Middletons Steakhouse & Grill, Timber Hill, Norwich

Happy New Year to you all! I hope you are not feeling too full after the festive period and are ready to check out some lovely food...

Middletons steakhouse & grill is the Norwich branch of a restaurant that started life in the village of Middleton near King's Lynn. Labelled as a stylish steakhouse, it is slightly more of a higher end food offering. 

After a hectic New Year's Eve, what better way to start 2016 than with some tasty food to blog about! Intending on visiting Baby Buddha, we turned up to find it closed and decided to venture towards the city centre in search of some inspiration. Admiring the Christmas lights on Timber Hill, we were enticed by the delicious food smells coming from Middletons.

As it was late afternoon, the restaurant was fairly quiet and we were seated downstairs with a perfect view of all the delicious food coming from the kitchen service hatch. The restaurant is certainly stylishly decorated and the staff were friendly and attentive.

We lucked out with the drinks choices. Starting 2016 with dry January, we were worried that it would just be tap water or a fizzy drink. Instead, there was a choice of 3 mocktails on offer. I went for a Strawberry Fizz (£4.25) - a fruity mix of strawberry puree, orange juice, sweet & sour and lemonade. My dinner date went for a Key West Cooler (£4.25) - a refreshing combination of passion fruit puree, watermelon, cranberry juice and lemonade. Both were delicious and I did not miss the alcoholic cocktails too much (Amaretto Sours are my favourite!).

Middletons offers a range of grills, burgers & seafood options and the extensive menu can make it tough to make a decision! Feeling hungry after limited eating during the day, we decided to share a couple of starters. Immediately my dining companion spotted the Calamari (£5.50) and we decided that with all of the impending steak for our main meals, Garlic Mushrooms (£4.95) were a good option. 

I always get the fear with Calamari - too many times I have been served chewy, tough rubber. However, the Calamari (£5.50) at Middletons was delicious - firm but tender with a crisp crumb and served with garlic mayonnaise.

Calamari, £5.50

The Garlic Mushrooms (£4.95) were juicy button mushrooms in a tasty garlicky & herby cream sauce, served perfectly with a basket of bread for ultimate sauce dipping!

Garlic Mushrooms, £4.95

Bread served with garlic mushrooms

As mentioned above, our main meals were more meaty. We both decided on ribeye steak - I went for Steak & Sticky (£14.95) - 6oz ribeye steak (sirloin also available) served with half a rack of sticky barbecue ribs. I was sorely tempted by my dinner dates choice of Surf & Turf (£19.95) - 8oz ribeye (sirloin also available) with piri piri king prawns. You can also upgrade to half a lobster for £27.45. Both meals came with a choice of side - I went for sweet potato chips (no surprise there!), whilst the option for the Surf & Turf was a much healthier jacket potato.

After ordering, we watched some of the other menu choices appearing at the kitchen serving hatch. The burgers looked incredible - with an 6oz priced at £8.50 and 8oz at only £10 - definitely worth another visit to try out!

However, when the food came out, I was definitely happy with my choice! Both steaks were served medium rare and were perfectly cooked. Tender steak that melted in the mouth - a beautiful cut of meat. The meat from the ribs fell off the bone with a flavourful barbecue sauce. The sweet potato fries were well cooked and perfect for dipping in the excess barbecue sauce.

Steak & sticky, £14.95

The Surf & Turf came with 3 huge king prawns. These were some serious prawns - meaty prawns flavoured with slightly spicy piri piri. I managed to nab one of the prawns in exchange for some meat from my ribs and these were some of the best king prawns I have ever eaten. 

Surf & Turf, £19.95

 To add a big of vegetation, we shared a side of Garden Salad (£2.50).

Garden Salad, £2.50

With no room for Dessert, the bill came to around £60 for two. Slightly more expensive than my usual haunts, but worth it for such a delicious meal.

With full stomachs, we went for a walk around the city centre. I had to share the beautiful Christmas lights of Jarrolds before they are gone for another year.

Food - 9/10

Service - 9/10 (great bar and waiting staff - friendly)

Atmosphere - 9/10 (fairly dark so slightly difficult to see the food!)

Value for Money - 7.5/10