Number 12 Norwich Review

Number 12 Bar & Dining, Norwich, Farmers Avenue

Cuisine - Gastro Pub

Price Range - Low/Medium - Number 12 prices up the meals on an average between the £10 and £20 mark, depending of course on the contents of the plate. The cheapest meals are set at £8.95 which is the homemade lasagne and also the burrito, where as the high end of the menu peaks at £19.95 being the twelve item mixed grill. All steak dishes will set you back £18.95 and are a hearty ten ounce cuts of meat. The pub offers smaller plates as light bites which are cheaper to go with the lunch time menu, where you can buy two selected meals for £12. Soft drinks cost £2.00 each and a pint of larger is around the £4.00 mark. 

Service - 9/10 - After booking a table in the mid afternoon, we arrived at Number 12 later in the day where we were greeted by the bar man; then being happily pointed towards our ready set table upstairs where we quickly had our drinks order taken. Their was a short wait for the food menus to arrive but the waitress was apologetic about this when they did arrive. Throughout our meal the staff were extremely friendly, attentative and punctual, delivering food, drinks and condiments at a fast rate. It's very clear that they are well organised and are very used to dealing with busy situations as most of the tables were full. An area of sheer brilliant customer care was when one of our party was offered an alternative to the burger as he could eat beef, the waitress was fast to act upon this and asked the chef if he could make a chicken burger instead, then going ahead to make it. This statement shows real consideration and is a genuine act of consideration. 

Atmosphere - 8/10 - Obviously being in the city centre and an ever growing, popular bar on a Friday night, the place was jam packed. This gave the whole area a real nice vibe and atmospheric noise, however sometimes it came across slightly too loud, meaning I had to shout across to other party members. An upstairs segment for the restaurant go-ers seperates them from the bustle of the bar area, making the atmosphere more comfortable, eating downstairs is an option but would make meal time a tad awkward. Nice touches to be noted are the fact they offer live music on certain nights with Lee Vasey and have a jazz like background music when you can hear it. 

Decor/Theme - 8/10 - The pub poses as a friendly, laid back, homely establishment and it doesn't fail there. With a bar area downstairs for drinkers and a swarve upstairs dining area, Number 12 caters for all lovers of the British pub, welcoming customers young and old. My favourite aspects that make the pub comforting are the classic, detailed chalkboards that state specials, the modern, home like wallpaper on the feature walls, the cute lightings and also the multiple heart warming fire places. All the tables are set out beautifully as they are neat, clean and have matching seats. If I were to pick a negative it would be the area was slightly small but that's at no fault of the management. Upon the walls, in the menu and around the pub you have quirky little quotes that show a good sense of humour, for example they have "happy minute" every day at 14:59-15:00.

Food Presentation - 7/10 - For the size of my portion and taking into consideration the number of items on my plate, the chef done a decent job. The tomatoes on the vine were something that immediately struck my eye, giving a nice subtle touch of colour; also the rustic affect of the skin on chips were different from your average skinless spud. The salad was neatly placed to one side of the plate, splitting the distribution of food nicely aswell as the drizzle of garnish over the meal, making for flavour. Overall it did feel that the food was a bit piled up as the chips and onion rings were hidden under the steak, however this showcased the mass portion you do recieve at the 12. A member of my party who had the burger had his chips served up in a pastel coloured paint pot which I thought was quite jazzy.

Food/Value for Money - 8/10 - My meal I opted for was a healthy ten ounce rib eye steak which set me back £18.95. Firstly I'd like to state what the plate served up which was multiple tomatoes, salad, two large onion rings, hand cut chips, a huge mushroom and a ten ounce steak, needless to say I left full. Everything was superbly seasoned and satisfied my tastes, as the chips had a good dusting of salt along side a tasty salad dressing which I believe was a mustard flavouring. The onion rings were crisp, giving off a balanced onion flavour to go with the mushroom was delicious as it was sizeable and didn't leak juices over the plate, showing it was well cooked. An aspect I was pleased with was the chips as they were fresh, chunky and had a crisp skin on texture, from the first bite you could tell they were better than the commercial frozen French fry. Unfortunately the steak was a tiny bit over cooked as it was more of a medium than a medium rare and I feel it lacked in full flavour, take nothing away though as the meat was still succulent and satisfying, fulfilling my appetite. With the vine tomatoes I thought their could have been a few less as sometimes removing them from the stalk was an obstical, however I did enjoy them and the balsamic dressing on the fruits was devine. Overall I feel the plate was great value for money, giving you an excellent, modern take on the British pub steak. Meat like this elsewhere in the city would set you back over the twenty mark and you wouldn't get all the trimmings like you do here.

