Breakfast at The Plasterer's Arms

The Plasterer's Arms is probably our favourite pub in Norwich, which is quite something as Norwich has an array of fantastic pubs.  The Plasterer's is a proper pub with a modern edge, epitomised by a stunning selection of gins as well as some great real ales and craft beers.  Plus they have lots of cool stuff like Sunday afternoon blues music and a bar billiards table.  And then there is the small matter of Voodoo Daddy's and their bonkers selection of artisan pizzas.

Given our much-publicised love for breakfast/brunch and our love for The Plasterer's, imagine our delight when we saw a post on Facebook informing us that on weekends, breakfast is now served at The Plasterer's from 10am.  Absolutely ideal.

So, we ventured to our local (almost, it's more like the fourth closest pub) on a Sunday morning to try out their breakfast offerings.  The menu is small but includes some American cereals, a nice touch that will please the local hipsters.  It also includes staples like bacon sarnies and some avocado on toast options too, along with a staggering choice of Bloody Marys.

WOTVM decided on smashed avocado and cashew cream on sourdough toast with crispy bacon, whilst Mr Vegan Man went for masala beans on sourdough toast.  We didn't plump for a Bloody Mary on this occasion, instead opting for a coffee for the gentleman and a pint of Coke for the lady (WOTVM doesn't drink hot drinks so this is how she gets her morning caffeine fix).  We paid at the bar and two breakfasts with drinks for £13 was a cracking start.

The food arrived promptly on chintzy plates that were fitting for the quirky setting.  Mr Vegan Man's masala beans were absolutely delicious, made with a tonne of cardamom and with a decent whack of background heat to boot.  The sourdough toast was crunchy with a great tang.  All in all a real treat.

WOTVM's sourdough was, well, pretty much the same as Mr Vegan Man's.  Her toppings, though, were quite different.  The avocado was creamy with a good texture and she loved the cashew cream.  The bacon was really crispy, just how she likes it, and the flavours and textures went together well.

There were a couple of minor gripes; firstly, the cutlery could have been a bit cleaner, there were a one or two food stains on the knife so we gave it a wipe with our napkins.  Secondly, the avocado had gone a bit grey - a little squeeze of lemon juice would have not only added a nice zing and freshness to the dish but would also have helped the avocado to keep its vibrant green colour.  Small details but important nonetheless.

Overall though, we really enjoyed our breakfast and it'll be interesting to see how well-established breakfast at The Plasterer's becomes.  We will certainly be back, it's just down the road from us, is very reasonably-priced, and the food was tasty.  Definitely well worth a try.

WOTVM's food adventures in London - Part 3

This is the final, and briefest, instalment of our food adventures in London.  Normal service will be resumed soon with some reviews of the finest Norwich has to offer plus some tasty recipes, our bathroom should be in place by the end of the week and we're hoping to be able to then get back to blogging more regularly.

So, day three in London began a little later; as our train was due to leave at 4.30pm we decided on an eating strategy of a hearty brunch followed by an early afternoon snack to tide us over until we got back to the fine city.  When we stay in London, we often stay in Angel as there are loads of excellent food and drink places nearby, one of which is the Islington branch of The Breakfast Club.  However, every time we've stayed our efforts to eat at The Breakfast Club have been thwarted by it being absolutely rammed, with queues out the door and round the corner.  Thankfully, there are several branches across London (plus one in Brighton) and one of them just happened to be a stone's throw from our hotel.

The Spitalfields branch is larger than the more bijou Angel café and this meant that we were able to get a table straight away.  It was busy, but arriving at around 11.30 - after the main breakfast crowd but before lunch has got going - meant that we wouldn't have to wait for our food.  The menu is a combination of traditional British and American/Mexican inspired dishes.  Think anything from a full English to pancake stacks to breakfast burritos and much more in between.  There's a good mix of original dishes and old favourites, something to please everyone.

On the day we visited the hotplate had broken and so the menu choices were more limited, however that wasn't a problem for us as the dishes that took our fancy were still available anyway.  WOTVM went for the breakfast burrito - loaded with chorizo, scrambled egg, peppers and cheese with guacamole, sour cream and salsa on the side - whilst Mr Vegan Man opted for avocado and poached egg on toast, with the added zip of lemon juice, chillies, basil and some crunchy pumpkin seeds to boot.  To drink we ordered a freshly squeezed orange juice and a Slow Boy, which was a concoction of orange, carrot, apple and ginger.

The drinks arrived quickly and were followed shortly afterwards by the food, which looked great.  WOTVM's burrito was really good; the scrambled eggs were light and fluffy, the chorizo was punchy with flavour but not overpowering, the guacamole and salsa went really well too.  Mr Vegan Man does make the best breakfast burrito in the world so The Breakfast Club had stiff competition, but this came pretty close in terms of flavour. Her only criticism was that there was a bit too much sour cream, a touch less and it would have been spot on.

