realise until later on that there was also the option of jacket potato with sausages which sounds suitably exciting. As a comment rather than as a complaint, this was the hardest stall yet to order at but everything looked clean and organised. I’d like to try one of their all day breakfasts next time, to see if they can surprise and delight me.

Next on the list of my plan to visit every Norwich market stall with friends was Indian Feast which specialises in vegetarian food from India, although I accept that I likely didn’t need to specify that. It’s very well reviewed and appears to have been trading for several years. The stall refer to themselves as vegetarian and vegan, but every menu items appears to be vegan from what I can understand from the menu.

The food menu and it’s apparent from reviews that one of their most popular dishes is the Samosa Chat. James and I both went for this on the grounds we won’t bother ordering different things for the purposes of this blog post series, we’ll just start again when we’ve gone round and then order something new. I take these research projects very seriously and one visit is never enough anyway.

There are some curry dishes as well, but much of this is just a repeat from the other menu. The service was friendly and immediate, so it felt it was a welcoming environment. The server was engaging and she explained what options were available, with the ordering process being efficient. They accept cards and they also have a seating area of their own, something which always makes things easier. I find limited enjoyment in dodging seagulls and pigeons and they swarm around the area.

The meal consists of two vegetable samosas, chickpea curry, red onion, fresh coriander, a homemade fresh coriander and mint chutney along with a tamarind sauce. Just as an observation, the fork was slightly sub-optimal as it wasn’t strong enough to break into the samosas and it really needed a spoon for the sauce anyway. That minor issue aside, the food was well presented and looked appetising. There was a depth of flavour to the chickpea curry, although it only had the onion to add a little texture. There wasn’t much heat to this dish in terms of spice, but I enjoyed the flavours. The samosas had the suitably crispy exterior which complemented the interior well which was soft and lacking in texture. For my own perfect dish, I’d have quite liked just a little green chilli or something in the samosas to give it some extra flavour, but it was all very pleasant.

Anyway, this is yet another market stall that I’d recommend as it has a friendly welcome and reasonable prices. The kitchen element looked organised, with the seating area being clean and the surfaces were dry. I enjoyed the food and although would have preferred a little more depth of flavour and spice, it was a light and nutritious lunchtime meal. All rather lovely and probably one of the better options for those looking for a vegan or vegetarian lunch.

Unfortunately, I fear that this market stall has permanently closed relatively shortly after opening. As part of my plan to eat at every Norwich market food stall, we’ve made multiple visits over different days and it has not only been closed but there’s no signage and there’s no social media.

As of my two loyal readers might notice, the lack of posting in this series was slightly sub-optimal, but James and I are now making decent progress through the plan of mine to eat at every food stall at Norwich market. Cocina Mia is the twelfth stall I’ve visited in this series, it opened in 2017 and they specialise in Chilean food.

The menu board. As an aside, they also open on Thursday to Saturday evenings, where there’s a different and more expensive menu to choose from. More on their web-site at https://www.cocinamia.net/.

The menu board in more detail.

As it’s too hot at the moment in Norwich, I was pleased to see this free water that was available to customers. This was rather handy and a kind gesture that maybe a few more stalls could replicate.

The service was friendly and welcoming with one team member taking the orders and the other preparing the food. Customers are given a numbered ticket when they order and that is called out when the food is ready, with mine being prepared in around four minutes. I went for the chicken & chorizo empanada with a side salad. James misheard me and ordered the same, having expected me to have ordered it with chips.

The food was well presented, looked appetising and colourful, with the salad having vibrancy rather than just being a heap of lettuce leaves. The empanada was generously filled with a tasty sauce and plenty of pieces of chorizo and chicken, all very tender and moreish. The salad had a depth of taste to it as well and although I can’t say what that sauce is, I think it’s some sort of pebre and it was delicious and slightly spicy. The shredded cabbage added texture and there were plenty of flavours with the whole arrangement.

James, who realised quite late on that he didn’t have chips, also enjoyed the quality of the food and we’re in agreement that we’ll visit here again. It shows just how cultured we’ve become, we can do more than just battered sausages, chips and scraps….

As another bonus, there’s a seating area which is just for customers of this stall and also Toby’s Beers. This makes eating lunch much more comfortable as opposed to trying to balance things in a quiet area whilst avoiding the feral pigeons that keep encroaching on market territory.

The food cost £9 and they accepted cards which was handy. I thought this was very decent, a richness of flavours and I’m tempted to try the spicy beef empanada next time. This idea that we had to try every stall at Norwich market is continuing to surprise and delight me, there’s so much choice here and the quality is often excellent. All rather lovely and definitely recommended.

Week 11 of eating at every food stall at Norwich market saw James and I visit the All Electric Banger Stop.

The prices are some of the cheapest on the market and the menu is clear with its foot long sausages. For those who don’t want a pork sausage, there’s the option of a chicken and beef saveloy, but there are no options for vegetarians. The stall wasn’t accepting credit cards on this visit, but this appears to be a temporary problem as they usually do take them. The stall holder was helpful and polite, warning us immediately that it was cash only, with the service being pro-active and friendly.

