42 King Street, Norwich

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!

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!).

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!

 

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.

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.

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.

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!

Strawberry and Chantilly cream sponge, ice cream

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.

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!

 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/42-King-Street/228174360581603?fref=ts





 

 

Roger Hickman's Restaurant, Norwich



Norwich, and Norfolk as a whole, has an excellent reputation for excellent local produce, and wonderful restaurants using the best seasonal ingredients to their highest potential. Being born in Norfolk I have been lucky enough to sample a number of these wonderful eating establishments (with still a list as long as my arm of places I am yet to tick off!) however, despite having lived in Norwich for over 2 and a half years I was yet to try Roger Hickman's self titled and highly acclaimed restaurant in the heart of Norwich city centre.

Assorted Olives

I had received a gift voucher last Christmas, and with my Mum's 50th Birthday approaching and a girly weekend in Norwich on the cards I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to sample their lunch menu (which, as I will go onto explain, is an absolute bargain for the sheer quality of the food you receive). Immediately as we were taken to our table a little bowl of assorted olives were provided - tiny little things, more stone than olive, but still delicious and really wet our appetite!

Bread selection

Next came the bread after we had ordered a white and a brown slice (which I seem to remember had ale in it) each - both tasted incredibly fresh and were served with a good soft butter (I am becoming increasingly aware of how much I dislike hard butter, especially when having to spread it onto something) so this was lovely! We both opted for their lunchtime tasting menu - consisting of a chefs appetiser, four additional courses and coffee, with matched wines (it was a special occasion after all) for £55 per person (see...I did tell you it was pretty incredible value!)

Amuse bouche - Comte Panna cotta, balsamic ketchup

The Chef's appetiser arrived quickly, whilst we were still polishing off our bread actually, and although upon first glance you may have thought it was a slightly unadventurous flavour of soup, it was in fact a Comte cheese panna cotta, served with balsamic ketchup, black olive dust and pine nuts. It did exactly what it was supposed to; excited our taste buds with the sharp sweet flavour of the ketchup perfectly complimenting the creamy cheese and the pine nuts adding that necessary element of crunch to the dish.

Heritage carrot salad

To follow was the starter on the tasting menu which was titled 'Heritage Carrot Salad' and was served with yoghurt curd, caraway and walnuts. As well as being absolutely beautiful to look at, each individual component tasted divine, from the warm roasted carrot alongside the cooled carrot fondant (type of thing!) to the bright orange puree and the pickled slithers.  It was a wonderfully balanced dish, and a real celebration of the carrot - as it should be eaten, with a bit of love and attention but not too much fuss.

Crab and Avocado salad

Next came the fish course; a salad of crab and avocado, with pickled cucumber, puffed rice and a poached quail egg. Again looking as pretty as a picture, all of the components of this fantastic dish came together effortlessly. The bottom layer of the crab mayo was so creamy it needed the crunch and earthiness of the rice, and the tart cleanness of the cucumber to balance it out. It was clear at this stage I feel, that the kitchen were certainly turning out some incredibly inventive, but also accomplished plates of food, well worthy of their 3 AA Rosettes (and potentially even more).

Rib of beef, onion puree, courgette and radish

We were slightly difficult customers when it came to our main course, which was originally supposed to be skate wing, but instead, as we wanted our meat fix (instead of two fish dishes) we asked if it was able to be substituted for the rib of beef on the lunch menu. The waiter could not have been more happy to satisfy our request, and even asked if we would like the wine (which had been selected as a rose for the skate) to be changed to a red wine so that it matched the meatier course.

When the plate arrived I could not have been happier, a really quite large, perfectly pink portion of steak with delightfully crisp potatoes, a smooth sweet onion puree and vegetable accompaniments which had clearly been treated with as much care as the carrots on the first course. It was just what we fancied and spent the entire time grinning like Cheshire cats each time we tried a different element - safe to say, the plate was polished off on both sides of the table!

Compressed Strawberry and sorbet, basil granita

An additional, and unexpected course arrived to the table next which was a pre-dessert of strawberry sorbet, a compressed strawberry, basil granita and macadamia nuts. This was like a small dessert in itself and worked perfectly as a refresher before the sweetness of the proper dessert which followed. I am a sucker for anything with basil in it, sweet or savoury, so in my opinion the granita was the star of the show, but each part was executed very well, and again, the nuts provided a great texture to the dish which to me shows a serious amount of thought had gone into each of the dishes.

