The Marsh Harrier, Ipswich Road, Norwich

Sorry for the absence - it's been a busy few weeks settling back into work and life after a week away!

A week-night catch up with my lovely Dad was in order and we decided to try The Marsh Harrier for some food and a few drinks. The Marsh Harrier is part of The Vintage Inns chain of pubs with venues throughout the UK. It seems to be popular for after-work meals and currently has a week-night set menu - with 2 courses for £11.95, with some tasty looking options on the menu.

The pub itself definitely has a 'vintage' feel, wooden beams and exposed brick with nude coloured walls and cream touches. A mismatched feel, with a variety of table shapes and sizes makes it feel less like a chain.

With 3 choices of starter, I copied by Dad and we went for the Potted Oak Smoked Chicken Liver Pate, which came with an onion marmalade and crusty bread. I was slightly concerned that this would come out like regular mass produced pate, slippery and no texture. However, I was gladly mistaken. The pate was delicious; slightly smokey with a coarse texture. My only minor complaint would be that the bread portion was a bit stingy. This is often the case when you order pate - you get oodles of delicious pate, but not enough bread to spread it on. This either causes you to be left with a large amount of pate or that you have so much piled on your bread that it is a struggle to eat! (I definitely fall into the second category!)

The branded paper was a nice touch to the plate.

Potted Oak Smoked Chicken Liver Pate, part of £11.95 2 course deal

The other options for Starter were Prawn Cocktail (always a classic!) or Baked Cornish Brie and Onion Marmalade Brulee (I was seriously tempted!)

There were some seriously great classic choices for main; steaks (rump and gammon), battered fish, fishcakes, burgers (beef and Feta and Broad Bean) and chicken.

I tried my hardest to go for something different - the Feta and Broad Bean Burger was seriously tempting, as it seemed such a unusual menu option, but I faltered when I read the description for the British Beef Burger, which came with cheddar and bacon... I'm sorry, I tried to blog about something different, but my love of a beef burger won on this occasion...!

British Beef Burger, £11.95 as part of two course deal

 I was not dissappointed. Although this looks fairly small in the photo, the burger patty was big and meaty, with slightly crispy bacon and melted cheese on top. I was asked if I wanted to upgrade by regular chips to 'thick cut chips' and declined. When my meal came out these were already some seriously thick chips and I was intrigued to see what any 'thick' chips would come out like! A little pot of tomato salsa accompanied.

Daddy NF was tempted by the burger, but went for the Gammon Steak. this came with a big wedge of pineapple, a lovely fried egg with a runny yolk, lots of chips and some slightly wrinkled peas. Daddy NF was very jealous of my meal when it came out, as the gammon steak was slightly on the small side (you can barely see it under the egg and pineapple in the photo). Luckily for him, the burger defeated me, so he got lots of my my chips.

A nice touch was that after bringing out our food, the waiter brought out a wooden tray full of pots of sauces and we were able to help ourselves from the varied selection.

Grilled Gammon Steak, £11.95 as part of the 2 course deal

Full of burger and wine, I'm not really sure how I was tempted into a dessert, but at only £2.00 when purchased as part of the deal, it seemed like a great idea!

I figured the Raspberry Creme Brûlée would be a light option and definitely not a regular choice for me (I was trying to make up for the burger!). This was really tasty and definitely a lighter choice of dessert. Cracking through the crisp caramelised sugar topping to a rich thick vanilla custard. I wondered where the raspberry section of the brûlée was, until I reached the bottom of the pot, where there was a layer of fresh raspberries. A really tasty light dessert.

Raspberry Creme Brûlée, £2.00 when purchased on top of the 2 course deal

Daddy NF made me jealous and opted for one of my winter favourites; crumble. This was a seasonal fruit crumble and looked very tasty - coming with ice cream AND custard (a winning combination in my opinion!) I believe the crumble had raspberries in it, but I've completely forgotten what else! The branded paper was brought out again (the Chef was also definitely a fan of a herb garnish!). 

Seasonal Fruit Crumble,  £2.00 when purchased on top of the 2 course deal

Feeling extremely full, we moved to the other side of the pub for a drink. This side has a relaxed vibe - with cutlery in pots, a large fireplace and a whole wall of shabby chic style mirrors - great for a relaxed Sunday meal.

The Marsh Harrier also has an extensive regular menu for lunch and dinner (including a light bites section), a Sunday menu and a Wednesday 'Pie Day' menu. We actually dined on a Wednesday and asked to see the pie menu. However, most of the options differed from the menu or were not available at all. I'm not sure if this was a one off thing or part of some larger misprinting for the menu.

Although The Marsh Harrier does have a slight chain pub feel through the classic pub options, the food is good and there are definitely some unusual options to sample fromt he menu (Creme Brûlée, Feta & Broad Bean Burger, Salt Beef Hash, Wild Boar and Chorizo Burger). The 2 course menu has some great options for the price too.

A great venue for a casual meal and I imagine on a cold day, this would be a great option for a Sunday roast next to the fire. It always seems busy (even at 6.30 on a Wednesday evening, a lot of the tables were filled).

Food - 8/10
Service - 8/10
Atmosphere - 7.5/10
Value for Money - 9/10 (based on the two course menu, although Daddy NF treated me...!)