There are also soft drink cans available, but otherwise it’s a basic and concise menu.

I went for the basic hot dog with onions and took the opportunity to add free hot sauce and also tomato ketchup.

There we go, it looked most appetising. It’s quite a substantial sausage and it was meaty and rich in taste, with the caramelised onions adding extra flavour. The roll was also of a decent quality and was of a sufficient strength not to fall apart during the eating process. The on-line reviews are positive, with the exception of this recent one:

“W bułce powinna być parówka Frankfurterka a nie jakaś paskudna kiełbaska!!!”

This is a complain from a Pole that they wanted a Frankfurter sausage and not a pork one. Personally, I think they’re wrong, this isn’t some cheap New York street cart operation, there’s more decadence here at Norwich market.

James went for the chilli dog which also comes with cheese, lettuce, mayo and homemade chilli sauce. They blowtorch the top of the hot dog which hardens the cheese, also making it less messy to eat. I was wondering whether James would have a spillage incident on his shirt, but there were no disasters. James was suitably impressed at the whole arrangement, there wasn’t too much chilli sauce that it ran everywhere, but there was enough to taste.

I have eaten here before, but it’s a reminder of the excellent value offered. I’d come back here again, it’s easy and affordable. It’s feel good food, but I’m big on that as there’s nothing wrong with comfort eating on a weekday lunchtime. Reassuringly reliable.

This is the ninth week of our plan to eat at every food stall at Norwich market this year. There’s been a slight gap in proceedings since the last expedition was in late March, but maybe we can make up an extra one in May so that my two loyal readers don’t miss the updates too much.

This week’s expedition was to Delight which sells a variety of Turkish food.

The stall’s menu, with some Turkish specialities at the base.

I went for the chicken wrap meal deal which included fries and a rather lovely Dr. Pepper, the premium of all the soft drinks (with the exception of the even more premium Dr. Pepper and Cream Soda). Nathan went for the doner wrap, also correctly going for Dr. Pepper.

The Gözleme on display. At some stage when we’re finished going around the market, we might perhaps start again but having different things on stalls. That should make this task never-ending.

The chicken cooking away nicely at the back. The food was prepared efficiently and the service was polite, engaging and warm. The stall looked clean and tidy, with the surfaces being dry and not sticky. There was a friendly welcome and I know that’s commonplace from the Norwich market traders, but it’s always pleasant being here.

Nathan convinced me to sit outside in the open air and I’m pleased to note that we did manage to avoid attack from pigeons or seagulls, although I still think it’ll be like Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft soon when the birds become ever more aggressive.

The food was perfectly decent, the chicken was tender and moist, the portion size was generous and the salad added some texture. I had opted for a spicy sauce which gave some extra heat to the food and the Dr. Pepper complemented it marvellously. The chips were maybe slightly soggy, but they tasted good and I was full by the end of the meal. It came to £7 for the wrap, drink and fries, which I thought was reasonable, with Nathan’s slightly less decadent affair costing £6.50. I paid with cash today, but they do accept cards.

Nathan’s selection, which I’ll note here that he failed to finish as he had been gorging on handfuls of doughnuts in the morning. I didn’t say anything though as I didn’t feel that was my place to do so. I can say that he did approve of the food.

Overall, this is yet another stall that I’d very happily visit again. I liked the food, the service and the amount of food that I had for my lunch. All really rather lovely, the market continues to surprise and delight.

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

This is the menu at Taste of Shanghai with some tempting options there on the menu board and the prices looked reasonable so my initial impressions were positive.

The server was friendly and helpful, always good to be welcomed with a smile and eye contact, and she took the order in an interested manner. Nathan ‘social butterfly’ Hensley of course sort of knew the man preparing the food, so that all added to the engagement. There is absolutely nothing on either menu board that I wouldn’t have been pleased to try, this is a menu that to me seemed exciting and very much my type of thing.

I ordered the black pepper chicken with rice which was £7 and it was a delight to see that everything was freshly made. There’s a five to ten minute wait for food, but I’d far wait for that short period of time and have something fresh. I also liked that they didn’t take payment, with cards being welcomed, until after the food was served, I thought that was a nice little touch. The extras were also keenly priced, including drinks for £1 each which is towards the lower end of the scale for the market.

Nathan approved of his sweet and sour chicken, which was £6 for what was a generous portion. I liked how his sweet and sour chicken friend asked him if he would like chilli with the meal, a little bit of personalisation there.

Enough about Nathan and back to me. My black pepper chicken was well presented with crispy onions on top and a free spring roll, which was a handy little starter. The portion size was generous, there was plenty of chicken which was tender and moist, the rice was fluffy, the crispy onions added texture and there was some salad element to complete the mix. The sauce was rich and peppery and it coated all of the chicken with everything served at the appropriate temperature. There’s also no MSG used in the preparation of the food which suggests to me a more authentic experience.

I’m very much sold on this venue, the service was personable and immediate with the food being well presented and having a depth of taste and flavour. This is Norwich market at its best, that kind of interaction between the chef and customer, providing excellent quality for a reasonable price. Seeing food being made fresh is a bonus and I think it adds to the anticipation and excitement of the whole arrangement. The food was filling and although there is no seating or leaning area at this stall, there are always places to stand around the market out of the way of other people.