Lemon parfait, lime sorbet and hazelnut muesli

Finally the dessert course arrived which was a citrus-y burst of lemon parfait, lime sorbet, hazelnut muesli, apple and lovage. The sweet muesli was essential to counteract the tartness of the sorbet and the creaminess of the lemon parfait - there were so many components I didn't even know what it was that I was trying at times, but it was all very tasty!

Cheese Plate, Quince jelly

 

On the tasting menu there was the option of choosing the dessert above or a cheese course, and being incredibly indecisive we decided to ask if it was possible to have both (with the cheese to share as an additional course). Again, the waiter was more than happy to agree, and the selection (complete with quince jelly and crackers) showed a really excellent array of cheese, from a creamier goats cheese and brie type variety to a hard comte and blue cheese with a delicate flavour.

Lemongrass and Chocolate fudge

Coffee arrived last, as did 4 petit fours which were lemongrass fudge. I have to say these were the things I was most concerned about as I know how over powering lemongrass can be, and I am not the biggest fan of sweet, sticky fudge - especially after a pretty mammoth lunch, but I was pleasantly surprised. The balance (not for the first time in this meal) was pitched perfectly, and the fudge (even by my standards) wasn't overly sickly so we were very contented diners!

Peach Rice Pudding, ginger biscuit

The last dish pictured here, was (again) a sign of our slight pickiness as diners and the waiting staff's ability to accommodate all of our requests; my Mum was weary of the hazelnut muesli on the tasting dessert so asked if it was possible to have the peach rice pudding on the set lunch instead. It must have been good, I didn't get much of a taste at all (!), but I thought the message was lovely, and another personal touch which enhanced our experience within the restaurant a great deal.

Roger Hickman's is certainly the best place I have eaten in the city centre, the food is in a fine dining class of it's own by Norwich standards, and deserves far more awards including (in my opinion) a star, in the not too distant future hopefully. In that case I suggest anyone considering trying this restaurant should book immediately - I will certainly be returning, hopefully with a posse of friends who (as is often the case) believe fine dining is always too pricey, with tiny portions and pretentious staff - that is certainly not the case here!

http://www.rogerhickmansrestaurant.com/

Shiki, Norwich

Shiki, a traditional Japanese restaurant in the beautifully historic neighbourhood of Tombland in Norwich city centre has been a place I had been desperate to try for a while. When I discovered through a friend that it does an 'all you can eat' night on a Monday evening for £23 a head I could not refuse!

Edamame

As there was a big group of us the waitress first suggested that the chefs bring out a selection of dishes which are the most popular (as opposed to us ordering in the usual format on a sort of tick box sheet). We were more than happy with this (especially myself, who, despite loving the sushi rolls, and tempura prawns found in quite a number of eating establishments nowadays, actually had very little experience of ordering other traditional dishes). For those who are now particularly familiar with Japanese cuisine the menus are very helpful too, with English descriptions of the dishes, and pictures of the different types of rolls to help with your choices.

Chicken Katsu and Ebi Fry



As the dishes were being bought out to us one by one, our table of eight was devouring them rather quickly, so we thought we would fill out a form of some definite options we would like to try after the 'chefs menu' had been completed. These included many more prawn dishes (we all loved the prawns!) but also another plate of rolls and a number of unique marinated meat dishes, such as the marinated pork dish pictured below.  

 

Shoga Yaki

 

Beef and Vegetable teriyaki

 

Salmon Teriyaki

I have to say, the selection that the restaurant provided was excellent, and I'm not sure there was anything I did not enjoy! It was also amazing to know that regardless of how much you ordered of the same thing, providing you ate it all, you would only be charged the one off rate of £23 (if you order a huge amount, but then cannot finish all of the dishes, they do understandably, ask for additional payment based upon the wasted weight of the food.

 

Tempura Prawns

 

Nigiri

All of the plates of food as you can see were presented beautifully and consisted of the absolute freshest ingredients. The rolls were colourful, sticky and filled to the brim with fish, meat and vegetables, something I was concerned about prior to attending as we could easily have been fed half filled rolls of mainly rice in an attempt to keep pricing down as much as possible.

 

Rolls

 

 

Veggie Nigiri

Maki rolls

The excellent part about going in a large group is you can really get a feel for the huge variety in Japanese cuisine and order most of the menu, especially if you are surrounded by unfussy eaters! What I did like however is that you can order a minimum of 2 pieces of each thing, so if you did attend as a couple you would still be able to enjoy the experience and try a lot of the menu without having to have 6 or 8 of each roll which would be too filling.

