Middletons Steakhouse & Grill, Timber Hill, Norwich

Happy New Year to you all! I hope you are not feeling too full after the festive period and are ready to check out some lovely food...

Middletons steakhouse & grill is the Norwich branch of a restaurant that started life in the village of Middleton near King's Lynn. Labelled as a stylish steakhouse, it is slightly more of a higher end food offering. 

After a hectic New Year's Eve, what better way to start 2016 than with some tasty food to blog about! Intending on visiting Baby Buddha, we turned up to find it closed and decided to venture towards the city centre in search of some inspiration. Admiring the Christmas lights on Timber Hill, we were enticed by the delicious food smells coming from Middletons.

As it was late afternoon, the restaurant was fairly quiet and we were seated downstairs with a perfect view of all the delicious food coming from the kitchen service hatch. The restaurant is certainly stylishly decorated and the staff were friendly and attentive.

We lucked out with the drinks choices. Starting 2016 with dry January, we were worried that it would just be tap water or a fizzy drink. Instead, there was a choice of 3 mocktails on offer. I went for a Strawberry Fizz (£4.25) - a fruity mix of strawberry puree, orange juice, sweet & sour and lemonade. My dinner date went for a Key West Cooler (£4.25) - a refreshing combination of passion fruit puree, watermelon, cranberry juice and lemonade. Both were delicious and I did not miss the alcoholic cocktails too much (Amaretto Sours are my favourite!).

Middletons offers a range of grills, burgers & seafood options and the extensive menu can make it tough to make a decision! Feeling hungry after limited eating during the day, we decided to share a couple of starters. Immediately my dining companion spotted the Calamari (£5.50) and we decided that with all of the impending steak for our main meals, Garlic Mushrooms (£4.95) were a good option. 

I always get the fear with Calamari - too many times I have been served chewy, tough rubber. However, the Calamari (£5.50) at Middletons was delicious - firm but tender with a crisp crumb and served with garlic mayonnaise.

Calamari, £5.50

The Garlic Mushrooms (£4.95) were juicy button mushrooms in a tasty garlicky & herby cream sauce, served perfectly with a basket of bread for ultimate sauce dipping!

Garlic Mushrooms, £4.95

Bread served with garlic mushrooms

As mentioned above, our main meals were more meaty. We both decided on ribeye steak - I went for Steak & Sticky (£14.95) - 6oz ribeye steak (sirloin also available) served with half a rack of sticky barbecue ribs. I was sorely tempted by my dinner dates choice of Surf & Turf (£19.95) - 8oz ribeye (sirloin also available) with piri piri king prawns. You can also upgrade to half a lobster for £27.45. Both meals came with a choice of side - I went for sweet potato chips (no surprise there!), whilst the option for the Surf & Turf was a much healthier jacket potato.

After ordering, we watched some of the other menu choices appearing at the kitchen serving hatch. The burgers looked incredible - with an 6oz priced at £8.50 and 8oz at only £10 - definitely worth another visit to try out!

However, when the food came out, I was definitely happy with my choice! Both steaks were served medium rare and were perfectly cooked. Tender steak that melted in the mouth - a beautiful cut of meat. The meat from the ribs fell off the bone with a flavourful barbecue sauce. The sweet potato fries were well cooked and perfect for dipping in the excess barbecue sauce.

Steak & sticky, £14.95

The Surf & Turf came with 3 huge king prawns. These were some serious prawns - meaty prawns flavoured with slightly spicy piri piri. I managed to nab one of the prawns in exchange for some meat from my ribs and these were some of the best king prawns I have ever eaten. 

Surf & Turf, £19.95

 To add a big of vegetation, we shared a side of Garden Salad (£2.50).

Garden Salad, £2.50

With no room for Dessert, the bill came to around £60 for two. Slightly more expensive than my usual haunts, but worth it for such a delicious meal.

With full stomachs, we went for a walk around the city centre. I had to share the beautiful Christmas lights of Jarrolds before they are gone for another year.

Food - 9/10

Service - 9/10 (great bar and waiting staff - friendly)

Atmosphere - 9/10 (fairly dark so slightly difficult to see the food!)

Value for Money - 7.5/10

Gonzo's Tea Room, London Street, Norwich

Apologies for the lack of posts recently, I'm starting a new job on Monday, so I have been busy handing over and getting prepared!

Gonzo's Team Room is a relative newcomer for food offerings in Norwich, with previous incarnations being more as a late night bar. I'd seen a picture of the burgers on Facebook and decided to pop there with a friend after work a few Friday's ago.