Zaks Waterside Grill and Diner, Barrack Street, Norwich

Sorry for the delay. I've just got back from a lovely winter break in Morocco. Feeling refreshed after a bit of sun and plenty of food, of course!

Just before I went away, I took a trip to one of my favourite casual dining venues, Zaks.

Zaks has been a feature in Norwich since the 1970s and my Dad often tells stories of getting a burger from the original caravan after a night out.

Nowadays, Zaks has 2 restaurants in Norwich and 1 out of the city in Poringland. Each one has a slightly different style and this visit took me to the Waterside branch - with it's flamingo pink exterior and retro feel.

The American diner theme suits the menu - with chicken, ribs, steaks, burgers & hot dogs available. In my opinion, Zaks Waterside has the best atmosphere - big booth seats are great for a group visit accompanied by music from the 1950s and 60s. 

We hadn't booked (booking is definitely advised) so sat in the 'Sunset Bar' to eat - round tables with tall bar stools. The staff are friendly. The restaurant is always busy, so they aren't always overly attentive, but rarely leave you with an empty drink or waiting for dessert.

My favourite starter is the Awesome Nachos. A huge plate of corn chips topped with chilli (beef or vegetarian available), jalapeno cheese sauce, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, lettuce and extra jalapenos. 

However, at this visit I had a real craving for chicken wings, so no photo of the nachos this time.... I'd never had the Famous wings (£5.45) before and went for the sticky BBQ sauce (Hot Sauce, Garlic, Tennessee Glaze, Lime and Tequila & Naked wings are also available).

With no celery left, I was offered coleslaw instead. The wings also comes with a pot of blue cheese sauce (not pictured). Tender chicken with a slightly crispy skin and a seriously sticky, smoky BBQ sauce. It's difficult to see in the photo, but I had aboutn 6 wings - Zaks always provides a good portion! 

The salty blue cheese doubled up the sauce on the wings, complimenting the BBQ. Thankfully a finger bowl was brought out, so I dove in with my hands (the only way to eat chicken wings or ribs in my opinion!)

Sticky BBQ Famous Wings, £5.45

Mr NF forgave me for not ordering the nachos (his absolute favourite!) and had Garlic Bread (£2.95) with grilled monterey jack cheese (extra 75p) (also available plain or with mushroom or bacon bits). 

Garlicky sour dough with lots of cheese - these went down well (I was definitely forgiven for the nachos!)

Garlic bread, £2.95 + 75p for cheese

Then onto the mains. Zaks is best known for the burgers with a choice of 20 on the menu plus regular off-menu specials. There really is a burger for everyone (chicken and a selection of veggie burgers are also available with any of the toppings). Everyone I speak to has a different favourite - Mr NF alternates between Surf 'N' Turf (prawns in a cocktail sauce) and The Godfather (mushrooms and parmesan on a garlic toasted bun) and those who remember the original burger van can reminisce with The Big Un (a double-stacked cheeseburger wrapped in foil likes the original burgers).

Being the food lover that I am; I can't decide on a favourite and over the years I have tried almost every burger on the menu (the menu changed just over a year ago - so I a bit of a regular customer...!) 

Today was the perfect opportunity for The Meltdown (£10.25). Labelled as the sloppy option on the menu with crisp bacon, mushrooms and the jalapeno cheese sauce (the same sauce as on the nachos). All burgers come with a choice of Fries, Curlies, Jacket Potato or Wedges. For an extra £1.50 you can also have Sweet Potato Fries and I went for the upgrade to share with Mr NF in exchange for some Fries.

As I've already mentioned, Zaks is known for it's portions. Out came a tasty beef patty topped with two pieces of crispy salty bacon, some fried mushrooms smothered in a seriously cheesy sauce with a hint of spice from the jalapenos.

My picture does not do justice - the sweet potato fries were soft on the inside with a crispy outside and were perfect for dipping into the jalapeno sauce. I also had a few Fries from Mr NF - 

Meltdown, £10.25

Mr NF went for The Godfather (£9.75) and ended up with a double helping of garlic. Juicy fried mushrooms complimented by salty parmesan cheese. Also, take note of my generosity - look at the sweet potato fries compared to the fries I got in return!!! Ha ha! 

The Godfather, £9.75

It is pretty impossible to eat the burgers as a whole. The combination of size and the fillings make it a messy option! Due to the serious plateful of food, I normally can't even manage the top half of the bun and this visit was no exception!

No dessert this time - it's almost impossible to have a starter AND a dessert. There are some great options and naturally a big portion!

Zaks is really good to Customers - offering a loyalty card with discounts changing monthly (2 for 1 on burgers, 10% off, free refills etc). 

I am a big Zaks fan and this is often my go-to place for food, a catch up with friends, a casual date night or a big group meal. I've celebrated many an occasion here since my childhood, so Zaks holds a lot of memories for me personally. As a skater with the Norfolk Brawds, I was really happy when Zaks became our sponsor 2 years ago. Zaks offers 10% discount for Customers wearing a Norfolk Brawds Roller derby t-shirt (available here).

Please note that although I am a skater with the Norfolk Brawds, all views are completely my own. As previously mentioned, I have been a loyal customer at Zaks since childhood.

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