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