Mr Vegan Man's avocado and poached egg on toast was top notch.  The toast was good and crunchy, the poached egg had a lovely runny yolk, the avocado was creamy and complimented perfectly by a bit of chilli kick and the fresh pop of lemon and basil.  The seeds added some nice texture too.  All in all a very good brunch and at prices that are reasonable too.  Service was friendly and we'd definitely come back again.

With a few hours to kill we decided to go for a stroll along the South Bank, starting off at London Bridge.  We walked up to the Tate Modern to see if there was anything we fancied seeing but after a quick browse around the free galleries the only thing we were interested in - an exhibition by Georgia O'Keefe - was prohibitively expensive, so we instead decided to head back along the river to Borough Market.

We love Borough Market, it has such a great variety of food stalls, with most of the world represented somewhere or other.  We've had great street food from there previously, including take away flutes of prosecco and pink fizz, but on this early afternoon we had a hankering for some gelato and so we ended up in Gelateria 3Bis.  The place looked authentic, with the gelato kept covered (we learnt in Italy that all authentic gelaterias keep the gelato covered, the more 'touristy' places pile it high and make it look flashy) and with a small but interesting selection of flavours.  Mr Vegan Man went for dark chocolate and coconut - going for the effect of a Bounty - whilst WOTVM chose peanut and banana flavours.  Unbeknownst to WOTVM, the banana variety was actually a sorbet rather than a gelato, however the banana flavour was really strong.  WOTVM was a little disappointed as she loves gelato and isn't a huge sorbet fan but she could appreciate the quality and ate it all.

The peanut flavour was excellent, really good nutty flavour and a nice smooth gelato.  Mr Vegan Man's gelato was similarly really well made, beautifully creamy and with a good, rich flavour.  We both plumped for the free chocolate sauce in the bottom of our cups, which is a really nice touch and something that we also experienced in a gelateria we visited in Rome.  The sauce tastes like melted Nutella, which really can't be a bad thing.  We'd happily visit again, but WOTVM would make sure she ordered two scoops of gelato next time.

On our way back to the bus stop, we decided to stop for a quick drink at the Wheatsheaf right by the market.  It was a cracking little pub, with a brilliant outdoor area where we sat and enjoyed a pint.  Prices were a bit steep, but it is right by the market and it does serve really good local craft beer.

We made our way back to the hotel to collect our bags - via a quick vintage dress purchase on the corner of Brick Lane - and then we were on our way back to Norwich.  We had a great stay and ate lots of tasty food and we'll be looking forward to our next trip to the capital.

WOTVM's food adventures in London - Part 2

Today we bring you the second instalment of our recent trip to London.  We woke late after a good night's sleep and headed out for some breakfast.  Brick Lane is not only famous for its numerous Indian restaurants, it also has some excellent places to pick up a bagel.  The salt beef bagels are a particular speciality, however Mr Vegan Man could not partake for obvious reasons and WOTVM was feeling the salt beef might be too much for a breakfast bagel.  We headed to Beigel Bake - something of a local institution - as WOTVM had been there before and swore by the quality of their soft, doughy bagels.

We arrived after the regular breakfast rush and before the lunchtime queues so were served very quickly.  WOTVM opted for a classic smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel, whilst Mr Vegan Man went for egg as his filling of choice.  The sheer number of bagels on display speaks to the popularity of Beigel Bake and we certainly weren't disappointed.

Sitting in a local park just off Brick Lane, we tucked into our breakfast.  The bagels were soft and satisfying.  Bagels are a food that divide our household, Mr Vegan Man is fairly indifferent towards them, finding them a bit sweet and a bit too chewy - he would usually plump for a crumpet or muffin if he fancied some non-bread baked goods for breakfast.  WOTVM, on the other hand, is a huge fan of bagels.  Even Mr Vegan Man conceded that Beigel Bake's bagels were top quality, not too sweet and with a lighter texture than the usual supermarket fare.  The egg filling was nice and hearty, though on reflection Mr Vegan Man should have asked for some mayo for extra lubrication. 

WOTVM's smoked salmon and cream cheese offering was superb - the smoked salmon was lovely and plentiful, especially at such a reasonable price.  The two bagels with a couple of cans of drink came to just over a fiver - exceptionally good value.

