Harbercue Smoke House @ The Mash Tun, Charing Cross, Norwich

I've been hearing great things about Harbercue for months. Previously residing in the Ten Bells on weekends only, Harbercue has recently taken up residence in The Mash Tun (formerly the Hog In Armour).

Being particularly busy at work earlier in December, my team had not had the opportunity to celebrate fully, so arranged a 'few' pre-Christmas drinks for Wednesday night. Being a school night, sustenance was essential and I volunteered to find somewhere for us to go.

Thankfully Harbercue popped up on my Facebook feed and I put it forward as a suggestion. Wednesday are Ribs, Wings & Burger Night with a slightly cheaper reduced menu. I was concerned with the variety for vegetarians, but was assured that a veggie burger or some of the sides would be more than adequate, so booked the table.

After a good 2 hours of drinking, we were starving and stumbled into the Mash Tun. The pub has certainly had a bit of a change, with a variety of different beers on tap and a gin palace upstairs. The bar was busy and it wasn't obvious as to where we needed to go for food. I managed to find one of the Harbercue guys and we were shown our table near to the bar.

First thing to order were the Battered Pickles (£3). Every recommendation from friends has included something along the lines of "you must try the pickles". They definitely lived up to the hype. Thick slices of soft pickle deep fried in crispy batter, even the hesitant among us were soon tucking in.

With a smaller menu, I was disappointed not to be able to sample the brisket, but there were 5 burgers available (all priced between £7 and £8.50 with 1 side for £1.50) and I went for the Sticky Barbecue Burger - a double stack burger with barbecue sauce, cheese and crisp onions with a side of Double Cooked Fries and Mac n' Cheese (of course!)

Others in the group went for the other burgers available; the Double Stack Cheese and Bacon burger (exactly what it says on the tin), Southern Fried Chicken (need I say more) and The Cowboy (a homemade smokey bean burger).

Ribs, Wings & Burger Night Menu

We appeared to be the only table dining at 8ish that night and were placed close to the bustling bar, which suited our party perfectly. The food arrived quickly and conversation was paused while we excitedly attacked the food.

My burger was cooked to perfection, with big juicy patties and a delicious barbecue sauce. The crisp exterior of the onions were soft in the middle and I soon devoured it (making a bit of a mess with the bun unable to contain!)

Sticky Barbecue Burger

Burger close-up

The fries were fairly average, nothing wrong with them at all, but not too memorable (maybe I was spoilt by 7 Heaven's offering). The Mac n' Cheese was pretty disappointing - very thick and heavy,the pasta stuck fused together forming lumps.

Mac n' Cheese

There are a selection of sauces available on the table, including a hot sauce, ketchup and barbecue.

Southern Fried Chicken

The meat burgers were a resounding success with our group and I would highly recommend sampling them. Also, trying the Battered Pickles is a definite, they are incredible. Unfortunately my colleague did not rate the veggie burger - it was nicer than many, but the choice is fairly limited for vegetarians (as expected with a smokehouse). The Topped Fries (covered with green chillies and cheese) were much better and I would be keen to try these at another visit.

The Cowboy accompanied by Topped Fries

One point to remember is that as Harbercue is run separately to the bar, it is cash or droplet payment only. Unfortunately I had not been advised of this, so my manager had to come to my rescue and pay! The bill came to around £13 each for all food, which is a great price (drinks purchased separately through the bar).

I am definitely going to return on another night - the regular menu features The beast - pulled pork and brisket in a bun, which I desperate to try! There is now a Sunday Smoke Roast menu too (£10 for meat and £8 for vegetarian). Menus are available on the Facebook page which also includes regular updates on specials. This is a great venue for a group event or casual bite to eat and is perfectly placed in the Mash Tun. The Gin Palace upstairs opened on the night we were there, but we didn't get the opportunity to visit - the Mash Tun really has it all!

Food - 8/10
Service - 9/10
Atmosphere - 8/10
Value for Money - 9/10

7 Heaven, Exchange Street, Norwich

After a hectic weekend with Christmas shopping and pre-Christmas / Birthday events, there was nothing I wanted more than a relaxed lunch out. 

Being a big burger fan, I knew I could bribe Mr NF with the mention of a new burger and waffle place to Norwich, 7 Heaven.

Replacing Bella Italia on Exchange Street, 7 Heaven had only been open for a couple of weeks at the time of visiting and had created a bit of a buzz on Facebook.

The whole premise of this independent venue seems to be to keep things simple; with 7 burgers, 7 waffles (3 savoury, 4 sweet) and a choice of sides sold separately. With the website 'Coming Soon', I was unable to check the menu before visiting, but with 40 out of 50 reviewers on Facebook giving a 5 star rating, I knew this was the place to go.

Simple, effective menu

So around 1.30pm on Sunday afternoon, we wandered in. For anyone who visited the Bella Italia previously, the layout is a little unusual, with an open area at the 'shop front' with a corridor leading to a further dining area at the back. This same layout is still present and after waiting at the front door for a few minutes, we were guided through to the back area.

Being a weekend lunchtime, the place was understandably pretty busy. We were in no rush, so happily sat and perused the menu. 