The unique decor is definitely a talking point - lots of wood, antique furniture, sofas and armchairs with a selection of cuddly toys (muppets, hence the name!) and low level lighting. We were early arrivals (around 5.30pm), so had no problems with getting a table in the petite venue.

First up, cocktails. My dinner companion for the evening went for a Blood Orange Collins, but I could not decide. I was asked what I liked to drink and the barman recommended a raspberry gin cocktail that he had been trying out that day and whipped one up for me.

Cocktails by candlelight

Happy Hour deals are available earlier in the evening - two for £10.

Gonzo's offer over 20 varieties of chicken wings including some interesting varieties, such as Wasabi Ninja, Canadian Maple & Bacon, Coca-Cola and Peanut Butter & Jelly. Between 3 and 6pm they are 25p a wing when you purchase a drink, which is a great price to sample them! I was tempted, but had already been warned about the portion size of the burgers! Next time for sure!

There is a huge burger selection. I already had my eye on one I had seen on their Facebook page - the Bry and Adams Burger (the owner is Canadian, I believe), £9.50 (I paid an extra £1 to have sweet potato fries. A beef burger with bacon and cheese with a french toast bun covered in maple syrup and topped with crispy bacon bits. 

Out came a rustic wooden board with the biggest bowl of sweet potato fries I have ever seen! Unfortunately my photos do not do it justice, particularly with the low lighting.

Bry and Adams burger with sweet potato fries, £10.50

Better picture courtesy of Gonzo's Facebook page

The burger was delicious. A decent beef burger with crisp bacon. Maple syrup and bacon is already a firm favourite of mine and I was not disappointed. The French toast top with the crispy bacon bits made it fairly difficult to eat - but I definitely managed! I was, however, completely defeated by the sweet potato fries! 

Close up

Thankfully my friend took a photo of the Mother Trucker burger, £9.50 - a large piece of Southern Fried Chicken topped with pulled pork and BBQ sauce with a huge portion of fries. It was also a hit (again, apologies about the photo lighting).

Mother Trucker, £9.50

Neither of us were able to finish our fries. The burgers were so huge and really tasty. Definitely some of the best quality ingredients of the many burger options available in Norwich. There were so many options on the menu that I definitely need a few more trips to sample some of the other options. There are also some menu options featuring Venison.

If the cold weather has caused you to hibernate until Spring, food can also be ordered from Deliveroo and Just Eat.

Food - 9/10

Service - 9/10 (great bar and waiting staff - friendly)

Atmosphere - 8/10 (fairly dark so slightly difficult to see the food!)

Value for Money - 8.5/10

Cosmo, London Street, Norwich

Rumours of Cosmo coming to Norwich had been doing the rounds for at least a year. After initial anticipation that this would be in the Riverside complex, the confirmed venue was London Street (the vacant spot left by Habitat).

Offering a casual dining buffet experience, Cosmo really has something for all tastes. Specialising predominantly in Pan Asian cuisine, other cuisines are available; with pizza, Indian Tandoori & curry, rotisserie chicken, Mexican, British roast & salad - see the website for more information

Rotisserie chicken

With all the hype around the venue, I was curious to give it a try and compare to other 'all you can eat' buffet experiences available locally. On a wet Monday evening, I met up with a friend to try it out. Both food lovers, we were struggling to decide which cuisines we wanted to try. Sensibly we'd booked a table - even on a Monday evening, there was a wait for a table.

We were taken upstairs to the restaurant and seated. You can order drinks from the waitress (we went for bottomless soft drinks), but help yourself to food.

There are so many dishes to chose from, all placed in sections to make it easier to navigate. There are also live cooking demonstrations - although we only saw Teppanyaki being cooked to order (there was a queue). 

Sushi

To the far end of the buffet was a starter section and we figured this was a good place to start!

In hindsight, we made a rookie error with the amount of starter options we chose. The Beijing spare ribs (right of the plate) were tasty, but lacking much meat, whilst the vegetable spring rolls (left) and prawn spring rolls (slightly hidden top right) were definitely less spring and more of the roll, with not much filling in either. I also tried the satay chicken (just below the prawn spring rolls) with sweet and sour sauce, as the satay sauce looked like cold porridge - really tasty chicken. The garlic mushrooms (top left) were tasty, but could have done with more garlic. The winners of the plate were the mini hash browns (middle of the plate) - a crunchy coating with soft potato insides and the cheese bites (bottom). Oh, the cheese bites! Crispy coating with a stringy cheese filling - we actually both ended up getting a few more of these because they were so tasty!

