A popular Norwich Market food stall is set to expand its menu after moving into a new space four times its current size.
Japanese-inspired Bun Box, which dishes up bao buns, dumplings and donburi bowls to hungry diners, is preparing to move into a market space left vacant by the closure of a family-run butchers.
The move will see owner, chef Tim Irven, 25, who founded the business on the market in July 2017, take on at least two more staff members to the current three-person team and offer a wider range of food and specials.
Mr Irven, who trained at Norwich City College, said the opportunity to expand came along at the "perfect time" for the stall.
"We'd had our eye out to try to find suitable premises," he said.
"I knew the previous owner, R S Baker, was looking to pass on the lease and leave.
"It worked out they were happy to pass it on. I'm really happy to be expanding and building up."
Bun Box's stall, in Row A of the market, is currently closed, while repair work and professional cleaning are done at the former butchers, ahead of an opening date, set to be around late October.
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Mr Irven added: "We're just taking a few days at the beginning of this week to get things started in there and get it cleaned before we put in all our equipment.
"We got the keys about a week ago so it'll take a while before we're ready to open."
But he confirmed the original stall would remain open in the run up to the expansion.
"We want to make sure we do it right and not try to rush the opening," he added.
The new stall will offer a larger range of menu items, including an increased array of specials, from fried chicken bites to sushi items.
"We're quite restricted with the single stall before as to what we could produce out of that space," Mr Irven said.
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"People seem to really enjoy the food and keep coming back.
"It's lovely to see lots of regular customers coming again and asking about specials."
He added: "It came from the food I love and I'm fascinated by.
"I went to college and trained as a chef and looked into Japanese food - the way they prepare food and cooking techniques are so different from how I was taught."
He added: "It's really nice to see the market vibrant and busy, with lots of people coming through.
"It's lovely that there's something for everyone and lots of choice every day of the week."
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