The Sir Garnet - Norwich

 36 Market Place
Norwich
NR2 1RD

Sunday roast served from 12pm onwards

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The Sir Garnet can be found beside Norwich Market, a stunning building with great views.

Everything on the menu sounded delicious, we just went for the main course though.

We sat on the ground floor with a great view of City Hall in the distance.

There's more seating upstairs.

Wood panelled walls and stunning views right across the market place towards Guildhall can be found on the first floor.

Place your order and pay at the bar.

I couldn't decide between these two lagers, we were kindly offered a taster of each.

We were given some cutlery, salt, pepper and an order number at the bar. We enjoyed a drink whilst waiting for the food to arrive, I can highly recommend the Adnams Jack Brand dry hopped lager (a nice grapefruit kick) and also the Camden Hells Lager.

The food arrived looking impressive and delicious, it was piping hot and ready served on the plate which was a huge bonus.

I went for the turkey roast, I couldn't wait until Christmas!

There was cranberry sauce and plenty of gravy.

Nice thick slices of tender and tasty turkey.

The Yorkshire pudding was huge.

I like a Yorkshire pudding that has a soft and crispy combination going on.

Underneath the turkey I spotted the roast potatoes.

They tasted great with a nice crispy edge.

 The carrots were delicious.

 I really enjoyed the beetroot, not something I'd had on a roast dinner before.

Nice fresh Kale.

My wife thoroughly enjoyed the bean stuffed squash, a delicious vegetarian option.

We certainly left happy customers, a great roast.

We were supposed to have been off to Ipswich for the day but heavy winds had meant that the makers market we were taking part in had been cancelled by the local council. This had also put an end to the roast dinner I'd planned to have in Ipswich. My wife suggested we headed to Cafe Britannia for a Sunday roast instead, after being in there for just five minutes though it seemed far to hectic and noisy to be enjoyable. We then went on to try The Quebec, William IV, The Jubilee, The Coach and Horses on Thorpe Road, The Compleat Angler and Roccos. Each place we tried either didn't have a proper vegetarian option for my wife or didn't appeal to us once inside. At this moment on our trail of disappointment we were suddenly filled with hope as we remembered The Sir Garnet in the city centre. We'd heard good things about it, so rushed there with our fingers crossed...

Upon entering - This quaint medieval building has heaps of character with its creaky floor and exposed beams. There's a bar and some tables on the ground floor, head up the stairs for even more tables and stunning views across the market. There's a fairly big outside seating area too, perfect for the warmer months. The first thing I noticed was how relaxing and peaceful it was inside, for me a must when eating out. There were menus on each table, once you've decided simply place your order and pay at the bar. You're given a pint glass containing your order number on a wooden spoon, salt, pepper and cutlery. Certainly a really nice place to enjoy food and somewhere you can easily chat, we really liked it. 8/10

Service - We placed our order and pondered over what Adnams lager to go for, the chap behind the bar kindly let us sample some before ordering which was really appreciated. We returned to the table with our pint glass of essentials and a bit later the food arrived. The staff here were certainly welcoming, friendly and helpful. 8/10

Type of roast - Ready served 

Meats available - Topside of beef and turkey.  

Contents - Turkey, cranberry sauce, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, carrots, beetroot, kale, cabbage and gravy. 7/10

Vegetable portions - I was delighted to discover that everything arrives already on the plate here so you can start eating the food with no messing about. There were four decent sized roast potatoes and a reasonable amount of vegetables on the plate. 7/10

Presentation - This towering Sunday roast was very pleasing on the eye and everything was nicely placed on the plate. 9/10

The food - Nice thick slices of beautifully cooked turkey, really tender and delicious. The roast potatoes were golden and crispy with a soft fluffy centre, they tasted amazing. The giant Yorkshire pudding was pretty good with a nice crunchy edge and softer texture in the middle. I love beetroot but had never eaten it with a roast dinner before, nor hot come to think of it, nice though! I'm a big fan of cabbage, carrots and kale, they were all cooked really nicely and full of flavour. 9/10

Gravy and sauces - A nice rich gravy was already poured over the dinner, it seemed like the right amount for me. A fairly generous amount of cranberry sauce was served in a small bowl. 7/10

Veggie option - Bean stuffed squashed with all the trimmings for £10

Value for money - The Sunday roast costs £10 here, it's filling and delicious so certainly a fair enough price. 7/10

Overall - A lovely pub to enjoy a great Sunday roast, a decent vegetarian option is on offer too which is always nice to see. The building is beautiful and the views across the market place are stunning, definitely a good find and somewhere I will return to again. 8/10

 - Update, November 2017 -

 Just over two years since we first visited The Sir Garnet for a roast we were back again. We were delighted to see the price was the same as it was back in 2015 and my wife was impressed with the vegan option which many places overlook.

 

 The roast Blythburgh pork was really tender and served in nice thick slices with crackling, perfect with apple sauce. The meat lay over a mound of creamy mashed potato, I welcome mashed potato with a roast dinner and wish more places would serve it. The roast potatoes were big and crispy and the vegetables quite firm so retaining plenty of their flavour. A decent sized portion with everything served on the plate, this is how I like to see it served!

 My wife had the cranberry sauce filled nut roast served with a red wine gravy. 

My wife was too full up for a dessert but I couldn't resist the homemade warmed chocolate brownie. Really gooey and so delicious served with vanilla ice cream.

The White Lion - Norwich

73 Oak Street

Norwich

Norfolk

NR3 3AQ

Sunday roast served from midday until they sell out so get there early!

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With so many recommendations for their Sunday lunch I couldn't resist visiting The White Lion on Oak Street.

