Norfolk Food and Drink ~ Septembers menu review Delia’s Restaurant and Bar, Friday 28thAugust 2015
To view the currentmenu visithttps://www.deliascanarycatering.co.uk/delias/menu.aspx We received a very warm welcome on arrival, Anna’s coat was checked, and we were escorted to the bar prior to being taken to the table.
A friendly and knowledgeable waitress assisted us with the wine list, offering advice, recommendations and a sample of the one of the potential wines for us to taste. We selected the Gavi Battistina which we enjoyed in the environment which was modern and stylish, clean and well lit with a nice selection of jazz as background music.
We were quickly offered olives from Casablanca and homemade sweet potato crisps, both of which were very well presented and very tasty so were a welcome addition whilst we enjoyed our wine. We were escorted to our table at our convenience, and offered the current menu to peruse whist waiting for our starters to arrive. A delicious selection of homemade bread, white, wholemeal and rosemary focaccia were offered and again were gratefully received. This excellent level of customer service and attention to detail, with so many homemade elements within the dishes, set a very high standard and it continued throughout the evening. Debbie and the other waitresses were all excellent, courteous, friendly and efficient.
I had the Norfolk Gardeners Soup to start, which was served piping hot and attractively garnished with fresh basil, parsley and cream. I enjoyed this fully flavoured starter with more of the homemade bread.The salad was an ideal crossover dish being appropriate for late summer/early autumn, whatever the weather! It was very well presented, neat and precise with attractive slices of the apple to bring a fresh zingy element as well as colour to the dish. The perfectly prepared small, crunchy croutons added extra bite to the dish, whilst the lovely Norfolk White Lady cheese was carefully melted to the right point to provide a delicate softness, yet not losing its form.
The main courses were both very nicely presented in bowls appropriate for the size of the dish. I had the slow braised belly pork, which was beautifully cooked, the combination of elements worked very well, to give a nice variety to the dish. I particularly enjoyed the way the pork rested upon the shredded runner beans, which were a lighter vegetable and a tasty addition to the dish, and was topped with the sautéed apple and onion slice. The new potatoes were very fresh and nicely flavoured with mint and worked very well with intense juniper and cider sauce. The risotto was very well cooked, with a good bite maintained in the rice. I felt that the sweetness of the Madeira was fine addition to the intense mushroom flavour, giving an additional opulence to this rich dish, and lashings of Parmesan tumbled down this mountain of deliciousness. The puddings were most enjoyable, and well composed on the plate. We shared the puddings and were most impressed by the Norfolk Coffee Cream pudding. The homemade shortbread was beautifully crumbly, and gave a different texture to accompany the fresh tasting coffee cream and the intense, syrupy jug of coffee. The cheeseboard was excellent, with the nice selection of local cheeses and appropriate accompaniments. It should be noted that the homemade biscuits were superb, which again elevated the overall quality of the dish.
My Americano to finish was lovely, as was my wife’s Irish coffee, and the petit four finished off the evening perfectly.
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