Overall - 8/10 - Being branded the best pub for food in Norwich on TripAdvisor, Number 12 has a high end reputation to live up to and in my opinion, it certainly does that. Offering up a large selection of upmarket spirits and drinks to go with the selection of great food, the pub satisfies all crowds, giving options to everyone's tastebuds; not only this but the menu boast locally sourced produce which is great support for local business' alike. Reasonably priced tasty meals appeal to all hungry people within the city, giving customer delicious food every day; whether you want to pop in for a lunch time plate whilst out or you are dropping by for an evening of wining and dining, Number 12 makes for a quality eatery. Sublime customer service and a warm, comforting decor is something you look for in a pub, so if that's what you're looking for then pop in and treat yourself as the staff never fail with their genuinely friendly personalities. It's clear to see why Number 12 is so successful and it's certainly a must visit in my eyes, this place growing gastro pub with a bright future ahead of it. 

www.number12norwich.org/

Recipe Book Review: Save with Jamie

Save with Jamie

Overview - This book comes from Jamie Oliver, a man who has produced a large variety of culinary cook books over the past decade and embraced our tv screens with his foodie adventures. 'Save with Jamie' boasts that it will help you save money and states how to be more cost affective when choosing your meals; for example the book contains recipes for all your everyday meats and also has a veggie section, not to mention it enforces the use of leftovers so you have no wastage. A unique selling point the book has is the fact that it lets readers into secrets on various ways to store and buy produce so you save money, also stating how to joint a chicken so you can use every element of the bird. 

Average Recipe Difficulty - Easy 

Most Beneficial Readers - Students, Families, Beginners.

My Three Favourite Recipes'...

Roast Beef Brisket - A nice twist on the British classic of roast beef, Jamie shows how to create the classic plate using a cheaper yet still effective select of beef. Normally roast beef is difficult to perfect with topside often coming out chewy and tough, not only that somewhat expensive. This recipe helps you create a flavoursome, moist piece of beef at half the price you would normally pay. It's worth mentioning that the book then goes on to show what you can create with the leftover beef.

Lamb Burgers - What more could you want on a summers day than to chow down on a meaty lamb burger fresh from the BBQ, topped off with a drop of mint yogurt?. The recipe is fresh and will get your taste buds dancing as it posses a simplicitic method with few ingredients. 

Chicken & Chorizo Paella - My final favourite, I love Spanish food and at the top of my list is by far chorizo, so this recipe was a cert from the moment I picked up the book. Again it's cost efficiency and simplicity will help any budding cook create a delicious Spanish dish that they can enjoy as a quick midweek meal. 

Final Verdict - 8/10 - Overall this book is a real gem, giving a great help to the credit crunch climate that we currently live in. Not only does the book give insite into money saving tips when using food, it also promotes some really great recipes, showing people that they can still enjoy good food at low costs. The main factors I love about this recipe book is that it shows you how to use leftovers effectively and ways in which you can store goods that may not be used, for example it briefly explains pickling. An area that could be improved is if they added a couple more hands on recipes and removed some of the really basic page fillers where it's generally just using a carb with the protein, an example of this is the lamb burrito or the salmon taco. To round up this review I'd say this is a must have on the book shelf of a student on a budget, a budding cook that is looking to develop skills and finally the family cook who wants meal ideas and to tighten up on food costs. 

Takeaway Time - Rice & Spice Review

Rice & Spice, Earlham House, Earlham Road, Norwich

Cuisine - Indian & Bangladeshi

Options - Takeaway & Delivery

Speed - 8/10 - Upon arrival I was very suprised to find the place empty on an evening on a Saturday, that being said more people did start to enter as we awaited. We placed our order of two curries, two portions of rice and also a naan after a brief look over the menu, then proceeded to wait. After a short while and what was heard to be people working hard in the kitchen within 18 minutes our food was ready. The fact that it was a short wait gave me the impression that it was made from scratch and fresh which I didn't mind too much, also that it wasn't a really long wait satisfied me, I felt that it was a justified time overall. 

