The Red Lion - Norwich

79 Bishopgate

Norwich

NR1 4AA

Carvery served

Sunday - 12.00pm till 5.00pm

Dogs welcome

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 A large group of us were meeting up for lunch and The Red Lion on Bishopgate seemed like a good option. They were able to reserve tables for a large group and offer a vegetarian and vegan option.

They're dog friendly and even brought along a small plate of meat at the end for Pixie, a canine member of our group.

 

The table was spacious and the tree made it feel festive.

 

With thirty of us there we had no end of things to talk about. Had the conversation run dry though there were plenty of boardgames available to play.

 

Behind the bar were chilli pickled eggs and black pudding snacks. I was saving myself for lunch though so just ordered some drinks for now.

 

The first of many beers!

 

You purchase carvery tickets at the bar at a cost of £8.95 for a main course or £13 for main course and a pudding. I also noticed that kids eat free (carvery only) with a paying adult.

It's the only carvery I've ever encountered where you don't serve yourself. I was slightly confused as to why but found the answer on their facebook page, according to them the reason is "We like to ensure our food is protected from people who may cough sneeze touch or pick at it while it is uncovered". To be honest I'm always really greedy at carverys so this was at least going to save me the pain of feeling so full up that I might explode!

To the left there was pork, Yorkshire puddings, stuffing, cabbage, peas and swede.

 

Over on the right lay the beef, roast potatoes, new potatoes and cauliflower cheese. 

There was a hug pot of gravy and some horseradish and apple sauce.

 

On a shelf above the gravy was where you collect cutlery and condiments

 

I chose roast pork and decided to have everything on my dinner.

 

The pork was ok but a bit dry so I soaked it in apple sauce.

 

The Yorkshire puddings were amazing, great flavour with a crunchy edge and squidgy middle.

 

The roast potatoes were just what I look for with nice crispy edges.

 

Cauliflower cheese and swede are always welcome on my roast dinner and here they both tasted great.

 

The veg all seemed to be cooked for the just the amount of time, quite a rarity at a carvery.

 

Only one person on our table had been given stuffing so Monty went to investigate. Eventually a bowl of stuffing was brought over to us so we got stuck in.

 

We were also offered more Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes, we accepted the kind offer as both were excellent.

 

The vegan option was a nut roast, my wife enjoyed it but said it was more like a spicy rice pie.

 

Equipped with my dessert ticket I checked out the dessert menu.

 

The treacle and ginger tart seemed like a good choice to me, a nice dense texture and heaps of flavour. 

A friend invited us to the annual Christmas lunch and piss up which has taken place for many years, my wife and I have missed it on previous years but this year were able to attend. The venue was The Red Lion on Bishopgate, they seemed very accommodating for a group of thirty and were able to offer something for everyone at a reasonable price. With brollies in hand we made our way along riverside walk in the pouring rain, eventually the pub was in sight so after a quick exterior shot we stepped inside relieved to get out of the cold...

Upon entering - I've generally always sat outside The Red Lion during the summer months enjoying a cold pint beside the river so for me sitting inside was a first today. It was certainly nice and warm and the interior is very traditional. The pub offers a good selection of local ales and even served chilli pickled eggs behind the bar. It's dog friendly and kids eat free with a paying adult so it's quite an appealing option for families and dog owners. The carvery is available on Sundays, just buy a ticket at the bar and hand it in at the food counter when you're ready to eat. Just beside the food counter is where you can find gravy, cutlery, sauces and condiments. The staff serve the food so just tell them what you would like on your plate. As a venue for such a large group of us it seemed like a good choice to me. 7/10

Service - We spent a good few hours here so were served by nearly all the different staff. The young ladies serving behind the bar seemed helpful and efficient whenever we needed anything. My wife asked about the vegan option and was told somebody would come over to tell her when it was ready. We ordered drinks and bought the food tickets, a bit later as promised somebody came over to tell us when the nut roast was ready. At the food counter we were asked what we would like on the plate and the food was served in front of us. Somebody on our table mentioned stuffing which led to a few raised eyebrows as the rest of us didn't have any, a quick enquiry at the food counter resulted in some being bought over a bit later. We had finished our meal when it arrived but still had our plates on the table so tucked in. The lady bringing it over asked if we would like any extra roast potatoes or Yorkshire puddings too, a wonderful offer and appreciated by everyone at the table. She later brought over a small plate of meat for Pixie the dog, a lovely gesture which Pixie clearly appreciated! 8/10

Type of roast - Carvery served by the staff.