We headed off to Camden Town for a walk along the canal to Regents Park.  The plan was to stroll around the park for an hour or two and then head for some lunch at Honey & Co, not far away on Warren Street.  However, even at 2.30pm on a Monday the café/deli was packed full and so we decided to save it for our next trip to the capital.  We instead walked on to Tottenham Court Road and visited Leon, a fast food chain with a difference, priding itself on fresh produce and healthier options.  Leon's branches are mainly to be found in London, although they are expanding outside the capital also.

WOTVM plumped for a fish finger wrap for her lunch, whilst Mr Vegan Man went for a sweet potato falafel hot box.  The portion sizes were generous and the prices more than reasonable for the food on offer.  WOTVM's wrap was tasty, good crunchy fish fingers and nice crisp salad with a good whack of tartare sauce. 

Mr Vegan Man's hot box was fresh and flavoursome, well-made falafels with rice and slaw.  As fast food goes, Leon is a good option - everything is fresh and although the food isn't likely to blow your mind (which, if we're honest, is not something you expect from fast food anyway) they have some nice, different lunch options that are hearty and tasty.

After our disappointment at finding Black Vanilla had closed down on our trip to Greenwich the previous day, we were in the mood for some gelato.  After a quick bit of Googling, we discovered that Covent Garden is something of a gelato hotspot and so we headed off hastily in that direction.  Before we could reach Covent Garden itself, we came across Udderlicious which was busy with customers filling up on ice cream.  Although not quite the gelato we had been after, we also love ice cream and Udderlicious looked good so we popped in for a sweet treat.

We committed something of a schoolboy error - we did not realise that the number of scoops you ordered equated to the quantity of the ice cream as opposed to the number of flavours you could have.  It was possible to have two flavours with a one scoop order but we didn't realise this until we'd already ordered two scoops each when another, more savvy, customer placed his order.  We can honestly report that two scoops of Udderlicious ice cream is a very, very generous portion for one person.  Very generous.

WOTVM went for a scoop of chocolate and peanut ice cream and one scoop of salted caramel - one of her favourite flavours.  Mr Vegan Man went for the trusty combo of dark chocolate and hazelnut as his two varieties.  The ice cream was really tasty, it had a nice, smooth texture and the flavours came through nicely, especially the hazelnut and salted caramel.  We'd definitely recommend a visit to Udderlicious but if you've already eaten, maybe stick to one scoop unless you're feeling especially hungry.

In the evening we met up with two friends for dinner, one of whom also happened to be in London from Norwich for the week and the other who is a Hackney boy (but former Norwich resident) who always helpfully suggests good food spots to try when we visit.  On this occasion, his first suggestion - a Japanese restaurant near Bank - was closed, but not to be disheartened we moved on to another of his suggestions, Pizza Union near Spitalfields, which was handy for us as it was just round the corner from our hotel.

Pizza Union have a great concept, dirt cheap pizzas in an authentic style with quick, no nonsense service.  You go up to the counter to order and are given a little device the lets you know when your pizza is ready to collect.  There is ample seating - in the form of long communal benches made of scaffolding, like a more edgy, urban Wagamama - at which to sit and enjoy your pizza, but the lack of table service (which includes taking drinks from the chiller to the counter yourself too) helps the cost to stay low and means no awkward trying to catch the waiter's eye if you fancy another drink.  We're talking 12" pizzas ranging from £4 to £6.50 low, which is incredible value.  Beers were cheap too at £3.50 a bottle and we enjoyed several.

Mr Vegan man opted for a Fiorentina with no cheese (since pizzas are made to order this wasn't a problem) and WOTVM went for a Stagioni (four seasons).  The pizzas were ready in about 5 minutes, possibly less.  The bases were thin and crispy and the toppings on Mr Vegan Man's Fiortentina were plentiful and flavoursome, the egg adding a nice bit of richness and protein alongside the iron-rich spinach and salty olives.

WOTVM loved her offering - being rather unfussy about what food she likes means often she finds it hard to make a choice, but here she could get four different pizzas in one! There was a good variety of toppings and each of the four sections of the Stagioni were really enjoyable.  The crispy, light base was a real highlight and overall it was a significant cut above the average pizza chain at a price well below most high street chains.

It would be fair to say that Pizza Union are doing a cracking job of turning out delicious food in virtually no time at unbelievable prices.  What more could you ask for?  Well, in our case we were given a free dessert pizza - a dough ring filled with mascarpone and Nutella - by the lovely staff because of the very small inconvenience of us having to move seats for about a minute to enable them to reach a vent above us in the ceiling.  That was an unexpected treat and a really nice touch, we weren't put out at all by having to briefly move.

We got back to the hotel and crashed out fairly quickly, tired out from the good food and good company.  We'd definitely recommend all of the places we sampled today, but Beigel Bake and Pizza Union were particular highlights.