Taste - 7/10 - The curry I opted for was a chicken tikka chilli masala with a portion of onion fried rice. After a read through the menu this one seemed to appeal to me most as I love my hot food. To start off with the chicken was well cooked as it was succulent, tender and juicy which fell apart easily. The rice was also pleasant as it was fluffy, moist and sustained a fragrant onion flavour, which can be easily lost when cooking; I liked the fact that there was small strands of onion within the rice. Finally the area where the curry fell slightly was the sauce, it did maintain a good, thick consistency and nailed the description of being a 'very hot' curry but lacked the real flavour impact a curry has the potential to have. It was an average flavour that could be repeated in most other indian takeaways but didn't have the real wow factor to be a must eat. Also their could have been more sauce as it was lacking slightly. One thing I did like was the spice and the fact that the long chillies had been left in the curry for a heat impact. 

Price - 7/10 - Indian takeaways' tend to be the high priced, one off takeaways' that you treat yourself to every so often as meals for two tend to hit £20 and upward. My meal itself without any additional sundries such as naan breads & poppadums came to a total of £8.70, with the curry being £5.75 and the portion of rice being £2.95. I feel this was fairly priced as other indian takeaways offer similar priced menus and liked I mentioned previously it's rare you do find a cheaper option. They also validated the price with the portion sizes as the rice was big, the chicken pieces were sizable and of a high quantity. 

Overall - 7/10 - Generally this was an okay visit to an indian takeaway. Not one of the best tasting meals I have ever eaten but it did satisfy the curry craving that tormented my tummy. The speed was impressive and the fact that the food is cooked from fresh by hard working chefs is fantastic, not to mention the fact they offer a free delivery offer of orders over £10 within a five mile radius. The food however is slighlty average as the mothership of the curry (the sauce) is lacking a tad, with the rice and well cooked chicken bringing it up a standard notch. With the price, your can't really argue much as for these guys to compete and make a profit on the Indian takeaway market they have to charge like the opposition. To sum up my visit I'd say this would be an indian you would visit If you live near by as you can just pop in and be out within twenty minutes but just don't expect nothing special compared to your average local indian. 

www.rice-and-spice.co.uk

Tel: 01603 503080 

      01603 504020

Takeaway Time - The Chip Shop Review

The Chip Shop, Stafford Street, Norwich

Cuisine - Fish & Chips 

Options - Takeaway Only

Speed - 8/10 - This place is renouned for it's big queue as it's reputation is at a great high. If you head here in the tea time period expect a wait but don't be put off by this as once you reach the till you're served and sent on your way within minutes. With the place only being small, the queue always looks disheartening but take my word for it, it's certainly worth it. 

Taste - 9/10 - As far as fish and chip shop go this one is hitting all the right notes. My meal was a delicious small cod and chips, by which I was somewhat impressed. First of all my fish was boneless, consisted of a pure white, flaky flesh and full of flavour. Not only that but it was moist but not too sloppy and also melted in my mouth, from this you could tell the freshness. The batter was golden and perfectly crisp on the outside with a smooth buttery underside which attached it to the fish, I always state that this is the best in the city. With the chips they could have been slightly less soft on the outside as I think a crisper skin would have worked better, that being said they were still beautifully fluffy and golden. A side note I'd like to state is that none of the meal had a greasy texture or hinted at any unappetising moisture throughout which some fish and chip outlets often suffer from. 

Price - 8.5/10 - With cod becoming more and more of a rarity by the years, I feel that chip shops are suffering terribly as the price of fish erupts, meaning increasing selling prices to gain a profit. A small cod and chips at £5.20 seems a fair price from The Chip Shop because of the sheer quality. Other chip shops may offer up a cheaper price, but for the standard of the food you recieve at Stafford Street you can't grumble; for example the use of genuine, fresh cod, where as other places may substitute it for white fish. Another key point is that the portion size is immense, leaving you happily full and treated without waddling with regret.

Overall - 8.5/10 - One of Norwich's most prestigious fish and chip shops, The Chip Shop never fails to disappoint and feels like a true takeaway treat everytime I use it. With the freshly fried fish and the constant cycle of chips pumping through the customer demand, you can guarantee that the food here is going to taste great. It's queues are a thing to look out for but once you've gone through that initial wait, grasped your food and left for home, you'll have a smile from ear to ear. A slight negative is the fact they don't accept card but that's no real issue as there is a cash point just minutes away. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a good fish and chip shop in the city as I believe it's by far one of the best. 