Meats available - Beef or pork.

Contents - Pork, stuffing, roast potatoes, new potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, cauliflower cheese, swede, carrots, cabbage, peas and gravy. 9/10

Vegetable portions - A reasonable amount of each vegetable is served on the plate and from what I could gather from others in our group it was ok to ask for more if you wanted. With there being a decent selection of vegetables they did fill the plate quite nicely. I was impressed to see cauliflower cheese and two types of potatoes. 8/10

Presentation - With a big queue of people waiting to be served and the different items being added to the plate quite quickly, presentation was average at best. The most important thing though was that the roast potatoes looked crispy and there was a decent amount on the plate. 5/10

The food - The pork was quite nice but a bit dry, luckily the apple sauce added some moisture though. Some crackling would have been nice, there was some there but I forgot to specify that I wanted any though. At the heart of a good roast dinner is decent roast potatoes and these were magnificent! Nice and big with really crispy edges and soft fluffy centres. Equally excellent were the Yorkshire puddings, a good mix of textures with crispiness outside and squidgy inside. I do love cauliflower cheese with a roast dinner and here it was delicious in a good cheese sauce with a brown crispy topping. All the vegetables were cooked for just the right amount of time and the stuffing was pretty good. The ginger and treacle tart didn't disappoint, dense and sticky with plenty of flavour.  Nice work Lester, a pretty impressive Sunday roast! 7/10

Gravy and sauces - A nice rich gravy and plenty of it too. There was apple and horseradish sauce available, I'm very partial to both so dolloped plenty onto my plate. I also spotted some mustard but couldn't see ketchup which I love on a roast dinner, perhaps it's available on request though. 7/10

Veggie/vegan option - Nut roast.

Value for money - £8.95 for a main course and £13 for a main course and dessert. There was no doubt in my mind that it was well worth the money, especially as extras were brought over at the end. By the time I'd finished dessert I really couldn't have eaten anymore so definitely money well spent. 9/10

Overall - A couple of weeks ago I spent £25 for three courses at The Golden Star so I was interested to see how two courses here compared at roughly half the price. Having experienced both I think The Red Lion deal (although not a Christmas menu) was far better value for money. I had no problem with the fact the carvery wasn't self service, it's probably a better idea really as I always over eat when it is self service. The staff looked after our group well, catered for dietary requirements, and clearly made Pixie the dog feel welcome. My wife was equally impressed as I was and we'd most definitely return here for a Sunday roast again in the future. Thanks to Michelle for organising the event and Lester and the team for making it enjoyable and delicious. 7.5/10

Temple Bar - Norwich

2 Unthank Road

Norwich

NR2 2RA

Sunday roast served from midday till 5pm

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Temple Bar is said by many to serve Norwich's best Sunday Roast, my wife and I decided to go and check it out for ourselves.

 

The main room was pretty packed but we managed to find a table in the smaller room, it had been decorated since our last visit and was looking much better.

 

Both rooms have a bar where you can place your order.

 

The Sunday roast menu looked impressive and offered a good vegetarian option too. 

 

My wife ordered a cup of tea, I decided a nice pint of Guinness was needed though.

 

After an unexpected and incredibly frustrating wait of 70 minutes the food finally arrived at the table. 

 

Presentation was superb but enjoying a meal when you're feeling annoyed isn't much fun.

 

A good selection of seasonal veg and a disappointing cauliflower cheese.

 

Extra gravy arrives in a small jug and a selection of sauces are offered. The gravy here was excellent!

The turkey was really juicy and delicious, the roast potatoes tasted great but were undercooked.

 

A roast dinner with some great flavours going on but some elements of it were quite disappointing.

For so long now my wife and I have wanted to try the Sunday roast at Temple Bar. On the occasions we'd attempted it in the past though there has been no empty tables so we've ended up going somewhere else, clearly a very popular place! We'd been here for breakfast back in 2015, you can read that review here. Anyway, we'd walked into the city to do some shopping and my wife suggested going somewhere for lunch, I didn't need much persuading! We almost went into The Sir Garnet but resisted the urge as I'd already reviewed their Sunday roast last year. Instead we decided to once more attempt to get a table at Temple Bar and as luck would have it there was an empty table in the small room where the pool table is located...