The reviews for this venue are nearly entirely positive, indeed there are just two negative reviews amongst the many five star ones and I can imagine how disappointed the owner is with them judging by their response. Not wishing to overly dwell on them, but one is:

“Rachel Irons : Really disappointing! The wait was very long, and then the result was verging on disgusting, we didn’t eat any, neither me nor my friend liked it. We ordered chicken katsu and it was so sweet almost like a desert ! The rice was over cooked and mushy and the sauce really ruined it. Nice people, cheap but not nice.”

The reply:

“Hi, Rachel

We are sorry for your unpleasant experience. As you can see we cook for our customers with one to one service. It might take time to wait during the busy time. Sometimes even bit longer. We use the high quality chicken. Also the sauce is our standard. It is our very popular trademark. We fully understand we can’t satisfied everyone but majority. And as the result you are not happy with the way of our taste. We will be happy to give you full refund. You can come to our stall at anytime with no prove. Your interest is always our priority. Thanks!

15/01/2023

Hi, Rachel

Happy New Year.

Had a review of the ratings for our services. You are the only customer we haven’t heard any reply from you. As we promised that your refund is always available. And we really don’t want to let anyone down. Maybe one day you will find your favourite food in our stall when you come again. All the best to you. Many thanks:)”

I feel their pain, but each to their own as individuals can of course leave their feedback in whatever form they like, but this tells me how much the owners seem to care about the customer experience that they tried so hard to respond, albeit to no avail. But, not dwelling on the negative, this feels a much more typical review and is one that I agree with:

“The boss has a good service attitude and is very enthusiastic. The food is good and cheap is a rare snack that makes my eyes shine. Compared with some flashy restaurants, this small shop gave me many more surprises and surprises.”

Overall, I’d definitely say that this is one of my favourite stalls of our expedition so far, I can imagine that I’ll be back again to start working through some of their other options. I was surprised and delighted, a very impressive little stall and I look forwards to returning.

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

We arrived at the stall just as they were setting up, so we hung back to analyse the menu. I was delighted to see just how extensive this menu was, as I had initially thought it might just be limited to the churros which are mentioned in the stall’s name. This menu consists some of the standard main items as well as some of the specials, with some very tempting options such as the surf ‘n’ turf option which had chorizo and king prawns flash fried in lemon and chilli, served in a ciabatta roll.

The drinks menu.

The tapas menu.

Some drinks specials and we were both tempted by that honey beer.

Nathan excitedly surveying the surroundings. This is one of the stalls at the market which has its own seating area, something which is very useful and makes it feel a bit more of a premium experience as opposed to being attacked by a pigeon in the outer undefended areas of the market. The surfaces in the stall were all clean and dry with nothing feeling sticky.

Orders in and the food was freshly prepared in front of us.

Revolution and rebellion!

Nathan’s scrambled eggs and chorizo served with a couple of slices of bread. He liked it although commented that for £5.50 it could have perhaps been a little more generous in portion size, particularly with the bread. I have some sympathy with that, the marginal cost of giving a little more would have been smaller, but beneficial to the meal. But remaining with the positives, he liked the chorizo and the taste of the meal, so was mostly content. Although he did go and get an apple turnover afterwards from M&S, which is a reminder of how middle class he is.

And here’s mine, a soft toasted ciabatta with spicy Brindisa chorizo, rocket, manchego cheese and piquillo peppers. I was very pleased with the soft bun, I don’t like eating through rock hard bread. Every component part of the ingredients inside the ciabatta had a depth of taste, this was a delightful mixtures of tastes. The chorizo was rich, juicy and packed with flavour, the rocket added a little texture, the peppers added sweetness and the cheese added an extra bit of refinement. It’s a generously sized lump of a lunch, I was very pleased with this and didn’t feel the need to go and buy an apple turnover.

The exterior of the ciabatta roll along with the La Socarrada beer that we each ordered. I’ll pinch Nathan’s Untappd comment about this:

“Lots of honey and spicy goodness in this, and the addition of rosemary gives this a warming earthiness too”.

I didn’t even taste the rosemary. He’s getting like Roger Protz with his tasting ability.

Although we were the first customers at the stall, a variety of locals and visitors were seated during our time there. With the best will in the world, very few stalls in Norwich market really get near to transporting me to another place. The Chinese a few weeks ago from China Wok didn’t make me think of Shanghai or Beijing, but I have to say that this stall did feel like a little slice of a Spanish market. There was an extensive range of authentic food and drinks which were more than I would have expected from a stall of this size and it had an inviting and homely atmosphere.

The prices were moderate given the quality that was being offered, with the service being polite and timely. We were never hurried along and the server was doing well coping with different orders and engaging with customers. The server was content to split out bills so that we paid separately and we were able to pay by card. I’m glad that we’ve set out on this expedition of various market stalls as I would have missed this one out which would have been my loss. All very lovely and full credit for making this feel like an authentic Spanish experience, it’s somewhere that I’d like to visit again and I think Nathan was in agreement with that (as in him coming again, not just me).