Mambo Jambo Norwich Review

Mambo Jambo, Norwich, Lower Goat Lane

Cuisine - TexMex

Price Range - Low/Medium - Mambo Jambo offers food in either a lunch menu or main menu, depending obviously on the time of day. The lunch menu runs through to late and offers a range of plates from a small £5.50 to £9.95, where as the main menu deliver meals from £8.75 which is the deluxe burger to the priciest being the fillet steak at £17.95. All main menu items come with a choice of side from wedges, rice and fries. Soft drinks vary, along with the alcoholic beverages as they offer a wide selection of beers, wines and cocktails. Water jugs are free of charge.

Service - 8/10 - Upon our visit we were greeted by a gentleman, who pointed us in the direction of a choice of two tables, which were both set, ready for our choice of preference. The ladies who served us throughout our stay were friendly, smiley and were unfaultable. They had no concern's with us just sharing a free jug of water and mainted attentative through out, making sure we had everything we needed and were happy with our food. Meals came out in good time with a very little wait at all which was impressive and much to my parties satisfaction. 

Atmosphere - 8/10 - Although the restaurant was quiet as it was a mid afternoon meal, it still grasped a feel good atmosphere. The mellow jazz music  that was playing gave a chilled out vibe and kept well within the theme, also keeping me entertained. Not to mention it wasn't too loud and didn't interfere with conversation amongst my group. The waitress' didn't push you to make a decision and at no point did I feel unwelcome. 

Decor/Theme - 9/10 - I love the theme and decor within Mambo's as it captures a real jazzy feel, giving you a taste of Mississippi America with a hint of Mexico.  The old retro, beaten up metal advertisements show off the side of the American feel to the restaurant where as the painted newts and vintage chalk boards make you think Mexican, hitting the theme of TexMex perfectly. With the jazz and soul music playing and the scattered neon lights just adding an input, you can't help but appreciate the effort that has gone in to create this authenticity. One thing I really love is the way they use traditional Mexican cocktails such as multi flavoured Margherita's as a unique selling point. Tables and chairs are set out perfectly and at no point do you feel like you are cramped amongst other diners even though the establishment is small. 

Food Presentation - 8/10 - Faultless to be precise. My food was presented neatly and overall sustained a fanciful look. It was appealing to the eye however it wasn't over the top outstanding. The ways of presenting the food could have been modernised or made slightly different as it just stood amongst a solid white oval plate, I feel that restaurants now should be trying to be unique or adventurous to stand out from fellow restauranteurs. Overall I was pleased though as it looked good, was appealing and finally they pulled off what could have been messy as there are only few ways you can make a quesadilla and fries look decent. 

Food/Value for Money - 8/10 - Most impressive as the portion size for the price you pay is outstanding. My meal was a mixture of the lunch menu with a side of large fries which totalled a price of £10.45 but still packed a flavourful punch that would fill you up for the next 48 hours. One thing Mambo's is known for is the killer portions as they don't tend to hold back, with half plate of the side of your choice next to the main you choose, no matter what, you will be leaving with buttons popping off your trousers. Not only do you get a lot, the flavour is still fantastic as my pulled pork quesadilla was juicy, tender and mouth watering, leaving me wanting more although I was full. A slight disappointment was the fact that the fries were cooked from frozen meaning they lacked flavour and seasoning, however you can't argue because of the portion size and cheap price. 

Overall Score - 8/10 - Mambo Jambo's is a little TexMex gem hidden in the back streets of Norwich's city centre. A place I would advise you visit if you are hungry, a lover of TexMex food or just needing somewhere for a quick bite out whilst shopping. The restaurant is suitable for any occasion and has a really welcoming, fun, atmosphere, giving off a friendly vibe to all customers that visit. The menu has a variety for anybody's fancy from spicy to fishy and will satisfy your taste buds, leaving you full for a week. One thing that is lacking is that the menu may need some slight modernisation with an addition of new southern sides e.g. sweet potato fries, corn bread and boston beans rather than sticking to the known fries, wedges etc. Also the use of frozen produce isn't great but is balanced through portion and price. Overall it's a fair, great experience and will leave you satisfied, my only advise if you visit is to be hungry! 

http://www.mambojamborestaurant.co.uk

Riverbank Norwich Review

Riverbank Chinese Buffet, Riverside, Norwich

Cuisine - Chinese

Price Range - Medium - The buffet has two set prices depending on what time of the day you eat. Evening buffet starts at 17:00 every night and is £13.99 for Adults and rightly priced lower at £6.99 for under 10's. Lunch time is slightly lower for both at £6.50 for Adults and only £3.99 for under 10's. Drinks are reasonably cheap for a restaurant at £3.60 for a pint of beer and £2.50 for a pint of soft drink. 