 

Omelette and Eel nigiri

 

Marinated tofu

 

Sea bass and Eel Nigiri

On top of the dishes pictured here, we also had another large plate of Californian and crab rolls, 3 bowls of chips with wasabi mayonnaise, a selection of vegetable (and an additional prawn) tempura, more breaded chicken and a bowl of miso soup each. As well as this the cost included a cup of coffee or tea, or a bowl of ice cream too.

 

I think that just goes to show the astounding value of this evening. Yes, £23 is not a cheap dinner as you can often find when indulging in set evening menus, but we really did order a huge amount of food - you could have practically rolled all of us out of the restaurant at the end, and the price of sushi is by no means cheap (let alone sushi at this high standard!). I will definitely be recommending to any sushi lover and also returning myself - even if it is on my own!!

 

http://www.shikirestaurant.co.uk/

 

Kitchen W8, London

First and foremost, forgive me for my distinct lack of discipline with regards to keeping up to date with this blog. For the first time in almost 3 years (which is surprising really) my PhD clearly took over and began to impact upon my free time as well as my working day. This unfortunately has resulted in a number of delicious meals over the past couple of months but no time to write about any of them. Rest assured though - just because I have had a few months break, it does not mean that I have forgotten to continue my pursuit to find excellent foodie places - in fact, I have a ever increasing list of exciting and unforgettable meals I will now endeavour to start to work my way through.

The first of these meals took place towards the end of March, on a surprisingly mild, and sunny day in London town. I had been on the look out for an excellent value and highly acclaimed restaurant for Sunday lunch and a pre-Royal Albert hall, lunch. After a few weeks of research (my favourite kind of procrastination!) it became clear that I would be booking myself and my mother into Kitchen W8, who as well as offering a set lunch and a la carte menu throughout the week, provide a separate Sunday menu with excellent variety of choice.

Kitchen W8

Just a stones throw away from the Albert Hall itself, W8 made it the perfect place for a late, leisurely lunch, and we were welcomed to a relatively quiet, although nicely bustling restaurant with open arms by the maître d' on duty. The restaurant itself was surprisingly large, with three rooms, laid out in an open plan sort of fashion, with unique pieces of art making the wall decoration, and large mirrors - aiding again to the spacious feel of the place.

We were presented with the Sunday menus; an excellent choice of about 4 or 5 options for starter, main course and dessert (lovely to see on a set menu which can often amount to a rather restricted selection of dining options), all for £32.50. I must apologise again because I did not photograph the menu so the exact dishes we went for are not entirely accurate - it was almost 3 months ago after all - but I have a pretty good memory when it comes to good food, and this meal certainly had plenty of that!

First to arrive was the bread - it was a sort of soda bread, tough crust and soft oily dough in the middle - it was nice, but nothing special when compared to the level of choice often given at other fine dining establishments, it certainly did it's job of wetting our appetite though and luckily we were not left too long to wait for our first courses.

Wild Garlic veloute with herb gnocchi

My mum opted for the vegetarian soup - odd for a family of carnivores, but the presentation was vibrant and the flavours absolutely perfect. The veloute was silky smooth and carried bags of fresh flavour, which complimented the density of the creamy gnocchi - we were both incredibly impressed.

Sweetbreads with crushed pea and Parmesan

I opted for something slightly more adventurous, and in the offal arena with sweetbreads, crushed peas and Parmesan. This sung spring flavours to me, with the sweetbreads offering a textural and rich flavoursome component, but the green crushed vegetables and Parmesan giving the necessary freshness and creaminess.

Poached fish with samphire and brown shrimp

We both opted for the fish dishes on the main courses; my mum with a poached fillet of fish a brown shrimp butter and samphire, and me with sea bream, broccoli and beetroot puree.

My main course was lovely, and again both presentation wise, and in terms of taste really felt seasonally matched with a certain spring in it's step. My fish skin was brilliantly crispy, and the combination of the beetroot puree, broccoli and breadcrumb topping was deliciously unique and balanced faultlessly.

White Chocolate, lemon and muesli

For dessert my mind goes decidedly more blank with regards to my Mums choice, but I can tell you she absolutely loved it. As far as my memory serves me, it was a yoghurt parfait with a white chocolate disc, lemon curd, muesli shards and meringue. She was certainly pulling all of the right faces you would expect from a standout dessert and the components were all certainly well thought both individually, and as a combination of flavours.