Selection of starters

Next up, I already had my eye on the Dim Sum options, which were definitely my favourite options of the evening. Chinese pork buns (top of the plate) - deliciously flavoured pork and beautifully steamed buns, prawn and pork dumplings (bottom) - squishy dumplings full of pork and prawn and cabbage wrapped pork dumplings (hidden in middle of plate) - similar to the pork and prawn dumplings but with added cabbage - very tasty. Alongside this, I also went for crispy duck wraps with hoi sin sauce (right) and a couple of prawn crackers (left). The duck was pretty tasty and the prawn crackers not at all soggy like you often find in a buffet.

Dim Sum & duck

After this, we were starting to feel pretty full. So in order to sample a few other options, I got a mixed plate (forgot to photograph, sorry!). Of note on the plate was the cheese and tomato pizza - really cheesy with a great thin crust pizza dough and some delicious Thai style pork.

 Already feeling full, we hesitantly went to check out the dessert options and the chocolate fountain caught my eye. Although, not an overly big fan of sweet foods, I am partial to melted chocolate!

Chocolate fountain

I went for a small bowl of chocolate with some marshmallows and a few sweets - the chocolate was good! Even better if there had been some real strawberries to dip in it!

Melted chocolate and marshmallows with a few sweets on the side

We also shared a plate and I got a piece of rocky road to try (too much marshmallow and not enough biscuit) and a piece of melon. I was told the mousse was good too. Also available were a selection of other cakes and desserts (the eton mess looked good) and ice cream.

Rocky road, chocolate mousse with a slice of melon and orange

The dinner buffet was £14 on a week night and a bottomless drink was £2.50. This is a good venue to cater for all, but you will leave full! Don't expect top quality dining, but for a casual meal as a group or if you are really hungry, it's a great place to try.

We were completely stuffed by this point. As we had our Norwich Cocktail Week wristbands, we went to Mr Postle's Apothecary for a cocktail (2 for 1 with our wristbands). Beautifully presented and delicious mojitos to wash down the food!

Mojitos at Mr Postle's Apothecary

Food - 7/10
Service - 7.5/10 (self service mostly)
Atmosphere - 7/10 
Value for Money - 8.5/10

Lust & Liquor, St Benedicts Street, Norwich

A whole wealth of new eateries are appearing around the Lanes area of Norwich.

With an impressive facade, with big shop-front windows and an inviting decor, Lust & Liquor stands out amongst them on St Benedicts Street.

Inspired by travels through the Americas, Lust & Liquor have an extensive BBQ menu and also a high quality cocktail list. For a casual Tuesday night out, it seemed like a logical place to head to. 

First up was the cocktail menu. Feeling in the mood for gin and partial to a sour, I decided on the Rose Tea Sour - gin infused with rose tea, with lemon juice and sugar (£7). Beautifully decorated with rose petals (not edible... I tried!), a lovely, slightly sour cocktail. 

Rose Tea Sour, £7

Then onto food... I was torn with so many options! My dinner guest for the evening spotted the Big Boy burger (£14), double burger patties, bacon, brisket AND pulled pork (the menu online shows a slightly different variation). It sounded seriously good. But I was really in the mood for brisket and figured that Texan Style Beef Brisket Feasting plate (£13) would be bigger than the amount in the burger. We also ordered the Jumbo Wings (£4.50) to share. 

First out came the wings. We chose a BBQ sauce with them and they came with celery and a blue cheese dip. They were pretty average. Not a lot of meat and the BBQ sauce was more tomato based. 

Jumbo Chicken Wings, £4.50

Then out came the burger. And it was a beauty. Burger topped with cheese topped with a big chunk of brisket topped with another burger topped with cheese topped with bacon and pulled pork and accompanied by fries and coleslaw. Piled so high with filling, I was immediately jealous of my decision, but still held out hope. So big that it had to be split into two burgers, I was told that it was seriously good. 

Big Boy Burger, £14

Burger money shot...

All hope faded when my plate came out. A relatively small piece of brisket topped with BBQ sauce accompanied by corn on the cob, coleslaw and fries. I had epic food envy - it happens to the best of us. The brisket was tasty, but the BBQ sauce just wasn't quite right again. I like a smokey BBQ sauce, this was too tomato based. The coleslaw tasted homemade and was really good - creamy and slightly spiced. The fries were cooked well, but the corn on the cob was a little on the watery side and lacked flavour. 

Texan style beef brisket, £13

A slight disappointment. I've had better brisket at Dray Yard and Harbercue.

I'm not sure if I would try Lust & Liquor again - the drinks were delicious, but the food wasn't outstanding (although maybe if I'd had the burger, I would think differently...) There are so many places in Norwich offering this style of American cooking that competition is high. A nice venue if you want a few drinks and a casual bite to eat.