Upon entering - I generally avoid pubs playing sports on big screens but was prepared to make an exception here as so many people had told me they serve the best Sunday Roast in Norwich. Three things pleasantly surprised me as we walked in, there was an empty table for us to sit at, the TV was muted and the place had been decorated since my last visit and looked so much better. There was a menu on the bar offering an impressive selection of Sunday roast options as well as desserts. We placed our order, paid and collected our drinks at the bar and sat down. The food, cutlery and sauces were all brought to the table much later. There's also the main room which I can't really comment on as I've never spent any time in it, the smaller room we were sat in seemed like a fairly nice place to eat in though. 5/10

Service - We placed our order at the bar at 1.36pm, I wouldn't usually remember such a detail but the photos for the review keep a record of the time. The lady behind the bar seemed really friendly, she took our order, we paid and then sat down with our drinks. We enjoyed our drinks and chatted but after 50 minutes thought it a bit strange that no cutlery had arrived at the table. After 55 minutes my wife went to find out why the food hadn't arrived yet, by this point we were starting to feel quite annoyed. We were told the food was on its way and should be with us in 5 to 10 minutes. After 15 minutes we decided to cut our losses and enquire about a refund, at this point the food was finally arriving. Everything was on the table at 2.46, 70 minutes after we'd ordered it. Ok, so sometimes places do get really busy but surely it's better to warn customers of any potential delays when taking their order or at least apologise for the delay. Keeping customers informed and offering an apology does go a long way, sadly it wasn't the case here though. 2/10

Type of roast - Ready served with shared vegetables.

Meats available - Beef, pork, turkey, lamb and gammon.

Contents - Turkey, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, cauliflower cheese, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, leeks, red cabbage jam, parsnip, beans and gravy. 9/10

Vegetable portions - The seasonal vegetables were served in a separate bowl, a fairly reasonable amount between two people. The cauliflower cheese was a pair of florets cut in half, I couldn't help thinking that a person ordering on their own may well get the same portion though. On the plate were a few roast potatoes, some red cabbage and a couple of strips of parsnip. 5/10

Presentation - The presentation of this roast was quite impressive, on the main plate the meat lay across the roast potatoes and a large Yorkshire pudding sat proudly to the side. The seasonal vegetable selection looked really fresh and the gravy presentation on the plate looked great with a carrot and butternut smear. 8/10

The food - The turkey was really moist and delicious, perfect with the cranberry sauce. I'd specifically chosen turkey today to make up for not getting it on Christmas Day and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The Yorkshire pudding was excellent with a nice crispy edge and softer towards the centre. All of the vegetables looked really nice but the broccoli and cauliflower were very undercooked. My wife's favourite ever dish is cauliflower cheese and here it disappointed, we couldn't taste the cheese and the florets were crunchy. The main disappointment though was the roast potatoes, they tasted really good but were way too firm and not crispy enough on the outside. A few aspects of this roast were excellent but sadly it was a bit let down by undercooked roast potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower. 6/10

Gravy and sauces - The gravy was spot on, really rich with a slightly thick consistency. There was gravy already on the plate and extra arrived in a small jug. A selection of sauces were offered, we chose cranberry sauce and ketchup (nice on roast potatoes) 8/10

Vegetarian option - Vegetables, pulses and occasional nuts and fruits baked in a loaf with a carrot fondant and vegetable gravy.

Value for money - The Sunday Roast costs £10.95. A 70 minute wait with no apology or explanation for a slightly disappointing meal didn't feel like money spent wisely at all. 2/10

Overall - Certainly the most frustrating eating out experience of 2016, if we'd have been informed of an hour+ wait on food we'd have simply gone somewhere else. The lack of apology or any updates on when the food might arrive I found really shocking, a well informed customer is always a much happier one. Eating when frustrated and angry isn't a great experience at all but I still managed to appreciate some real strong points with this roast dinner, sadly the undercooked items were a disappointment. 5.5/10

 

The Earlham Arms - Norwich

41 Earlham Road
Norwich
NR2 3AD

Sunday roast served from 12pm till 8pm

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Free wifi and dog friendly

In November 2014 I visited The Earlham Arms in Norwich for the first time and enjoyed a great breakfast, you can read about that here.

This was the reason for our visit, I'd heard good things about their Sunday roast.

It was fully booked but we were offered a place at the bar tables.

There didn't appear to be a Sunday roast menu anywhere so we asked what was available. Place your order and pay at the bar, the food is brought over when it's ready.

Salt and pepper is already on the table, cutlery wrapped in a napkin is brought over.

I went for my usual Sunday lunch tipple, a pint of Guinness.

Once the food arrives sauces are offered, we choose ketchup and apple sauce.

I chose roast pork and my wife went for nut roast.