Soaked strawberries, cream, basil sorbet and honeycomb

My dessert was equally successful - an absolutely divine interpretation of strawberries and cream, unlike anything I have ever tasted before (and I have lived on a strawberry farm my entire life!). The sweetness of the honeycomb added an additional textural and sweet element to cut through the lime green herb sorbet, but the standout component (and rightfully so) was these boozy strawberries which I still talk about with fondness to this day.

We also opted for a cheese plate to share as an additional course (which is starting to become a bit of a necessary feature of our meals together!) and it was lovely. Three cheeses - a blue, a hard comte style cheese and a creamy goat cheese, with apricot and walnut bread and crackers.

The meal came to a close with homemade truffles and a coffee each, but it certainly left a good taste in our mouths. We were incredibly impressed, not only by the variety of choice on this 'set menu' but also the quality of the food, the vibrancy of the flavours and the attention to seasonal detail which seemed to run through the courses effortlessly. For around £50 a head including the extra cheese course, coffee and a large glass of wine each I have to say I was incredibly impressed and will certainly be recommending, and hopefully returning at a later date.

http://www.kitchenw8.com/

Caravan, London

In the short time that Caravan has been up and running, news of it's brilliance has travelled fast! I knew if I was ever in the Kings Cross area of London and looking for a fantastic brunch location I'd choose here without a second thought. When that day arrived, a cold and windy Saturday morning, I made sure I arrived early to avoid disappointment.

Outside Caravan

The setting is beautiful, just a stones throw away from Kings Cross Station - a renovation of an industrial scale took place on the granary buildings which now form Caravan, and 'The Grain Store' (another excellent breakfast eatery) situated right next door.

Interior to Caravan

As we waited outside we could see other groups arriving in quiet anticipation, and before long we were stood alongside probably 50 other people all wanting to get into the restaurant by their 10am opening time. Thankfully the inside is huge so 50 people seemed like a drop in the ocean once we had all sat down - the urban vibe continues with warehouse style décor, exposed cables and a kitchen not completely hidden due to careful placement of some metal bars. We were greeted by a very friendly member of the waiting who sat us down on one of many two seater tables around the edge of the restaurant. The centre of the restaurant has many long tables which I imagine work in a sort of bench format whereby you have to sit close to other parties - something I believe adds to the atmosphere but maybe isn't everyone's cup of tea.

My mum and I were aware of how many people were filtering on through the doors as we mulled over the menu, so we were keen to put our order in quickly. Just as we were discussing the vast popularity of the venue and how different it was to any other place we had visited, another cheery waiter took our order and insisted it wouldn't be long. He was right!...the efficiency of the coffees arriving and subsequently our hot food was impressive - and really added to the vibe of the place which was complemented by upbeat music and lively chatter.

Field Mushrooms on toast

My mum opted for the field mushrooms on toast - I have to admit even though she absolutely loved them, I got the impression she wished she had tried one of the more adventurous options on the menu (there were, after all, plenty of them!). Nevertheless, I tried one of the mushrooms and they were delicious, packed full of flavour and exactly as natured desired, without much fuss or pretention.

Courgette Fritters and Feta cheese

I, on the other hand, couldn't resist one of the more unique offerings, a courgette and corn fritter served with herbed feta and tomato sauce. It was fantastic, the crisp fritter went wonderfully with the creamy cheese, and the tomato sauce certainly wasn't like any ketchup I've ever tasted, so sweet and fresh. It was an excellent dish which both retained the rustic feel of the restaurant, but also showed off it's flair and originality.

White Chocolate mousse cake

Before leaving we couldn't resist sampling one of their homemade cakes (mainly because we had seen some bought past our table and we had suffered severe food envy). We opted for their white chocolate and raspberry mousse cake, and it was divine. My mum and I both tucked in, and with audible delight finished off the plate full in no time at all (which was also noted by our table neighbour who suggested it was the fastest she had ever seen anyone eat a cake - how embarrassing!)

Unisex Toilets (!)

I can see why Caravan has gained itself such a great reputation in such a short amount of time and I would happily return to sample another of their interesting breakfast options, and I would suggest you do too! The whole establishment feels very 'new' and exciting, despite, I imagine, the designers best efforts to try and make it seem as rustic as possible (just look at the work which must have gone into making their new toilets look so worn and grimy!)...but I loved it!

http://www.caravankingscross.co.uk/