The food plus 3 drinks came to £54, so not an overly expensive evening.

Food - 7/10
Service - 8.5/10
Atmosphere - 7.5/10 
Value for Money - 7.5/10

Voodoo Daddy's Pizza @ The Plasterers, Cowgate, Norwich

Voodoo Daddy had been appearing all over my Facebook feed and after reading the great reviews, I knew I had to give it a try. On Friday night, me and two friends ventured down to The Plasterers for a catch up over a few drinks and pizza - a great start to a bank holiday weekend!

The Plasterers has been redecorated and is a really lovely pub for a few drinks, just outside the bustle of the city centre for a Friday night. The Plasterers is also home to Voodoo Daddy's Pizza, providing a takeaway service alongside in-pub dining.

The menu offers a great variety of pizzas, with some seriously impressive toppings. Gluten free bases are also available, as well as 4 veggie options. If you are a fan of a margherita, then Voodoo Daddy may not be the place for you, as every pizza is topped with delicious sounding options (smoked cola bacon, 24 hr pulled pork, homemade garlic meatballs and even macaroni cheese!).

With a pint of cider in hand, we started the unenviable task of choosing which pizzas to have and quickly realised that in order to sample as many as possible, we should share (like Joey, we do not like to share food), but it was essential on this occasion!

A sample of the  delicious menu

After much deliberation, we decided on One Night in Paris (£8.50), Voodoo Double Cheeseburger (£9.50) and Return of the Mac (£9.50) accompanied by 3 dips at 60p each (BBQ, Ranch & Garlic Mayo). After a short wait, we were brought 3 boards covered in pizza.

The pizzas!

One Night in Paris had lots of delicious garlic, big chunks of mushroom, chicken and a homemade pesto. In my opinion, this pizza was overthrown by the other two options, but one of my dining companions liked this one the best. The pesto was a little too creamy for my taste - I was expecting an oily pesto drizzle. However, a mushroom fan would love this option. 

One Night in Paris, £8.50

Next up was the Voodoo Double Cheeseburger, featuring a blue cheese and tomato base with a double helping of garlic meatballs, bacon, onion, gherkins, jalapeños and a covering of american mustard. All the flavours of a cheeseburger on a pizza base is always going to be a winner for me and I would definitely have this one again. The homemade meatballs were amazing and pickly gherkins were a great touch, but the jalapeños were a little overpowering - if you aren't a fan of spice, I would ask for them to be removed.

Voodoo Double Cheeseburger, £9.50

Last up, but in no way least was the Return of the Mac. A pizza with macaroni cheese topping definitely had to be tried! Accompanied by pulled pork, 3 cheeses, jalapeños and smoked ketchup. The pizza / pasta combination was great and the pulled pork was really tasty and tender. However, this was slightly overpowered again by the jalapeños. Voodoo Daddy loves to add some spice to the pizzas, but this was a little much for me. Again, I would definitely have this pizza again, removing the jalapeños.

Return of the Mac, £9.50

The choice available is amazing; with a range of meat options, 4 veggie options (1 being Vegan friendly) and a few super hot pizzas for those wanting a challenge(!). There really is something for everyone and I will definitely be getting pizzas from here in future.

Food - 8.5/10 (0.5 lost for the jalapeños)
Service - 8/10 (order at the bar)
Atmosphere - 9/10 
Value for Money - 8/10

J.D. Young Hotel, Market Place, Harleston

A friend of mine has recently moved to Harleston and whilst visiting, we took a trip to J.D. Youngs for some food.

J.D. Youngs is a hotel and has been host to Sir Alfred Munnings and has a bar and separate restaurant area alongside 11 rooms.

I was expecting standard 'pub grub' and was suitably surprised by the decor. The restaurant area was equipped for a higher class of dining, with all tables dressed for the evening complete with cloth napkins (quite a rarity!). 

As we were eating early the restaurant was empty and we were sat in some armchairs and given some menus to peruse. J.D. Youngs operates a bar and restaurant menu, with the bar menu featuring British classics you would expect in a put (steak burger, steak and ale pie, lasagne, scampi etc), whilst the main menu featured more refined choices, such as pork belly and rabbit ballantine.

We were advised that every Monday is a 'Manic Monday' with 25% off all food on the menu. A definite bonus for us! J.D. Youngs also serve 'Wicked Wednesday', with the cheaper meal available for £2 with the purchase of 2 meals.

The two menus and a special board were slightly overwhelming, so I quickly decided that the bar menu was the choice for me. Part of this was one of my weaknesses present on the menu... Slow Roasted BBQ Spare Ribs, £14.95.

