Eastlife Spring 2020

!! NEW FEATURE !!
Norwich
Eats
A year in Love Norwich Food
Written by Zena Leech-Calton
I’m Zena; cookery tutor, food writer and an ex-chef who studied
at Norwich City College. I was a chef for 15 years and served 15
more as a cookery tutor with all sorts of foodie stuff in-between,
including blogging.
When I first moved back after a stint in London, I was disappointed
by the food scene in Norwich having been so spoilt for so long.
But things have changed…
Norwich is now the best place to find vegan food in the UK but it’s
all food that Norwich has embraced in total abundance. It’s now
a go to place to visit for amazing and varied cuisine with over 500
places to feast or be watered in this fine city.
I’ll be telling you all about it every month but for now to kick off, I
thought I’d run through 2019, which to be honest won’t fit on this
page.
Norwich Market News
Awarded the best largest open-air market in the UK with nearly
200 stalls and half of them dedicated to food. Expansion
happened all over the market with Churros for the People
doubling up to include a counter, Bun Box quadrupled to include
sushi, Fresh took up the stall opposite to offer hot Asian broth
bowls and Sicilian Street doubled to add pasta and seating.
Plus, Lucy’s Chips expanded to offer a dedicated vegan menu.
Chimney’s arrived offering European rotisserie sweetened pastry
cones. A new Chinese offering dim sum took over Puff & Bean.
Plus, Walsingham Farm Shop opened as a Norfolk deli, takeaway
and sit-in pie, mash and gravy cafe.
Foodie Events
Zena – it’s all about the food!
www.lovenorwichfood.co.uk
Instagram - @love_norwich_food
@secret_menu_norfolk
Twitter - @foodnorwich
@menunorfolk
Then there were the events like Proudly Norfolk Food Festival at
the Forum. They’ve dropped ‘Battle of the Banger’ but made the
event bigger with activities, cookery demos, street food and tons
of local food stalls. If you were missing a sausage all you needed
to do was head to Aylshams Big Sausage Bash for a day of tasting
and fine Norfolk produce.
Open Venue started calling their foodie events ‘Dining Differently’.
I went to their first Prosecco & Pudding event, with 40 desserts to
choose from, plus custard! With everything sweet from brownies
to lemon posset. Look out for their regular events; Dining in the
Dark, Oktoberfest and the Gin Festival with other foodie highlights
thrown in in-between.
So, as you can see I wasn’t kidding when I said there is simply too
much to mention - I didn’t even have space to mention Panda Bar
or the gossip; like what’s happening to the pub at the bottom of
Cow Hill?
You’ll find me talking all Norwich Eats in my monthly
online column at www.eastlife.co.uk and in each publication!
New Restaurants, Bars & Cafes
When it comes to new restaurants hitting our Norwich streets
there were plenty. Don Txoko a Basque style tapas are cooking on
Fat Elvis down at St Benedict’s Street. Harrys took over Pedro’s in
Chapelfield Gardens doing American very well. Upstairs in the old
Mash Tun (soon to be Strangers Tavern), Gin Palace turned into
Door Eighteen with The Gin Academy attached.
Michaels Grill opened up in the Oaklands Hotel cooking on Bertha
in an open plan kitchen, so you can sit and watch the chefs. The
York NR2 opened its doors again after being closed for a year with
new owners and a new-look modern British menu.
Another takeover was The Last Wine Bar, with a new look
Brasserie, a top chef and an amazing menu – you must have heard
of the famous Crab Doughnut - it made national news!
A Kurdish kebab restaurant called Nergiz opened on Magdalen
Street, offering proper shawarma’s, homemade naan bread wraps
and Kurdish stews. Gem of Norwich opened in the old Prezzo
opposite the station selling a mix of finely cooked Middle Eastern
food.
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