Tag: Norwich

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.