Tuesday 21 September 2010

Jaspers Cafe - Norwich

(Now closed)
 
Bridewell Alley
Norwich
NR2 1AQ




Opening Hours
Monday - Saturday 8.00am - 03.00pm


From the outside it is bright and welcoming.




Inside it is light, clean and has a good atmosphere.




Condiments sit nicely on each table. The small menu's do not state what the different fry-ups contain so check the main one outside first.




A good mug of hot, strong tea.




 
This is the Jaspers big one, a good mix of items and although I'm not a huge fan of fried potatoes on my breakfast they were crispy and delicious.





 
I do like a tinned tomato so they made a welcome addition along with the great fried bread.





This is the Vegetarian breakfast, the sausages are delicious! - £4.55




For many years I can remember Millers Cafe on Bridewell Alley, I never ate there but often popped in for a mug of tea in the late 80's. Kitsh but horrible artwork for sale used to hang on the walls, nobody seemed to buy it though and who can blame them! Since closing a number of cafes have taken it's place, the latest being Jaspers. The time had come to try it and I must say my expectations were quite high as it always seems quite busy.

Upon entering - The place is welcoming and has a nice feel to it, very bright and clean. We found an empty table at the front and since our last visit noticed you still have to check the main menu in the window for information on what each breakfast includes as the small menus on each table don't include this information. 6/10

Service - The ladies behind the counter were very friendly, they take your order and bring everything over when it's ready. 7/10

Contents - 2 sausages, 2 bacon, 2 eggs, saute potatoes, fried bread, mushrooms, tinned tomatoes & beans. 7/10

Presentation - Everything looked nice enough when it arrived. 7/10

The food - The sausages are not great quality but I did really enjoy them, they were the better quality economy type with a more meaty texture. The bacon was great and cooked nicely. The fried eggs had yolks intact that were runny in the middle but slightly undercooked on top, not a real problem though as they tasted great. The fried bread was just how I like it, crisp and golden as were the fried potato slices. The fried mushrooms were great and the beans were too. I do prefer tinned tomatoes so I was well pleased when they appeared on the plate. 7/10

Value for money - Jaspers big one cost £6, a fair enough price and a good selection of items.  7/10

Veggie option - Yes -  2 veggie sausages, 2 hash browns, fried egg, mushrooms, tinned tomatoes, beans and a hot drink for £4.55. I tried a piece of the veggie sausages and it tasted  really nice.

Overall - The premises and atmosphere are really great and the staff are really friendly. I first visited back in September 2010 and was not very impressed with the food back then, I won't ponder on that though as I really enjoyed the food this time round. Certainly worth a look if you are in the city and fancy a fry up with a good varied mix of items. 7/10

Friday 3 September 2010

Hill Top Cafe - Rackheath

Wroxham Road
Rackheath
Norfolk

The cafe is a few miles out of Norwich on Wroxham Road.


The place is quite small but there is a large outside seating area.


Order here, grab some cutlery and choose a table.


Everything on offer is displayed on blackboards.


There is a set breakfast or you can build your own, heinz ketchup waits eagerly to be squirted onto the food.


The set breakfast - £5.25


I have passed the Hill Top Cafe in Rackheath more times than I can remember. The time had come to visit the place to see if it was any good..

Upon entering - Tables and seats line both sides of the cafe and there is a small counter straight ahead as you enter. The breakfast menu was found amongst the condiments on a laminate, it contained one set breakfast so no dilemmas there. 7/10

Service - Order at the counter, grab cutlery and sit down. Look at the traffic on Wroxham road until the food is bought over. The staff here seemed quite friendly. 7/10

Contents - 1 sausage, 2 bacon, fried potatoes, fried bread, mushrooms, beans and half a grilled tomato. 7/10

Presentation - It looked good when it arrived and filled the oval plate quite nicely. 7/10

The food - A juicy pork sausage and tasty bacon, slightly undercooked potatoes that could have done with 2 more mins in the fryer, fried bread that was ok but not as crispy as I like it, really nice mushrooms, good beans and a fairly standard tomato. 7/10

Value for money - £5.25 for the set breakfast seemed fair enough. 7/10

Veggie option - You could make your own up from a list of items.

Overall - Worth trying if you happen to be passing. Friendly service and nice food. 7/10