Service - 5/10 - As it was an all you can eat buffet, the service was almost non exsistent however when they did actually use customer service skills it wasn't ideal. For example on entrance you had to wait in a takeaway like cue to go up and pay for your buffet, then move to the next counter to pay for drinks, then you could go to your table and take a seat. Also staff seemed to lurk around tables, hovering, as though they were watching you eat; which was sometimes off putting if you caught a glimpse of them. Not only that but as soon as you put your fork down to show you were finished with you're plate they would whisk it off the table before you could bat an eyelid. One thing I would say was happy with was the fact they made one of our party a vegetarian omelette, however she couldn't choose what she wanted in it which was again disappointing. 

Atmosphere - 6.5/10 - Within the Riverbank there was a slight excitable vibe about the place; perhaps it was people pondering the thought of all you can eat in their heads or just the business of the establishment. However but like I said in service, I felt watched and also rushed. As they were taking the plates away so fast and looming around the tables it made me feel rather unwelcome, as though they didn't want us there, so they could get another group on our table. The place seems very money orientated and customers come second to cash it would seem. 

Decor/Theme - 7/10 - One of the better points about Riverbank, the theme and decor had a great pattern and sustained authenticity, remaining uncluttered. The tables were set out neatly around the restaurant with easy access to the buffet stations which were nicely situated in the middle, not only that but chairs and tables matched which is a basic yet important point. Use of authentic Chinese lanterns and beautiful photography of oriental flowers were a nice touch along with the traditional teppanyaki kitchen. The buffet section was big and easy to move around as the stations were clearly marked with 'starter', 'main', 'desert' and 'teppanyaki', however sometimes you would bump into other people as there was no clear way to go round it i.e. Clock wise or counter clockwise. Finally a low point was the fact they used pop music as a background sound, to gain more of a Chinese feel I thought this should be exchanged for some relaxing Asian instrumentals as pop music doesn't fit the atmosphere at all. 

Presentation - 6/10 - With the restaurant being a buffet the presentation is kind of what you make it, so either pile it up making it messy or be neat, nicely placing it. All the food you can either put in small bowls or on large plates as these are the options you are given, after selecting one you then collect whatever you like from the buffet area. Food in the buffet stations isn't presented greatly as each station has large rectangle gastronomes which contain different types of Chinese dishes, some of which looked extremely appetising like the lemon chicken and noodles but some of which looked very off putting and unappetising like the squid and also the beef curry. The desert station seemed to draw the eye of most of our party as donuts, cake and fruit was pilled up in mountain like structures. 

Food/Value For Money - 7/10 - With such a variety at hand this is a foodies dream as you get the opportunity to pick and try at various types of Chinese dishes. The variety ranged from deep fried claw, sweet and sour king prawns, lemon chicken, crispy duck and many, many more. Anybody who visits I recommend trying a small piece of everything and being open minded as it's a great oppurtunity to be brave with what you're eating. The flavours of some of the food was slightly off though as it had a dry taste and texture, I felt this was due to the fact that it had sat under heaters to keep it warm, for example the duck was dry and almost flavourless. Also another big factor I was dubious about was when I cut a piece of fried chicken as the centre possesed a slightly pink colour, this somewhat scared me, making me leave the rest of the chicken. Food I would recommend you try when going here would definitely be the sweet and sour prawns, deep fried claw and of course my favourite the noodles. If you want to get your money's worth here and make the food worth it's value I'd say go hungry as you can then have a great fill up on three courses, getting your £13.99's worth. 

Overall - 6/10 - A very disappointing visit overall, this restaurant needs much improvement in my eyes to become a decent, recommended eatery. The staff, atmosphere and the quality of food cooking are the areas that are essential and really need to be improved as you get the feeling they are just trying to pump customers in and out as fast as possible to get money. Customer service should be improved greatly however it's not the worst I've ever seen, along with checking meat to see if it's cooked as it's so important to get this right. The establishment has so much potential to be something great as they offer unique Chinese dishes and traditional cooking styles that aren't used anywhere else and not only that but it's at an all you can eat offer. If you were to go to the riverbank I'd say go at a lunch time when the price is much cheaper and the restaurant is less busy, this giving you the oppurtunity to chill out and try everything at your own pace. Finally I'd like to leave you with piece of advice if you were to eat here... go hungry.

P.S. No picture this time due to my phone running out of battery. 

http://riverbanknorwich.co.uk

Dray Yard Norwich Review

Dray Yard, Exchange Street, Norwich

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