Unfortunately, we had been seated by a member of staff who had returned to the front section of the restaurant and the waitress in the back did not seem to realise we had been seated, which resulted in a bit of a wait for service. Another couple were seated on the table next to us and we realised how close the tables were placed. Without a gap big enough to walk between the tables on that side, it felt like we were sat together, but did mean that we could ask them if we could borrow their drink menu, as we had not been provided with one.

After the new couple were served, I started to get a little impatient and thankfully the waitress came to us next.

Being particularly hungry after going without breakfast, I opted for the TROTTER7 (£7.95), a burger with bacon, pulled pork, barbecue sauce and comte cheese. In the same style as Gourmet Burger Kitchen, sides need to be ordered separately and I went for the classic 'skin-on' fries. 

Mr NF ordered the SMOKIN7 (£7.50), a burger with comte cheese, caramelised onions and homemade garlic sauce. In order to try a few things off the menu, he went for sweet potato fries (£2.50), so we could sample both.

Being fans of a good Mac n' Cheese, we also ordered 7 Heaven's truffled version as another side to share (£4.95).

We were informed that our food would take 15 minutes due to a backlog in the kitchen, which was no issue. We were also told to help ourselves to complimentary pickles, which is a great touch. With two varieties of gherkins and pickled red cabbage, we helped ourselves to a selection to try while we waited.

All the pickles!

10 minutes passed and we were on our second round of pickles and still without a drink. The waitress apologised and went on the hunt for them. With only one person behind the bar and with a number of people ordering milkshakes, there had been a delay with processing drinks orders and our drinks were promptly brought over.

The common theme seemed to be lack of staff - with only 2 staff seating diners and taking orders, 1 member of staff behind the bar and another member of staff (without a uniform, so unsure if this was the owner / manager) bringing out food from the kitchen. A lot of customers were chasing orders for drinks / food and we overheard the waitress telling 2 separate tables that they were short staffed. Going a step further, she also informed them that a number of members of staff hadn't turned up after a work night out the previous evening, which I didn't think was entirely professional.

Another 10 minute wait and the food arrived. I was greeted by a beauty....

Trotter7 - pulled pork, bacon, cheese & BBQ sauce

A big meaty patty in a brioche bun, the wrapping unable to contain the juicy pulled pork. 

We were warned to be careful with the homemade Dirty sauce, which would blow our socks off, but I was feeling risky and thought I'd try a bit. The sauce was missing the kick suggested by the waitress, but was delicious. 

Some seriously Dirty sauce!

The fries came in a tin cup, which is always a nice touch. Oh, the fries. I am not sure what type of potato was used, but these were definitely the best I have had for a long time. Not too crispy, but with a bit of bite, perfect accompanied by the dirty sauce.

Good fries

Mr NF's SMOKIN7 also looked the part, the cheese and garlic sauce slighly oozing out of the side.

Smokin7 - cheese, caramelised onions & garlic sauce

The sweet potato fries were lovely, although, unusually, the regular fries were the definite winner for me.

Sweet potato fries

Finally, out came the Mac n' Cheese. The sauce was slightly bubbling with a good slug of truffle oil. I immediately poured some on my plate (watch out for the oil residue underneath). Amazing, I would definitely have it again, cheesy and gooey with the truffle oil adding a great touch. They also do the Mac n' Cheese for £8.95, not sure if this is a main course version?

Rushed photo - I'd already helped myself!

Everything was cooked perfectly. The slightly sweet brioche bun was a little on the crisp side at the edges, but nothing that dipping in cheesy truffle oil wouldn't fix. Definitely Heaven!

I was tempted by something sweet and as service had been fairly poor, we opted to go for dessert as we had decided we were unlikely to return for a while.

I went for the BANOFFEE7 (banana, butterscotch sauce and double cream), whilst Mr NF went for the 7MELT (chocolate spread and chantilly cream).

Banoffee7

Melt7

Two huge waffles covered in syrup with a good serving a doulble cream and soft caramelised banana. This was a seriously good dessert. 

I would definitely recommend sharing the waffle for dessert - I couldn't even manage one of the two waffles and Mr NF (who would normally assists when I periodically leave something) couldn't even manage it!

We waited a little while for the bill - there also only seems to be one card machine, so there was a little wait while this was retrieved. 

In summary, the delicious food and great concept are let down by poor staff. I am hoping that given a bit of time, the teething issues with service will iron out, as the food is incredible. Perhaps the staff need a bit of customer services training (and to turn up for work it seems!) 2 drinks, 2 burgers, 3 sides and 2 sweet waffles came to just under £50 (service charge is included on the bill). A burger and one side averages around £10 - £11, pushing it towards gourmet burger territory.

Food  9.5/10
Service 5/10
Atmosphere 7/10
Value for money 7/10

Welcome to the Norwich Foodlover

First things first... I love food! There isn't much (if anything) I won't try and I am always keen to try new recipes and places to eat.

I am also a bit of a food geek - I research places to eat wherever I go (thanks to Tripadvisor!) and like to peruse a menu.

Through my research and sampling, I thought I would use this blog to provide info on the good, the bad and the downright disgraceful as a helpful reminder of where I should (or shouldn't!) eat.

If this blog helps anyone else, local or visitor to the fine city of Norwich - then feel free to make use :)


The Norwich Foodlover