Eat
I can honestly say I haven’t had as nice a Sunday lunch experience as the one we enjoyed at Back to the Garden’s new Cafe Restaurant recently. It must have been good – the meal lasted for over two hours and Little Man behaved impeccably (by a three year old’s standards) throughout.
Instantly upon arrival, one is impressed by the stunning interior of this tastefully restored 18th Century barn. Double height, with slightly industrial fittings that tie the building back to its presumably farming origins, spacious and light, Back to the Garden have done a really good job.
Shown to our table by a friendly waitress (it is waitress service throughout), we are talked through a selection of menus. It being Sunday, the majority of the usual lunch menu is on offer as well as a Sunday Lunch Menu (2 courses £15.95, 3 courses £19.95). All food is prepared daily, mostly from organic produce grown or reared at Back to the Garden’s own farm, just 4 miles away in Barney. Food doesn’t get fresher, or more local than that.
Deciding to go for the full blowout Sunday Lunch extravaganza, we all have starters; My Partner has the Pork and Wild Boar Terrine while I have the veggie Cream of Broccoli and Stilton Soup. Little Man has a Traditional Prawn Cocktail that is packed to the brim with fat, juicy prawns and goes down a treat.
Pork & Wild Boar Terrine Starter.
Traditional Prawn Cocktail starter.
My starter was just the right portion size. Some restaurants give you such a large soup starter that you’re too full to eat much else (I’m often still eating my soup after other diners in my party have finished). This was absolutely delicious without being ridiculously huge. You could really taste the stilton, though the flavour was not over strong Perfect if, like me, you’re not the worlds biggest blue cheese fan.
Cream of Broccoli & Stilton Soup starter.
All three starters were beautifully presented, the delivery being more in keeping with a fine dining restaurant than a relax, self-named Cafe Restaurant.
For the main course, my partner had the traditional (organic) Sunday Lunch – a Topside of Beef, which came with horseradish sauce and rosemary jus along with side dishes of Cauliflower Cheese and mixed Vegetables. The Yorkshire Pudding was one of the largest I’ve ever seen (yum!) and the veg was so colourful and fresh that Little Man ended up tucking in as well (much to our delight and surprise). My Partner says the meat was lovely (“perfectly cooked”) and that the Roast was “one of the best he’s ever had”. Praise indeed.
Traditional Sunday Roast - Topside of Beef.
Mixed veg accompaniments to the Roast.
Cauliflower Cheese accompaniment to the Roast.
Little Man had a child’s meal – organic sausages with mash. It was simple and ample and just right for smaller appetites.
Child's Sausages & Mash.
I had the Garden Pea and Parmesan Risotto (vegetarian). Again, perfectly proportioned and wonderfully presented, this was extremely tasty with plenty of ‘fresh’ flavour. The Risotto rice still had a bit of ‘bite’ to it (‘al dente’ as the expression goes), and was not thick or stodgy like some I’ve had (usually a result of overcooking).
Pea & Parmesan Risotto.
The boys were beaten by their mains, opting to share a slice of homemade Carrot Cake rather than go for a dessert. As it turned out, their slice of cake (slice? slab!!!) was probably three times the size of my delightfully presented Apple & Plum Crumble.
Huge Carrot Cake.
The crumble was awesome (albeit nuclear hot – darn those super heat-conductive orchard fruits!) and accompanied by a little jug of vanilla cream – think warm, melted vanilla ice cream. Just gorgeous.
Apple & Plum Crumble.
Coffees rounded off the whole divinely pleasant event.
By the time we finished, the Cafe Restaurant was full. There were a couple of large family groups, both with young children and without, couples young and old and the odd couple with a tiny baby (Back to the Garden has plenty of provisions for infants and children, including highchairs, changing facilities and a few books for them to look at. Even when the restaurant got busy, service was still efficient, friendly and professional.
After lunch, we strolled outside to experience the garden, where you can also choose to eat. Like the inside of the Restaurant, it has been beautifully planned out to evoke a cottage country garden, but with a modern air. We also drifted into the adjoining Farm Shop, making a few choice purchases before heading off to Holt Country Park for a post-lunch woodland walk in the late autumn sunshine. Perfect. All in all, an experience I cannot recommend highly enough.
Back to the Garden Cafe Restaurant is open:
Tue-Fri 9am-4.30pm, Lunch 11.30am-3pm.
Sat As Tue-Fri plus Breakfast 9am-11.30am.
Sun 10am-3.30pm, Breakfast 10am-11.30am, Lunch 12Noon-3.30pm.
