Saturday 4 May 2013

Chez Denis - Norwich

2-3 Orford Yard
Red Lion Street
Norwich
NR1 3TB

Breakfast served
Monday to Saturday
10am - Midday


Chez Denis is tucked away in Orford Yard just opposite Debenhams.




The kitchen and till are beside the door as you enter.



I spotted some nice looking cakes by the counter.



Lots of natural light floods in making it a pleasant place to eat.



There was a band playing on the window ledge.



Olive oil on each table.



There was no dilemma over which breakfast to chose.



The coffee was ok and cost £1.50



Ketchup comes in a small pot



The layout was different to usual in a partially symmetrical type of way and some beans would have been nice.



Crunchy hash browns and quite nice bacon.



The sausage was not very special...



The eggs were a bit overcooked for my liking.



Three quite nice mushrooms.



The toast was very dry but did come with plenty of real butter.




I was hoping to visit the Pig and whistle (formerly Westlegate) but they didn't seem to open so I gave up waiting. A back up plan was needed and then I remembered Chez Denis around the corner. I visited the same premises last year when it was Cafe Morello so was keen to see how it had changed now it was Chez Denis. I have heard really good things about the Caribbean food served there so decided to try their full English breakfast.. 


Upon entering - The kitchen and till is to your right as you enter, to your left is the dining area, outside there are a few more tables. It is quite nice inside with Caribbean music playing at just the right volume and lots of natural light filling the dining area. Each table has cutlery already laid out, a menu, some flowers, olive oil and salt and pepper. There is full table service so simply choose a table and somebody will come and take your order, at the end ask for the bill or pay at the till. 7/10

Service - Denis the owner is really friendly and welcoming ensuring you are well looked after during your visit, service with a smile is guaranteed here! The chef was also really friendly and efficient ensuring I had everything I needed with my meal and asking what type of bread I would like toasted. 9/10

Contents - 1 sausage, 2 bacon, 2 eggs, 2 hash browns, mushrooms, half a tomato and 2 slices of buttered toast. 7/10

Presentation - An interesting layout with each slice of bacon and hash brown looking like it had fallen out with the other sitting on opposite sides of the plate. My initial concern was that the sausage looked like it was lacking quality, the eggs looked a bit overdone and it was screaming out for some beans. The toast served in a basket was a first and seemed to work quite well. 5/10

The food - The bacon was a little dry but tasted quite nice, the sausage was not great quality but was ok. The eggs tasted good but slightly runny yolks would have been better. The mushrooms were nice and the tomato had some flavour. The toast was really dry but the real butter spread on thickly did help a bit. Everything was piping hot but this was quite a dry breakfast that would have benefited hugely from some beans. 5/10

Value for money - The Full English Breakfast cost £6.50 and a coffee £1.50, It was mildly enjoyable but I have spent £8 much more wisely in the past. 4/10

Veggie option - No

Overall - Not a great breakfast mainly due to it being way too dry and being a bit overpriced considering it is served with just an economy sausage. That said though I hear the Caribbean food served hear is stunning and I can certainly vouch for the excellent service. 6/10

2 comments:

  1. We wandered in a week or three ago - thinking it was still Cafe Morello. We sat anyway, thinking we'd give it a go - and were ignored for five minutes, even though it was nearly empty. So, um - we left. Not very veggie aware either. I miss Cafe Morello!

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  2. Update: we eat there last night with friends; it was pretty spectacular. Good service, great food, and rum punch to knock your socks off. We veggies had enough choice that decisions were required, and our poor wheat-allergic friend was faced with more choice than he's ever had, I suspect: every dish that could be gluten free, was gluten free, and marked as such. I think we just hit a bad moment a couple of weeks ago!

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