Cuisine - American Smokehouse/BBQ
Price Range - Low/Medium - Prices for food vary on the menu, depending on if you just fancy a snack like sandwich or a combo plate with a mixture of flavours. The cheaper side is at a low of £6 for a pulled pork sandwich without a side, where as the more expensive meals hit £21.50 for a full rack of ribs with fries and an additional side of your choice. Soft drinks are average at £2.10 for a coke where as beer is a bit more pricey with Brooklyn Larger on tap for £4.50 a pint. Others beers and specialist ales are available at a slightly cheaper price tag.
Service - 9/10 - Fantastic service, the waiter and waitress that looked after our table were excellent. They were cheerful, attentive and made sure we enjoyed our visit. One of the main things that I liked is the fact that they let one of our party try some of the Brooklyn Larger before he bought some as he was unsure whether he'd like it, this shows great consideration for the customer. All our food was out in good time and it wasn't no trouble when we asked for extra condiments. Overall you couldn't fault the service and I thought they done a superb job.
Atmosphere - 8.5/10 - If you want a relaxed, chilled out meal, without being in an overcrowded environment then Dray Yard is your place. At no point in my meal did I feel uneasy or unwelcomed and I could just sit back and enjoy the chilled out atmosphere. The background music was perfect, it didn't interfere with conversation and set a nice mood around the place adding more to the natural noise of the surroundings. You could tell by looking at other diners and even the staff that the relaxed atmosphere was a mutual feeling amongst everyone which I appreciated highly. Finally I would just like to mention how the slight whiffs of the smoker working and subtle hints of the BBQ sauce add to the excitement of waiting for your meal, this was a real pleasant suprise for me and made me a lot hungrier.
Decor/Theme - 7/10 - The whole theme and decor wasn't something that was overwhelming as it was plain, neat yet had a sharp finish. Within the establishment it possessed some on going patterns with the rustic metal oil industry sign and the metal pig that sits in the restaurant window sill; but it seems as though they are still adding and building towards a final decor. I like how all the chairs and tables matched, the kitchen was open and also the daily specials board, which was easily visible to every diner. Finally the bar was somewhat small but done it's job perfectly and also the menus were nice with a rustic feel which had an American feel to them as well.
Presentation - 7/10 - This is the only area that I feel has much room for improvement as I feel it doesn't do the meal much justice overall. I felt my plate was too large for the amount of food which was on it and also it was all so central, leaving a large rim of empty plate, much like a bowl. To many people my plate wouldn't look as though their was much food but it was extremely filling, it's just the plate was too big. Perhaps if they cut the plate size down or resorted to a themed presentation then the meal would look more fanciful but bare in mind that there are only so many ways you could present pulled pork, sausage, corn bread and fries without it looking like a hot mess so they done well in that aspect.
Food/Value For Money - 9/10 - My meal I decided on after a long decision was a combo plate of pulled pork, Texas hot links (smoked sausage), corn bread and sweet potato fries priced at a £16.50. At this price tag you'd expect a decent quality meal, full of flavour and I can certainly say this didn't disappoint. The Texas hot links had a crisp outer skin, yet maintained a beautifully brittle inner maintaining great smokey flavour, it's easy to say it's one of the most flavoursome sausages I've tasted to date. My pulled pork melted in my mouth, was extremely moist and so tender; very delicious, anyone could make more room for it no matter how full you are. It's easily noticeable that great time and care has been put into making this unique pieces of meat. The sweet potato fries were chunky, cooked well and had a fluffy, feather like inner, they really complimented the savoury taste of the corn bread. With homemade condiments on the table the restaurant really excelled themselves with great quality of homemade food, justifying each price tag, creating unique flavours that you won't find anywhere else in Norwich.
Overall - 8.5/10 - Reasoning behind this is because I absolutely love the authenticity of Dray Yard overall, offering Norwich a unique American smokehouse experience that is rare to a city like ours. A key factor they use above many imitators of American BBQ is the fact that they actually smoke all the meat they have for many hours in an imported smoker. It's not often you get to see one of these in action or taste food from it as it's an unpopular cooking method in the UK. Not only that but Dray Yard offers great customer service, fantastic atmosphere and sources it's goods from local butchers and dairies which supports county business'. The only ways this place could get better is if they added more items to the menu such as vegetables like collard greens, pickles and fried tomato, also I'd like to see more of a theme as it has great potential to be a real success. However saying this the food contains really good flavour and is something I would assure you to try. I would highly recommend this place to anyone I know and I'd say get in whilst you still can as I see it's popularity growing in the coming months. A fantastic meal, I shall definitely be returning in the near future.
http://www.drayyardsmokehouse.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment