Roger Hickman’s Norwich

When we got to this wonderful spot, my husband and I were greeted quickly and seated in a nice spot near some beautiful art. The atmosphere of the dining room felt quite posh, as well as being a bit less intense than other fancy restaurants we’ve eaten in. The staff members that we interacted with were all really sweet and knowledgable – happy to share what they thought about different options on the menu, and really easy to chat with.

This might sound a little odd, but one of the standout things for me was the art and the wall texture that we were seated next to. Great eateries usually have great artwork on the walls, but the art near us was really captivating – I couldn’t stop looking at them when we first sat down!

After sitting, I started with a glass of prosecco. It was, as bubbles always are, bright and sharp, perfect to have before you eat.

We perused the menu for a little bit and spoke with the member of staff that was waiting on us. They were all too happy to share information about the food with us, and I appreciated knowing a little more about the scallops that I ate later that night.

The wait was just the right length – long enough to have a few sips of my bubbles, but short enough that I wasn’t starving. We selected our food from the a la carte menu – I had three courses, and my husband had two since he isn’t a big fan of desserts.

We started with the scallops and the venison, both of which were utterly lovely.

The scallops were served with heritage carrots, buttermilk, and pain d’epice. The food was really well-balanced between the sweetness of carrots and the buttery, rich scallops.

I’ll never stop being impressed by chefs that plate scallops so well. They’re just little, white cylinders, and yet they can be made to look so beautiful!

My partner had the venison – it was a venison ragout, cooked slowly so that it’s super tender. The cauliflower on the plate was cooked to al dente perfection and breaded for crunchiness. I snuck a little piece from my husband’s plate, it was amazing!

The pickled ginger sounded odd on the menu, but it turned out to be such a good choice! It was warm and acidic, which really balanced out the richness of the meat.

As a main, we had the duck and the beef cheek.

The duck was served with boulangère potato, turnip, confit leg, and fine beans. It was really well plated, so the food looked really inviting when it was placed down in front of me. Sometimes, I think duck’s a thicker, chewier kind of meat, but this duck was both crispy and tender! I was certainly impressed.

My husband’s main was the beef cheek. It came with burnt pommes puree, along with savoy and pancetta. I’ve combined leafy greens with bacon before, but this side was like that turned up to eleven!

The beef cheek was beautifully tender and had been cooked delicately. I was worried it would be chewy, since cows use their cheeks so much, eating all the time. Luckily, I didn’t need to be worried. My husband said that it was beautifully seasoned and really tender.

To finish, I had the orange cake, with rhubarb and blood orange. I love a really sharp dessert, and this one didn’t disappoint!

The cake itself was perfectly moist, as well as having a strong flavour, but not being overpowering. The true standout was the rhubarb, though! It had been served in beautiful little slices, and the plating of it was truly incredible. For a second, my brain genuinely thought there were little slices of salmon on the plate until I thought about it for a second. This almost surprise really enhanced the dessert for me, and every bite felt like it was extra sweet or extra creamy. I could quite easily eat this dessert every day for the rest of my life!

As a final note, I just want to say that everything I ate was really well-balanced. The meal had clearly been prepared by a team that really cared about what they were cooking, as well as really knowing what they were doing. It was truly stunning!

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