Benedicts

Laid back and quiet, with tables not too close together.  Comfy chairs.  We ordered from the 2 course a la carte menu.  Discreet service.

There were three complimentary amuse bouches to start off, relying mainly on seafood foams and micro herbs.  My favourite was the meringue with oyster foam.  Though I understand why they covered it up entirely with a large green leaf.  The foam tasted exquisitely of the sea but was an unattractive grey colour.

Good sour dough came with butter sprinkled with thyme and shortbread crumb.  I would advise saving some of the bread for mopping up delicious sauces that appear later during the meal.  I started with the chicken and leek terrine which was not terribly exciting but what made the dish was a stunning chervil sauce.  My companion's Norfolk dumpings was the best of our starters.  Thankfully a small portion because of the rich cream and cheese sauce.  Pillowy gnocchi like dumplings and shavings of fresh truffle.

My main was the old dairy cow steak ordered rare.  Very tender and flavourful.  The star on the plate was an intense truffle foam.  There was also some pan fried hen of the woods mushroom, roast celeriac, sauteed greens and snow peas as well as a meat jus.  My companion's buttery hake was startingly good.  It was dressed with a clam chowder sauce with crunchy samphire and tender double shelled broad beans.

Portions were surprisingly large for a fine dining establishment.  We were too full for dessert.  The cheapest red at £23 was very pleasant.  Flavours and scents were really well thought out on this menu.  My only criticism would be sometimes a lack of contrast of textures.

It was only about a week before we went to Norwich for the weekend that I actually turned my mind to the question of where we were going to eat. I did my usual trawl of Tripadvisor, the internet generally and of course, Twitter. It was doing a search of Twitter that I came across Benedicts, a new modern British bistro in Norwich that, at the start of August had only been open for five or six weeks but which had already been awarded two AA rosettes. I was lucky that they had had a cancellation which secured us a Saturday night table for two.

Benedicts is the first restaurant of his own for Richard Bainbridge who, for seven years, was the Head Chef at the Michelin starred restaurant at Morston Hall in North Norfolk. Benedicts makes for a more relaxed dining experience, unassuming from the outside, its simple facade gives way to clean white wood panelled walls and cosy warm lighting. No table cloths or pretension, just a warm inviting atmosphere.

Benedicts offers two options for dinner, either a six course £50 tasting menu or a short a la carte menu with three choices for each course (£29 for two courses or £36 for three courses). We decided to go a la carte and were pleasantly surprised to be served initially with two little snacks, I would love to be able to tell you what they were but I really can't remember specifics as they weren't on the menu but they were contrasting snacks - warm little cheesy croquette type things and a fresh and clean tasting spoonful that included little apple julienne sticks and I vaguely recall being told there might have been some sort of scallop involvement. Whatever they both were they were delicious little palate teasers for what what to come.

We agonised over which starters to pick as they all sounded delicious and I even offered to forego a meat option so we could share the veggie and fish dish. In the end, we did what we always seem to do and I had the meaty starter and also got to sample my boyfriend's dish. He chose the Norfolk Peer potato with Baron Bigod cheese, buttermilk and chive. Our starters were served by Richard himself who explained that his restaurant manager, when given the dish had remarked that it tasted like a cheesy jacket potato. It was reminiscent of a cheesy jacket potato, but the best fancy pimped up and tricked out deconstructed cheesy jacket potato ever. Over the course of the evening Richard made his way round every table, which I thought was a lovely touch.

My starter was farmed rabbit, carrot, cauliflower and tarragon. The photo below doesn't really do it justice but it was delicious and the carrots were beautifully presented in a sort of terrine style. A lot of care and attention had clearly gone into each dish.

Mains were locally caught wild sea trout, new season turnip, yoghurt, Jersey Royals and passion fruit for my boyfriend and truffled guinea fowl with pistachio pilaf rice, seared local shallots and white port shellfish bisque. Benedicts is keen on using local produce as much as possible and I love that emphasis on supporting local producers. I also love that although this is beautifully cooked food that is carefully presented, the portion sizes (unlike some restaurants in a similar style) aren't stingy, it's a meal rather than just a taste experience where you get two delicious mouthfuls costing a small fortune but you're left craving a McDonalds the minute you leave for something to fill you up.

For dessert, my boyfriend was ogling the cheeseboard on the menu but I managed to persuade him that when the food that is being made is so good, it makes absolutely no sense to choose a cheeseboard (however carefully chosen the cheese may be). I managed to convince him, mainly because we asked the waitress serving our table whether it might be possible for us to pay extra to have the cheese to share as an additional course following our dessert. I'm not one to usually start messing around with menus or ingredients in dishes but her cheery 'of course' response settled our decision and we chose the cheese to follow the other two desserts - gooseberry and ginger egg custard tart with ginger beer sorbet and Nanny Bush's summer trifle with milk jam. Both were delicious and it was definitely the right decision to order both with the cheese to follow.

The final cap in the feather of a wonderful dinner was the delivery of the bill in a cast iron acorn together with a mini roll of Love Hearts which we shared on our walk back to the Maids Head Hotel where we were staying. There's more on Norwich to come, but if you're nearby (or even if you aren't, it's worth the trip), get yourself booked in for a meal at Benedicts, it'll be worth it! I predict great things for them and I definitely expect to be hearing more about them in the future, not least because Richard Bainbridge is due to compete in the Great British Menu on BBC Two for the Central region.

Absolutely delicious food. We all had a lunch set menu which was divine. It was my mum‘s birthday and they prepared a beautiful little card and dessert for her. The service was very friendly and efficient. The atmosphere is relaxed and chatty rather than stiff which makes the whole experience even more enjoyable. Highly recommend.

A couple in our hotel described Benedicts as "expensive". I'd argue it isn't, for what it has to offer. First, 61GBP for a 6 course set menu is pretty standard. They are also very accommodating. We aren't big drinkers, so we asked to split accompanying wines in two, to try them out, but not to drink too much. And we did the same with cheeses. We wanted to try everything, but to be frank, their main dish was quite big, compared to other restaurants with set menus, where sometimes you get a single piece of meat. All in all, very friendly service, not a single dish I would consider to be weak, and a very reasonable price for that.

Fantastic food and the wines to match were expertly chosen and described. The set lunch menu was a real experience and is highly recommended. The service was spot on and the wonderful young woman who was the wine steward took care of me perfectly and with kindness when I needed to use a disabled toilet. She was a brilliant sommelier as well - those choices were inspired. Overall, this is the way to spend a lunchtime and come away feeling that you've experienced something special. The attention to every detail was astounding.

We had an outstanding dinner at Benedict's last night. Food was delicious, beautifully cooked and balanced. but the real gem of the evening was the staff. I will single out the lady Sommelier who knew her stuff, did not try and sell you an expensive bottle, but instead explained each wine clearly, and sorted out how it matched with each course. She was enthusiastic, articulate and a great addition to the staff. Bravo.

We had the 9 course taster menu and oh boy was it spectacular. Hats off to the head chef and owner Richard. All the dishes were beautifully plated and the flavour profile of each dish was delightful. The seafood dishes were some of the best we’ve had. It’s also refreshing to have a taster menu that isn’t overridden with saltiness, which meant the whole menu had a sense of freshness to it. Service was impeccable, friendly but not stuffy. Probably the best restaurant in Norwich and well deserving of a Michelin star should it get one.