Coming soon will be the third and final part of our food adventures in London.  Any comments or questions, please get in touch below or via email.

Smashed avocado with roasted tomatoes and poached egg

This is a great breakfast or brunch dish to whip up on a weekend, or even a week day morning if you find yourself with a bit of time to spare.  It only takes 20 minutes or so to make and is a real treat; smashed avocado with various toppings is an increasingly popular dish on many breakfast/brunch menus and we like it particularly with tomatoes and poached egg.

Pre-heat your oven to 180°C and whilst it reaches temperature, half six small tomatoes.  We've been using some Sainsbury's Taste the Difference ones that are really sweet and juicy - well worth the few extra pence.  Place the tomato halves on a baking tray and drizzle with a little olive oil then sprinkle a little dried oregano, dried basil, salt and black pepper over the top.  Place in the hot oven for 15 minutes.

Whilst the tomatoes are cooking, take a ripe (very ripe is best) avocado and scoop out the flesh into a bowl.  Add the juice of half a lemon, or a lime if you don't have a lemon, along with half a teaspoon of chilli flakes and a pinch of salt and black pepper.  Use a fork to smash the avocado up leaving a few small chunks and mix well.

Bring a pan of water up to the boil and add a good pinch of salt and half a tablespoon of malt vinegar to the water.  When it is at a gentle boil, crack in two eggs and poach for 3-4 minutes until they are set but the yolks are still soft.  In the meantime, toast two slices of bread - fresh sourdough is our favourite but go with whatever you like best.

Spread some butter on the toast, smear over the avocado mixture and top with the poached egg and roasted tomatoes.  A really delicious breakfast that is simple to make and relatively healthy.  We hope you enjoy!

Brunch at Frank's Bar

When we got back from our wonderful holiday to Croatia, WOTVM had the bright idea of going out for brunch the following morning to try and combat our holiday blues.  We strolled into the city on a gloomy Friday morning and after passing a packed Number 33, which had been on our list of possibilities, we narrowed our choice down to Frank's Bar or Pandora's Kitchen.  As we'd been to Pandora's Kitchen recently, we decided to give Frank's a go.

Frank's Bar (picture courtesy of their website) has a special place in our hearts as it was where we went on our first date.  It was a quiet Wednesday night and we managed to wile away four of five hours in the blink of an eye, although we did also knock back quite a few gin and tonics and rum and gingers.  We like to go back to Frank's pretty regularly although usually only for drinks; Frank's has built up a tasty-looking menu and really developed its food options over the years but aside from some bread and hummus, we've not previously sampled their foody wares.

The breakfast/brunch menu has some interesting options and after ordering drinks - coffee, orange juice and herbal tea - and spending several minutes agonising over our choices we realised that we'd both narrowed it down to the same two dishes.  We decided that sharing was the way forward and so ordered avocado, cherry tomatoes and poached eggs on sourdough toast and sabih, a traditional Israeli dish of aubergine, boiled egg and a tahini dressing served on a toasted pitta with a mango pickle.

Our brunch arrived quickly and looked amazing, with a nice little dressed salad garnish on the side of both dishes.  After taking a quick snap, we set about ruining the aesthetics of our dishes by carving them in two and swapping them about.  We tucked in hungrily - it was around 11.30 and we hadn't eaten since the night before - and we were very happy with our choices.

The sabih was very flavoursome, it had a background sweetness from the mango pickle which complimented the rich sesame flavour of the tahini and the deep, smoky taste of aubergine.  The pitta bread was slightly crispy on the outside and was an excellent vehicle for the Middle Eastern flavours on top of it.  The boiled egg worked well with the other elements of the dish and added some hearty chunks of protein.

The avocado on toast was very nice indeed.  The avocado itself was perfectly ripe and the poached egg was cooked to perfection, with the yolk oozing out over the rest of the dish.  The sourdough toast had a good tangy crust and absorbed the juices from the tomatoes, avocado and egg nicely.  Our only small complaint is that we could have done with a few more tomatoes, the ones we had were sweet and juicy but we only had one or two each and could have done with a couple more.  The dressed salad with both of the dishes was a nice accompaniment.

Our bill, including drinks, was just over £20 which we felt was reasonable.  The portion sizes were just right (other than the missing toms) and we felt nicely full but not stuffed at the end of our brunch. 

We'll definitely give the food offerings at Frank's another go when we inevitably make another visit.  The service here is always friendly and today was no exception; we love the table service that comes as standard at Frank's, such a simple but great concept for a bar/café.  It's a great little place and quite rightly a Norwich institution, if you've never been before you should definitely go.  The décor is shabby shic and suitably hip and cool, it's the kind of place you can just as easily come for a coffee as a beer, a slice of cake as some tasty mezze plates.  You can visit their website here and you can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

Any questions or comments please comment below or send us an email.

