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Dining in Europe > Norwich Finding a good place to eat or drink in Norwich is by no means difficult, but the true jewels in the Norwich crown are not immediately obvious to the casual observer. Nevertheless, those who are willing to make that little bit more effort in seeking out a truly excellent restaurant, café, pub, bistro or bar will be well-rewarded. Although many pubs in Norwich offer a range of food to go with their drinks menu, the citys classier restaurants are perfect for those occasions which call for something more than pub grub. Adlards on Upper St Giles Street, for example, offers an excellent menu matched only by its impact on the wallet. In a similar vein, the menu at Lloyds of London Street is not exactly comprehensive, but the food is nothing short of excellent, and is made almost entirely from local produce. Many of the citys restaurants offer separate rooms for larger parties which allow groups to enjoy themselves without having to worry too much about their fellow diners. For example, Chi-Chis Cantina and Grill on Timber Hill has an excellent first floor balcony which is more often than not filled with groups enjoying the impressive Tex-Mex fare. Along the same ethnic lines is Mambo Jambo, which specialises in Cajun, Creole and Mexican and has a cracking party atmosphere. However, Pedros Mexican Cantina (Chapel Field Gardens) is pretty much the undisputed king of Mexican food in Norwich, with outrageously large portions prepared in an open sided kitchen for your viewing and eating pleasure. Mexican food is not the only impressive import to the city. Amongst the local and student populations, Norwich is rightly celebrated for its abundant and fairly cheap curry houses (they used to be exceptionally cheap, with an indefinite half-price sale at most places, until an OFT investigation into price-fixing actually forced the prices up!). Some of the best are scattered along the length of Magdalen Street, including the above-average Norwich Tandoori which happily welcomes larger groups. Indeed, Magdalen Street seems to be made up almost exclusively of pubs, clubs, kebab shops and curry houses. Good curries can be found elsewhere, however. Over on Prince of Wales Road, the Prince of India offers some of the best Indian food around and has a comfortable foyer area in which to enjoy a pint of Kingfisher before your meal. Also worth a mention is the Balti Diner which has recently relocated to Dereham Road and is one of the best of the out-of-town Indian restaurants. However, for those only interested in a curry after a long nights drinking, then Norwich, as ever, will provide. The city used to pride itself on having a pub for every day of the year, although these days the competition posed by national chains has reduced that number. For example, there are two JD Wetherspoon pubs with their very cheap pints tempered by a lack of atmosphere, as well as outlets for Yates, Firkin, Hogshead and the other usual suspects. Worry not, however, as there are plenty of pubs and bars which value character higher than a cheap round. In the summer months the Golden Triangle is the place to be, particularly at the Garden House (Pembroke Road) and the York Tavern (Leicester Street), both of which have very lively beer gardens in which to soak up the sun. On colder nights, the Unthank Arms, located nearby on Newmarket Street, is often heaving with revellers, especially upstairs at weekends. Alternatively, the Mitre on the other side of the Triangle (Earlham Road) is small and unpretentious, and has special offers every day of the week (free pool and juke box during afternoons, for example). Outside the Triangle there are plenty of pubs to keep the casual drinker occupied. For those after a quiet pint in town there is the spacious Refreshers on St Giles Street and the Compleat Angler by the new Riverside development (which includes Time nightclub, the Hollywood Bowl, the 14 screen UCI cinema and American theme restaurant, Old Orleans). For more formal nights out, the newly-opened Lounge on St Benedicts Street blends chic decor with designer beers for designer drinkers, and if your wallet can stretch far enough, Chandlers on All Saints Green will meet all your Tom Cruise cocktail needs. Although theme bars are thankfully not abundant in Norwich, the vodka bar Kafe Da on Bedford Street is worth a visit for its speciality flavoured vodkas. Its also one of the only places in the City to drink after 11.30 without paying an entrance fee, although some of the loudest music in town makes the Kafes late opening a mixed blessing. Above all, finding a memorable dining and drinking experience in Norwich calls for a bit of a wander, but that extra effort will more often than not be richly rewarded. Simon Abrahams Entertainment in NorwichWhen it comes to entertainment, Norwich does extremely well for a city of its size. It has a good selection of cinemas, theatres, museums and art galleries as well as several large live music venues and numerous nightclubs. The city also has two large bowling alleys (the Hollywood Bowl and the Solar Bowl), the Megazone laser game centre and the Solar Skate rollerskating rink. Film enthusiasts now have a variety of cinemas to choose from in Norwich. Cinema City is the place to see more off-beat movies and art films. They also do childrens matinees at very reasonable seat prices. The ABC on Prince of Wales Road and the Odeon in Anglia Square both show the latest releases and frequently have special offers on tickets. New multiplexes the UCI at Riverside and Castle Malls Ster Century certainly offer the greatest choice and most comfort but seats do tend to be more expensive. Norwich also has a number of very good theatres offering both amateur and professional productions, many of which are on national tour before ending up in the West End. The Theatre Royal is the citys largest theatre and puts on professional drama, comedy, musicals, ballet and childrens productions. The Norwich Playhouse, by the river, also runs seasons featuring a variety of touring productions. At the Maddermarket you can see both local and national productions while the Sewell Barn tends to feature just amdram. Norwich is also lucky enough to have its own Puppet Theatre. Museum-lovers will also find plenty to occupy themselves with in Norwich. Theres local history at the Bridewell Museum and appointments can be made to medieval merchants house Strangers Hall. Other museums include the Shire Hall and the Aviation Museum. Norwich Castle Museum is currently closed but should be open again next year following refurbishments. Among other displays, this features visiting art exhibitions. Norwich has many art galleries of different sizes in a variety of locations. These include the Norwich Gallery on St Georges Street and the Norwich Arts Centre. Norwich Arts Centre is also a popular live music venue with frequent jazz, blues, Latin American and salsa evenings as well as stand-up comedy sessions. Converted warehouse The Waterfront is also a popular live music venue and often hosts national bands and musicians as well local groups and club nights. The University of East Anglias LCR is where the countrys top musicians perform in Norwich. Appearances tend to be during student term times. The city has also come alive with clubbing events in recent years. One-off acid house, hip-hop, techno and drum & bass sessions are held regularly at The Waterfront and The LCR as well as at the nightclubs themselves. Tombland is a popular clubbing area offering mostly commercial dance sounds at clubs such as Fifth Avenue, Ikon and Hys. On Prince of Wales Road, theres the mainstream Chicago Rock Cafe with its themed nights. Or for more alternative heavier sounds try Zoom or if you are looking for gay nights try The Loft. Big name DJs can be found headlining on Thursday night slots at Time on Riverside. Dining in Europe > Norwich
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