I was delighted to see such a huge slab of pork!

I love crackling and this sight I will always remember, what a beautiful moment.

The thick slab of pork tasted amazing.

The Yorkshire pudding soaked up the rich tasty gravy nicely.

The large roast potatoes were delicious with a nice crispy edge.

A root veg selection consisting of swede, parsnips and carrots.

I nice big heap of kale.

My wife really enjoyed her nut roast but couldn't finish both wedges. I was more than happy to help her out though and thoroughly enjoyed it, certainly the best nut roast I've ever eaten.

It was Sunday morning and my wife suddenly mentioned going for a roast dinner somewhere, I was well up for it! We were torn between trying The Reindeer on Dereham Road or The Earlham Arms on Earlham Road, we decided to try the Earlham Arms first as we'd had a great breakfast their before...

Upon entering - The Earlham Arms has a large dining room as well as plenty of tables around the bar. There are also some bar tables with stools to sit at when they are fully booked, this is where we sat and it seemed like a good enough spot. There are menus on the table but there didn't appear to be a Sunday roast menu, if you ask at the bar they will tell you what is available. Place your order and pay at the bar, everything is brought over when it's ready. There's salt and pepper already on the table, sauces and cutlery are brought over before the food arrives. Free wifi is available and if you want to bring your dog along then no problem, it's dog friendly. A blackboard saying what's available and how much the Sunday roast costs would have been nice It was certainly  a great place to spend some time enjoying a pint or two and a nice roast dinner. 8/10

Service - There seemed to be plenty of staff about efficiently serving the full pub, everyone we spoke to seemed helpful and friendly too. When we first arrived we didn't think we would have a chance of eating here today as all the tables were booked. We were offered a place at the one of the bar tables though which we were happy to sit at. We were told to order at the bar when we were ready and also told what roasts were available. Once we'd placed our order and paid we sat down, the drinks arrived first shortly followed by cutlery and napkins. Despite it being really busy the food arrived about half an hour after ordering which was quite impressive, we were offered sauces which arrived in small pots. Our plates were cleared at the end and we left happy customers. 8/10

Type of roast - Ready served 

Meats available - Beef and pork 

Contents - Roast pork and crackling, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, kale, parsnips, swede, carrots and gravy. 7/10

Vegetable portions - I was delighted that everything arrives already served on the plate here. Three huge roast potatoes, a big heap of kale and a trio of root veg consisting of carrots, parsnips and swede. 7/10

Presentation - The food arrived on a nice big plate, the veg sat together on one side of the plate, in the centre the potatoes and across the other side the Yorkshire pudding. The thing that really caught my eye though was the giant slab of roast pork coated in crackling that lay across the top. It all looked really impressive and I had a feeling that I was about to eat something really special. 9/10

The food - The thick slab of roast pork was amazing, I felt like I was in hog roast heaven. The juicy meat fell apart with ease as I cut through it and it tasted superb. The thick crackling that coated the meat was equally as stunning. I had difficulty slicing through the crackling so ate it in quite large lumps, the conversation was limited between my wife and I as I chewed away on it but what a delicious moment it was. I've eaten roast pork many times before but eating roast pork at The Earlham Arms takes it to a new level! The make or break item of any roast dinner is a decent roast potato and the chef here had nailed it nicely. Really big and tasty roast potatoes with a soft fluffy centre and golden crispy edge, perfect. The Yorkshire pudding was a nice size with a fairly good texture, softer at the bottom and crunchy at the top. I really like kale so was delighted with the generous serving given here, really fresh and nicely cooked. The mix of root veg was delicious and complimented the rest of the meal nicely, carrots, swede and parsnips. I'm a big fan of parsnips, they're always welcome on my roast dinner anytime. This was a really enjoyable roast and one I will always remember because of that stunning chunk of pork. 9/10

Gravy and sauces - The gravy was dark, rich and delicious, it was already on the plate and it lasted until the last piece of pork swiped across the plate. I asked for some apple sauce which arrived in a pot, good stuff from what I remember. 8/10

Veggie option - Nut roast, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, kale, parsnips, swede, carrots and gravy. £9.95 

Value for money - An incredible roast dinner for just under £10, a price I was very happy to pay! 9/10

Overall - The chunky slabs of delicious pork served here was something I will fondly remember for a long time! The nut roast was the best I've ever tasted and the beef looked amazing too. A thoroughly enjoyable Sunday roast served in a nice environment with friendly and efficient staff.  The free wifi worked well and it was really nice to see dogs in the pub too. 8/10