Huevos divorciados con frijoles

Today, we bring you our recipe for huevos divorciados con frijoles.  Frijoles are refried beans and are a common accompaniment for a dish such as this; huevos divorciados are the cousin of huevos rancheros - a popular Mexican breakfast or brunch dish consisting of a tortilla topped with fried eggs and salsa, often with other additions too.  Huevos divorciados translates as 'divorced eggs' and it differs from its better-known cousin by having a different colour salsa for each of the two fried eggs.  We have gone for a traditional tomato salsa that would usually be served with huevos rancheros along with an avocado salsa.  In Mexico, we understand that red and green salsas are served with huevos divorciados but the green salsa is usually runny and made with green tomatoes, so this is very much our own take on a Mexican classic.

The recipe makes a hearty, substantial brunch dish and you could have it for lunch or dinner quite happily as it will certainly fill you up.  The balance of flavours works really well, the frijoles are smoky and ever so slightly sweet whilst the tomato salsa gives a sharp freshness and some chilli heat, whilst the avocado offers a richness and an extra whack of chilli to boot.  It's a great alternative to more traditional cooked breakfasts and is really fresh and zingy.  It's easy to make too, so long as you don't mind doing a bit of chopping in the morning.

Ingredients (serves 2 generously):

4 large eggs
2 soft tortillas
Approx. 1 tbsp. vegetable oil for frying the eggs

Red salsa:

6 small tomatoes
1 red chilli
Half a red onion
20g fresh coriander
Juice of 1.5 limes
0.5 tbsp. olive oil

Green salsa:

Large avocado
One green chilli
1 clove of garlic
10g flat leaf parsley
10g fresh mint
Juice of 1.5 limes
0.5 tbsp. olive oil

Frijoles:

400g tin red kidney beans
1 clove of garlic
0.5 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
0.5 tbsp. tomato ketchup
0.5 tbsp. barbeque sauce
0.5 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preparation and cooking time: 30 minutes

 

Begin by making your two salsas.  Finely chop the coriander and place in a bowl, then do the same with the mint and parsley (use only the leaves of the mint as the stalks are woody) placing them in a separate bowl.  Chop up your red onion and red chilli and add this to the bowl containing the coriander, then crush your clove of garlic and chop your green chilli and add these to the bowl containing the mint and parsley.  The reason for chopping these ingredients first is that they make less of a mess than the tomatoes and avocados and this will save you having to wipe down your chopping board whilst doing your prep.

The next step is to skin and de-seed the tomatoes.  To skin the tomatoes, cut a small cross just deep enough to pierce the skin into the top of your tomatoes and place them in a pan of boiling water for one minute.  Immediately place them in a bowl of cold water so that they don't continue to cook - you want to remove the skin only, not cook the flesh.  The skin should then peel off very easily and you will then need to cut the tomatoes open and remove the seeds.  Don't worry if you have a few rogue seeds left, it won't matter too much.

Finely chop the tomato and add to the bowl with the coriander, onion and red chilli.  Next, cut your avocado in half lengthways and then remove the stone.  Peel off the avocado skin and cut the avocado into small chunks and add this to the bowl containing the mint, parsley, garlic and green chilli.  Squeeze one and a half limes into each of the bowls and add half a tablespoon of olive oil to each then stir to ensure that the ingredients are well mixed.  Add a pinch of salt to season then set aside your two salsas for serving later.

Next, heat half a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat.  Crush your other clove of garlic and drain but don't rinse your kidney beans.  For most recipes that use canned pulses we usually rinse them after draining but for this dish you want some of the beany flavour that is in the juices in the can so just drain the excess liquid.  At this point, also preheat your oven to 160°C in order to warm your tortillas before serving.

Add the garlic to the pan and soften for a minute or two then add the cumin, cinnamon and smoked paprika and cook for a further minute or two whilst stirring so that the spices cook through but don't catch.  Add the kidney beans and any remaining juices in the can then add the barbeque sauce and tomato ketchup.  Stir and then reduce the heat slightly and leave the beans to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes.  Use your spoon to break up some of the beans when stirring as this gives a nice flavour and consistency to your frijoles.

Heat some vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium to high heat.  Once the oil is at temperature, place two tortillas in the oven.  Then, crack the eggs into the frying pan and fry until they are just set, basting the top of the egg to help to heat through the yolk and ensure that the white is cooked through on top.  This should only take a couple of minutes.

Remove the tortillas from the oven and place one on each plate.  Add your frijoles to the middle of the tortilla and then add an egg to the left and right of your frijoles and dress the eggs with the two salsas, with the red salsa on one egg and the green salsa on the other.  It is then ready to serve and enjoy.