Back to the Garden.
Letheringsett, Holt, Norfolk, NR25 7JJ.
Tel: 01263 715996.
* All images taken on an iPhone on the day.
Always great for pasta and pizza dishes with a healthy serving of warm ambience, Pinocchio’s Restaurant on St Benedict’s Street in Norwich has been slowly undergoing a very subtle transformation. Still offering a wide selection of delicious Italian dishes, the menu has evolved to encompass an extended Mediterranean influence, taking inspiration from across Southern Europe as well as North Africa.
Inside, the vibe is relaxed and welcoming, with ample choice for children and vegetarians and slick practice with large groups.
I went with a friend to eat at Pinocchio’s a couple of weeks ago on a Thursday evening. Already quite full, the restaurant was buzzing by the time we left (reassuring on a week night in these economic times).
The staff (headed on this particular night by Jason) was informed, friendly and attentive. When I asked for removal of certain ingredients from my dishes, it was no trouble at all.
To start I had Local Asparagus with White Truffle Oil and Parmesan Flakes (minus Parma Ham), which we shared. The Asparagus was lightly cooked, making this a fresh tasting, light starter option.
For our mains, we opted for classic Pinocchio’s dishes (couldn’t help it – I’m a Pizza freak). I chose the Tricolore (sans Sun dried Tomato) with Red Onion, Red Peppers, Pesto and Smoked Mozzarella. It was delicious with a fabulous light base and a really interesting almost ‘meaty’ flavour from the smoked mozzarella.
My friend had Rigatoni in a Spicy Ragu of Mediterranean Vegetables, Olive Oil and Basil. A simple, classic dish that, done well is absolutely delicious. Pinocchio’s does it well.
For desert I had the Roast Peaches and Raspberries Semi Freddo (semi-frozen) while my companion had a selection of homemade ice cream (made on the premises). My desert was fresh tasting and well balanced, without being overly filling. A perfect end to the meal.
To finish we had a pot of chamomile tea each (more Mediterranean than you might think – its origins can be traced back to ancient Egypt and Greece). It was a great end to a meal that had us chatting continuously throughout, until the very last drop of tea was gone.
Being Thursday, we were also treated to a duo playing live acoustic guitar. The atmosphere (and experience in general actually) was absolutely lovely – alive and relaxed, with no pressure to do anything more than sit, talk and enjoy the food and drink. Jayne and Nigel Raffles intention to create a restaurant with the authentic feel of a Mediterranean brasserie, where breaking bread is a truly enjoyable experience that should be shared with family and friends has, in my recent experience, been achieved.
Pinocchio’s Restaurant.
11 St Benedicts Street, Norwich, NR2 4PE.
Tel: 01603 613318.
Open for LUNCH
Tues-Fri 12Noon-2pm, Sat open all day from 12Noon-11pm.
Open for Dinner
Mon-Fri 5pm-11pm, Sat open all day from 12 Noon-11pm.
Avrum Frankel - Head Chef at The White Horse.
AVRUM FRANKEL, Head Chef at The White Horse, Brancaster Staithe will be at the Holkham Fair this coming Sunday (17 July 2011). He will be giving a Cookery Demonstration at 2 pm in The Rangemaster Cookery Theatre Fine Food Village.
Avrum is a Norfolk ‘lad’ who has done well. His attraction to food started when cooking with his Mum as a young boy – a great way to start. He is married, lives in Brancaster and is a real family man with a very busy lifestyle helping bring up his two young children.
After training in hospitality, Avrum travelled and worked in South Africa. He has since worked in Norfolk for most of his career, in positions across the board from Pastry to Sous Chef. Since 2008 Avrum has been cooking at 2 AA Rosette level and is Head Chef at The White Horse, Brancaster Staithe. In this position he makes it his top priority to work with local suppliers to get the best quality available. Avrum is incredibly enthusiastic about the menu he creates from this fresh locally sourced produce. He is currently working on a project with local company Barsby for them to provide him with fresh, high quality produce, to be grown on Elveden Farms.
Avrum is a passionate cook and his ethos is food cooked well but simply, using ingredients which work well together and are pleasing and appetising to eat; he wants the flavours to speak for themselves. He is very aware of customer expectations, and the presentation of his delicious food bears out his flair and culinary artistry.
In his present position, with the village fishermen bringing their catch of the day to the kitchen door, he claims he is in ‘heaven’, creating his menus from produce that has travelled yards, not miles to get to him.
The White Horse at Brancaster Staithe.
The White Horse.
Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk, PE31 8BY.
Tel: 01485 210262.
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