We arrived just after midday to ensure there was still plenty of food left. It was also an ideal opportunity to get some photos of this beautiful and traditional pub before it started getting busy.

Real ale and cider drinkers are spoilt for choice here.

We sat by the window where the light was excellent for taking photos. The tables here are large, solid and sit firmly on the floor eliminating any annoying table wobble.

 

 In the back room there are more tables, the kitchen is through the door in the far corner.

 Another room at the side offers even more seating and bar billiards.

The roast changes each week and the golden slice is a vegetarian option.

I ordered a pint of Milestone Black Pearl, a great stout!

This homemade horseradish cream was to die for, easily the best I'd ever had the pleasure of eating! Thick and creamy with the chunky strands of horseradish giving it a nice hot kick, perfect with the brisket.

My wife requested some ketchup and was delighted when this homemade variety arrived at the table, in her words "lovely and quite tarte"

No messing around with seperate vegetable bowls here, everything arrives on the plate and looks superb!

A delicious wild mushroom stuffing lay on top of the thick sliced succulent roasted brisket.

Being slow roasted for 12 hours created brisket that tasted amazing and almost melted in the mouth, the texture was perfect.

The huge Yorkshire pudding that topped the plate was delicious and perfectly cooked.

Large roast potatoes with a nice crispy edge.

Butter softened cabbage cooked perfectly.

Roasted parsnips and carrots, again cooked perfectly.

My wife loved the vegetarian option, golden slice covered in a creamy white wine sauce. I tried some too and was really impressed, delicious!

I had no intention of having a dessert but curiosity got the better of me after overhearing the barman explain the stout posset with baked pear to another customer. Having just eaten an incredibly nice roast dinner I finished off with one of the nicest desserts I'd eaten in a long time. 

Just three weeks had passed since I'd decided to dust off the Roast Inspector blog by visiting The Stanley in Norwich for Sunday lunch. I was keen to visit somewhere else but with so many Sunday Roast option out there it was a difficult choice. Many people were recommending The White Lion's Sunday roast so I headed there with my wife to see what all the fuss was about...

Upon entering - The White Lion has a stunning traditional interior with chunky wooden tables, tiled floors and exposed beams. The pub is divided into three separate rooms with a central bar that can be accessed from all the areas. The front room has heaps of natural light, stools at the bar and nice big tables. The room at the rear is much darker and has more tables, a sofa and a coffee table. The room at the side offers more seating and a bar billiards table. We were drawn to the well lit front area as taking photos in a good light was essential. The Sunday roast was chalked up on a blackboard and kept very simple, a meat option, veggie option and dessert. Place your order and pay at the bar, cutlery and sauces arrive first and not long after that the food arrives. It was really nice to enjoy a Sunday roast in such a peaceful and relaxing environment with no music blaring out in the background. I could chat with my wife and not have to shout to be heard, this is my kind of pub on a Sunday afternoon. 9/10

Service - The chap serving us was relaxed, friendly and welcoming. As we waited at the bar he aknowleged us saying he would be over shortly, this gave me a great opportunity to get some interior shots of the pub. Our order was taken and we chose a table by the window, as we enjoyed our drinks the cutlery, condiments and food all arrived in good time. My wife requested some ketchup and was delighted when a pot of homemade ketchup was brought to the table. We pondered over the dessert wondering how it was made, the chap behind the bar kindly explained it in detail, after this I knew I couldn't resist trying it! We left thinking that as far as service goes this was spot on, we were welcomed and anything we were unsure of was explained. 10/10

Type of roast - Ready served 
 

Meats available - One meat option on the day but it changes each week.

Contents - 12 hour slow roasted brisket in a rich red wine gravy, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, butter softened cabbage, roasted parsnips and carrots, wild mushroom stuffing and homemade horseradish cream. 8/10

Vegetable portions - Everything is served together on the plate here which made me incredibly happy, in my opinion this is how a roast dinner should be served. The quantity and selection of vegetables served was just right and complimented the meat very nicely. 9/10

Presentation - As the food was placed on the table in front of me I was delighted with this impressive Sunday roast masterpiece that towered up from the plate. Everything was beautifully positioned on the plate and looked perfectly cooked, never had a roast looked so appetising. 10/10

The food - The slow cooked brisket was really tender and tore apart beautifully. It tasted amazing and melted in the mouth. Laying on top of the brisket was a delicious wild mushroom stuffing with a nice coarse texture. The roast potatoes were crispy on the outside with a soft centre, a proper roast potato and a good size too. The Yorkshire pudding was really big, tasted fantastic and had an excellent texture throughout. The veg were all cooked perfectly and consisted of butter softened cabbage, carrots and parsnips. A hugely enjoyable Sunday roast that couldn't have been any better, perfect! 10/10

Gravy and sauces - The rich red wine gravy was sensational and complimented the meal  perfectly. The homemade horseradish cream was by far the nicest I'd ever had the pleasure of eating, the thick cut horseradish gave a really good kick. 10/10

Veggie option - Golden slice with all the roast trimmings in a creamy white wine sauce - £8.50

Value for money - The brisket roast cost £9.50 and was well worth the money. 9/10

Overall - On my search for the perfect Sunday Roast experience I was looking for a number of things and The White Lion seemed to tick all of those boxes! A lovely traditional pub to dine in that was also nice and relaxing with no music booming out in the background. The staff were friendly, informative and made us feel really welcome. The food was incredibly nice, perfectly cooked and I loved how it was all served on the plate. I would never usually have a dessert too but having just eaten such an amazing main course it seemed insane not to, the dessert here was excellent! Be sure to give The White Lion a visit for Sunday lunch, you won't be disappointed and I can't wait to return again. 9.5/10