This is one of our favourite brunch dishes.  It is packed full of flavour and sets you up nicely for the rest of the day.  Please give it a try and let us know how you get on.  You can leave a comment below or email us.

Brunch by Morning Glory at Gonzo's Tea Room

Sunday is a great day for brunch; it's a lazy day by its nature, with fewer places open and those that are doing business opening later than they usually do.  Thankfully, Norwich has a number of places serving hearty portions of breakfast fare from late morning into early afternoon and so this week we, along with some friends, decided to go to Gonzo's Tea Room.  Brunch at Gonzo's is provided by pop-up restaurant, Morning Glory.  Pop-ups have become increasingly popular in Norwich in recent years, with Voodoo Daddy's Pizza being a particular success story that also started at Gonzo's before moving to the Plasterer's Arms.  Much like Voodoo Daddy's, the Morning Glory pop-up kitchen will also be moving on from Gonzo's imminently - in fact, Sunday was their last day of service there - but fear not, they will soon be popping up again, this time at 79 Unthank Road.

Gonzo's itself has been a welcome addition to the city centre.  For many years in prior incarnations, the bones of Gonzo's housed grimy but cool late bars/clubs with sticky floors and questionable interior design (anyone remember the day beds in Havana's?  How was that ever a good idea?).  Gonzo's transformed the space into something really quite different.  In addition to hosting Morning Glory (until now), they also serve food in the evening, offering a playful and tasty-sounding selection of gourmet burgers.  They even do takeaway via Just Eat.  The décor at Gonzo's is firmly retro-chic, with a hotchpotch of furniture including grand leather Queen Anne chairs and a Pacman arcade machine table.  There are vintage toys, games and the odd pop art flourish to boot.  It is hip but unpretentious and offers something a bit quirky, which we like.

On to breakfast, and the options offered by Morning Glory represent a nice alternative to British and European classics.  There is no traditional all-day breakfast on offer here, nor are there other staples such as Eggs Benedict or Eggs Florentine.  The flavour of the day is Mexican, with a nod to the USA in some of the options too (particularly their thick, American-style pancakes with fruit or bacon and maple syrup).  The menu offers a number of veggie options, including huevos rancheros, breakfast burrito, breakfast wrap and smashed avocado and egg on toast (with chilli to keep the Mexican theme going).  They do a range of milkshakes, some of which also have a distinctly Latino kick.  Mr Vegan Man ordered a Chocolate Mexicano - a shake made with almond milk, chocolate, banana, oats, cinnamon and cayenne pepper.  It was very tasty and not overly sweet, with a nice peppery kick at the finish.

When it came time to order food, we plumped for huevos rancheros and huevos Mexicanos.  The two dishes were very similar, both are constructed with a tortilla base and topped with two fried eggs, refried beans, avocado, salsa and fried potatoes.  The only difference between the two is that the Mexicanos comes with the addition of two chorizo-style sausages.  The other members of our party plumped for the breakfast wrap - stuffed with rice, avocado, salsa and refried beans - with an additional fried egg, a breakfast burrito which is stuffed with scrambled egg, salsa, avocado, cheese and refried beans, and finally the pancakes with everything.  All the bacon, all the fruits, all the syrup.  Although technically this was off menu, they were more than happy to oblige and all of their dishes have the option of adding breakfast items for a bargain 50p (sausages are more at £1).

The food arrived and the portion sizes were strikingly impressive.  The tortillas on the rancheros and Mexicanos were piled high with toppings - there was at least half an avocado on each and piles of beans, salsa and fried potatoes sat beneath two perfectly fried eggs.  The tortilla itself was large enough that not one bit of the plate could be seen beneath it.  Our friend who ordered the pancakes with everything was faced with a mountain of doughy, fruity, bacon-y goodness and the burrito was the size of a small car (see below).  Morning Glory do not scrimp on their portions.  However, brunch should be a big meal - normally anyone eating it has already skipped breakfast and probably doesn't plan on chowing down lunch either - so you want a good-sized meal.

The first thing that struck us both was the flavour of the refried beans.  They were simply beautiful, with a smoky spiciness that was incredibly moreish.  The avocado was ripe but not yet turning to mush and the salsa provided a nice bit of acidity.  The overall spice level of the dish was good, but it was not particularly fiery with chilli heat, the spices were more aromatic.  They offer a range of hot sauces for anyone who likes it hot and Mr Vegan Man added some habanero sauce for a bit of extra pep.  The crispy potatoes were a welcome addition too - Mr Vegan Man had somehow missed these on the menu so they felt like an extra treat.  They were also coated in a light, smoky spice that complimented the rest of the dish really well.  Wife of the Vegan Man is not a massive chorizo fan, but she really enjoyed the sausages and found the flavour to be just right - not too strong as to overpower everything else on the plate.