Slow Roasted BBQ Ribs, £14.95

I was definitely not disappointed! This was a mountain of food - over a rack and a half of tender, juicy ribs served with wedges,  giant onion rings, a pot of coleslaw, a huge side salad and a gravy jug full of BBQ sauce.

The picture really doesn't do the food justice - this was not your average dinner plate - more of a serving plate size! I am proud to say I did a really good job of this and ate almost everything, apart from 1 onion ring and a bit of the coleslaw. 

It was delicious and I was really impressed with the quality for the price. The wedges were home-made with a crispy exterior and soft, fluffy potato filling. The coleslaw also seemed to be home-made and was the right mix of creamy dressing and vegetable crunch. The jug of BBQ sauce was a nice touch and meant I could drench the ribs and wedges!

My friend ordered JD's Slowly Braised Beef & Ale Puff Pastry Pie, £12.95. Out came a dish full of beef with a big puff of pastry, a mountain of chips, dish of peas and jug of gravy.

JD's Slowly Braised Beef & Ale Puff Pastry Pie, £12.95

Both meals were well presented and the staff were friendly and courteous. 

We were pretty full after our main courses, but then we saw something irresistible on the menu... Alburgh ice cream. Alburgh ice cream is locally made in Norfolk and the honeycomb ice cream is a firm favourite of mine (considering I am definitely more of a savoury fan).

The serving at J.D. Youngs is 4 scoops for £5.95 - which is definitely a bigger portion than the average 2 - 3 scoops. We asked if we could have 2 scoops each instead after almost being defeated by the mains and the waitress was happy to oblige. Out came 2 big scoops in an iced sundae dish with 2 white chocolate wafer sticks.

Alburgh's honeycomb ice cream, £5.95 for 4 scoops

This ice cream is pretty amazing - flavoured with honeycomb as well as large, crunchy chunks of honeycomb.

With the discount, the meal for two alongside a soft drink each came to just over £30 - very reasonable for the amount of food we had!

I was really impressed with J.D. Youngs, definitely not what I expected. On my next visit to Harleston, I will be sure the visit again!


Food - 9/10
Service - 9/10
Atmosphere - 8/10 (mainly because we ate early and were the only people in the restaurant for most of the meal)
Value for Money - 9/10 (particularly with Monday Madness!)

42 King Street, Norwich

After a bit of a break, I am back with a treat!

I went out for some food to 42 King Street on Friday and had some delicious tapas. The plan was to go to B'Nou, but it was fully booked - so definitely a place I need to try soon!

Situated just off Prince of Wales Road in the city centre, this cute and cosy eatery has around 6 tables, so it gets booked up very quickly. 

The menu is located on a blackboard and changes regularly to fit with the seasons. Main dishes cost around £8 and the waitress suggested 5 dishes between 2 people.

With so many great dishes on the menu, it was tough to pick what to have! 

First out came the smoked duck salad with orange segments and candied walnuts (£8). Delicious slices of tender smokey duck with a lovely dressed salad, orange segments and candied orange peel. I'm not normally a fan of fruit with salad, but the orange complimented the duck perfectly. I didn't see any candied walnuts though. A lovely light dish to start.

Smoked duck salad, £8

Next came out the pork belly with sautéed veg and a wholegrain and cider sauce (£10). As with the duck, this was cooked to perfection. A slightly small, but thick piece of pork with a lovely crispy skin. Served with green beans, carrots and shallots with a helping of thick cider sauce with a hint of mustard. This was devoured rapidly!

Pork belly, £10

Next up was another new new thing for me - swordfish (£9). Sweet meaty fish with a fresh courgette salad and tangy tomato couscous.

Swordfish, £9

I am always keen to try new dishes and when I saw samphire was on the menu, I knew I had to have it! The samphire was served with a lobster butter (£5). A slightly salty, aromatic green vegetable which was complimented beautifully by the lobster butter. Another slightly small portion for the price.

Samphire with lobster butter, £9

Last, but definitely not least was the braised rib of beef with herb mash and onion jus (£8.50). Tender, fall off the bone beef with a deliciously herby creamy mash. With such a small looking kitchen and only one chef appearing to be serving, all dishes were beautifully cooked.

Braised rib of beef, £8.50

This is definitely a place to share food - the dishes are good size for 2 or more people and the more people there, the more you can try from the menu! Slightly expensive, but the food was amazing. This is a great location for a special occasion, with a great atmosphere and friendly staff. Also, serves a great range of cocktails.

Food - 9/10
Service - 8.5/10
Atmosphere - 9/10
Value for Money - 6/10