As part of my Mum's 50th birthday weekend, cocktails were certainly on the agenda and I had 42 Kings Street in mind - a hidden gem of Norwich, tucked down a little side street just off the busy Prince of Wales Road. I had been to 42 King St before, where their focus is on innovative world tapas, and wonderfully unique cocktail creations so I knew it would be the perfect place for a chilled birthday evening - providing we could get a table!
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| Lavender and Rose margarita |
42 King St is a tiny venue with only 5 tables and 4 bar seats in it's entirety, so when we arrived at just gone 8pm we felt incredibly fortunate to scoop the last two bar seats - actually a blessing in disguise as it meant we could interact with the excellent bar staff. We knew that the kitchen was under enormous pressure when we first got there but decided to stick around, sample a few of their cocktails and keep our fingers crossed that the kitchen would have some time to cook later on in the evening.
The time absolutely flew - a real testament to the friendliness of the two behind the bar and the bustling atmosphere within the venue itself, before we knew it, 10pm had arrived and we were asked if we would like some food at the bar, we were delighted (patience is a virtue!).
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| Assorted fried seafood platter, black garlic mayo |
We really were spoilt for choice, the menu (hand written on a blackboard on the wall) had plenty of options, all of which sounded delicious. But the first thing to arrive was an assorted battered seafood platter with whitebait, calamari and a white flaky fish all served with a delightfully creamy black garlic mayo. This was a great start to the food for the evening, after feeling rather tipsy following 3 cocktails each fried fish was the perfect answer for our hungry bellies!
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| Smoked venison, celeriac and greens |
Next to arrive for us at the bar was a box filled with smoked venison, celeriac and green vegetables. The when you opened the lid on the wooden case the theatre and beautiful smell of the smoke filled the room, and the dish absolutely did not disappoint either. It was divine, packed full of flavour, and left us both incredibly satisfied.
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| Crab Spring Rolls, Thai Dipping sauce |
We also chose the crab spring rolls with a Thai dipping sauce. These were really light and fresh (steamed rather than fried), with the tiniest chili kick - perfect for my Mum and I who do not like too much spice. The sauce itself was great, really nutty and flavoured with sesame, certainly taking me back to my summer in Thailand last year.
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| Mackerel, Broad bean and beetroot salad |
In an attempt to have something a little greener we opted for a warm mackerel salad of broad beans, pickled beets and leaves. The balance of the sweet fish with the vinegary pickles worked brilliantly and when eaten alongside the creamy Camembert (below) the two complimented each other faultlessly.
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| Camembert and homemade bread |
To finish off our meal we opted for a cheese course! A gooey whole baked Camembert with lovely spiced chutney and homemade bread, it was simple, and unfussy - the perfect end to a brilliant evening.
Being absolutely bowled over by the staff (and of course food) on the Friday, we booked a table for the Saturday night too for an espresso martini and a taste of the two desserts we were too full to sample on the previous evening!
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| Strawberry and Chantilly cream sponge, ice cream |
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| Open Crème brulee, sugared almonds |
The first to arrive was the strawberry sponge with Chantilly cream and ice cream. It was as pretty as a picture, and incredibly filling due to the dense, pudding like consistency of the sponge which was delightful when paired with the fruity strawberries.
The second dessert could not have been more different from the sponge, being an 'open crème brulee' - a kind of set vanilla custard topped with crisp sugary shards and a tart fruit sauce. This dessert could have been far too sweet, but actually delivered great balance which was topped off texturally with the sugared almonds.
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| Espresso Martini |
42 Kings St is becoming incredibly popular, and understandably so. The food is excellent and really unique to anything else I have tried in the city. The cocktails for me are perfect, throughout the 2 evenings I think my Mum and I probably got through the majority of the menu, with all of the ones we tried being excellent, very inventive and packing enough of a punch to make you feel thoroughly tiddly!
But for me it is the staff which make this place really stand out. Sitting at the bar - as described earlier, allowed for us to feel really part of the action and interact with three lovely people who made us both feel welcome and my Mum very special on her birthday. I will definitely be returning without question, both in an attempt to completely finish the cocktail menu, and work my way through the rest of the tapas dishes - I suggest you do too!
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