Mr Vegan Man is a quick eater and cleared his plate first, the speed of his eating helping to trick his stomach into not realising how full it was getting.  Wife of the Vegan Man had a brief wobble about halfway through her brunch and wondered if she would have any chance of finishing.  After giving herself a quick pep talk and taking a few deep breaths, she ploughed on and in the end only left some of the tortilla and a small amount of avocado, salsa and egg white.  It was a good effort given that she had everything on the huevos rancheros plus two hearty sausages.  Our friend who ordered the pancakes demolished them in impressive style and was hugely impressed with his food.  Our other friends left a little and, whilst disappointed at being unable to finish, felt full and satisfied.  Everyone who had the refried beans as part of their breakfast agreed that they were the star of the show.

We left with stomachs bulging and faces smiling.  Morning Glory offer really good value for money - we had the two most expensive brunch dishes plus two drinks each and it came to £25.  Not bad at all considering the quality of the food on offer and also taking into account that it filled us up until the evening.

It will be interesting to see what (if anything) replaces Morning Glory at Gonzo's, however based on our experience we are sure that Morning Glory will go on to do really well when they move premises.  We will be seeking them out, even though Unthank Road is a bit more of a trek for us.  If you are lucky enough to live in the Golden Triangle, make a beeline to 79 Unthank Road on or after the 6th of June when Morning Glory will be landing there.

Breakfast at Pandora's Kitchen

We'd heard good things about Pandora's Kitchen breakfasts, not least due to high praise from Norwich reviewing legend the Fry Up Inspector.  We have no intention of treading on the great man's toes so we're steering clear of fry ups (well, of reviewing them at least), however we couldn't resist a trip to Pandora's ourselves to check out what they have to offer.

Firstly, Pandora's itself is a lovely little spot.  Right at the top of London Street in a fine old Norwich building, it combines old world charm with a modern touch.  The décor is quirky and knowingly quaint, with just the right notes of kitsch and twee about it.  A very nice setting for breakfast, lunch or a quick coffee and a pastry.  By the way, the pastries look AMAZING, we didn't get round to trying any this time but those croissants will be ours some day.  Some day..........

Downstairs is the main café/bakery area where you can grab drinks and sexy-looking baked goods to go, then upstairs there are two generous dining rooms.  There's a good range of seating for large and small groups alike so it's an ideal spot for friends to congregate as well as for food-loving couples like us.  The atmosphere is relaxed and unhurried, which is exactly what you want for a leisurely breakfast.

The menu choices are excellent, a bit different from the usual variations on a full English.  They have a number of poached egg and muffin combos, including classics like Eggs Benedict as well as their own intriguing-sounding Eggs London Street.  They also serve smashed avocado on sourdough toast with a range of different toppings.  How can you go wrong with options like that?  And that is without even mentioning their gargantuan Fry Up Inspector breakfast.  To cap it all off, if you can't find something that is exactly what you want then you can simply add a breakfast item to any of the menu options for a mere 75p.

We chose Eggs Florentine for Mr (not really) Vegan Man and smashed avocado on sour dough toast with crispy bacon and poached egg with some black pudding added for good measure for the Wife of the Vegan Man - she simply cannot resist black pudding when it's on offer.

The Eggs Florentine (pictured above) were delicious.  The eggs were poached to perfection, the yolk just the right sort of runny and the whites fluffy and light.  The hollandaise was creamy but with a generous enough squeeze of lemon to cut through the richness and we're sure there was a hint of mace or nutmeg around which added an unexpected twist.  The muffins were crispy and managed to stand up well considering the wilted spinach and roasted tomatoes inevitably added a fair amount of moisture to the plate.  The iron-rich greens and succulent tomatoes were a top combination and the addition of a handful of peppery rocket was a nice touch too.

The smashed avocado had a wonderful texture, creamy but with just enough chunkiness to get your teeth into.  The smoky, crispy bacon goes so well with the unctuous green avocado and the oozing poached egg brings it all together.  The sourdough was crunchy with a good, thick crust and subtle tang.  The black pudding was just a gratuitous extra, adding some spice and peppery notes to boost the flavoursome dish further still.

If you want a fry up then this is a great place to get one but there is more on offer too.  Breakfast is having a real renaissance as a dish and it is great to see such variety on show here, with wonderful fresh ingredients cooked well and allowed to shine.  Nothing felt oily, greasy or heavy and yet we both left feeling surprisingly full.

No ratings here, but it won't be long until we return to Pandora's Kitchen to tackle some of their other breakfast offerings.  Get yourselves down there as soon as you get the chance.

Shakshouka (baked eggs), Norwich style

This is a dish that was inspired by our holiday to Tunisia last year.  We were in Sousse only a week before the tragic terrorist attack and our hotel was just a few kilometres away from where it took place.  It was hard to believe that such a beautiful and peaceful place could be the scene of such awful violence.

We both love North African and Middle Eastern food with its rich spice and vibrant flavours and the food we experienced during our stay in Sousse was sensational.  Shakshouka is a traditional dish of baked eggs in a spiced tomato and pepper sauce.  It was often available at breakfast, lunch and dinner at our hotel and was a great vegetarian option, though it was equally appreciated by the meat-eaters at the resort.  The dish varies from place to place and this is our own take on it.  Like many of the things we cook, we've taken the key traditional elements that make it a great dish and added a few little twists here and there.

We hope you enjoy making the dish as much as we love eating it!  It's an excellent midweek meal as it takes very little time to prepare and cook, but it also looks fancy enough to impress dinner guests and works brilliantly as an alternative weekend breakfast.  Let us know how you get on.

Ingredients (serves 2 for a hearty dinner):

Half a medium onion
1 sweet pointed red pepper (a regular pepper of any colour is fine as a substitute)
2 cloves of garlic
1 can of cannellini beans (400g - chick peas or butter beans work as an alternative)
1 can of chopped tomatoes (400g)
2.5 tsp. smoked paprika
1.5 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. chilli flakes/crushed chillies (chilli powder or a fresh red chilli also works)
3 tsp. capers (optional)
4 medium eggs
Olive oil (approximately 1 tbsp.)
Fresh parsley and chives to garnish (fresh coriander can be used instead)

Preparation time: 5 minutes.

Cooking time: under 25 minutes.

Preparation:

Pre-heat your oven to 200°c (fan assisted, go 220°c if your oven isn't fan assisted).

Chop the red pepper into chunks roughly 2cm by 3cm, you want reasonable sized pieces to give some texture but the size and shape need not be uniform.  Finely dice the onion or as a cheat use frozen chopped onion instead.  Crush and finely chop the two cloves of garlic, sprinkle with salt and use the back of your knife to help break the garlic down into a paste. 

Drain the cannellini beans and rinse with cold water.

Cooking:

In a medium saucepan or large frying pan, heat a good drizzle of olive oil over a medium heat and allow it to come up to temperature.  Add the peppers to the pan and let them sit for a minute or two, it doesn't hurt the flavour of the dish for them to take a bit of colour.  Add the onions and allow the onions and peppers to soften in the pan, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes.

When the onions and peppers are soft, add the garlic and allow this to soften (this should only take a minute or so).  Adding the garlic earlier runs the risk of it burning and this can give an acrid taste so don't be tempted to throw it in at the same time as the onions or peppers.  Add all of the spices and stir well.  Leave the spices, onions, peppers and garlic to cook together for a further minute or two, stirring occasionally so that the spices don't catch and burn.

Add the tin of chopped tomatoes and stir thoroughly so that the spices and vegetables mix through the tomatoes.  At this point we often add just a pinch of sugar to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  When the mixture has come up to the boil, allow it to simmer for a couple of minutes and then add the cannellini beans and capers (if you aren't a fan of capers you can leave them out, but we feel they add a nice bite to the dish that works well with the eggs). 

Transfer the contents of the saucepan to a tagine or if you don't own a tagine (not everyone loves North African cooking as much as we do - we have two!) then a regular casserole dish will work fine too.  With the back of a wooden spoon, create four small wells in the mixture.  You don't want to leave the bottom of the dish exposed as the eggs could catch, but you want a small dip for your eggs to sit in.  Crack your eggs into the wells you have created, don't worry if they spill over the side of the wells slightly as this won't affect the cooking.  Drizzle over a little more olive oil and season the eggs with a little salt and black pepper.

Put the dish in the oven and leave for 10-15 minutes.  Cooking time can vary slightly depending on the oven and the size of the eggs but usually 15 minutes will give you a yolk that is just set firm, 10-12 minutes will give you a softer yolk.  Whilst the dish is cooking, chop a good handful of fresh herbs ready to garnish.

Remove from the oven, sprinkle over the herbs and serve.

Shakshouka is great with some nice fresh bread (we had ours with sourdough) to mop up all of the juices but can also be served with couscous, bulgur wheat or rice.  You can also crumble some feta over the top to finish, if that's your bag.  We will be bringing you our go to bulgur wheat recipe in the near future with some tips for cooking it just right.