After ten solid weeks of lockdown, you may be getting bored of ordering takeaway food.
But before you settle for bland supermarket ready meals again, there is hope on the horizon with some seriously tasty street food which is being served at a pop-up location in Norwich.
In normal times, Harry's Soul Train operates its food trailer at different locations around Norfolk, including a regular Wednesday night residency at The Queen's Head in Long Stratton but in lockdown they are now located outside The Whalebone pub on Magdalen Road in Norwich for four nights a week.
Run by Marc Ward and Donna Newby from Tuckswood, you can order their Caribbean/Mexican/American-influenced food online, by phone, or on the street.
The menu
The menu has special offers - three for two on tacos on Tacos Tuesday and 12 wings for the price of eight on Wings Wednesdays.
The regular menu is simply wings and tacos, mostly priced between £5.50 and £7.
There are sides available including baked potato fries (£4) homemade slaw (£3).
They also serve soft drinks such as Tango, Coke, Lilt and Fanta (£1-1.25)
I ordered most of the rest of the menu - this is what I thought:
Special Buttery Buffalo Wings (£6.50)
You get a portion of 10 wings, these were extremely good. I'm not a normally fan of wings and ribs - I just don't enjoy eating them mainly because you have to put a bit of effort in and I'm very lazy in that way!
But these were lovely tender bits of chicken with an inviting golden glaze. We made short work of them.
Special Buttery Buffalo Buttery tacos (£7.50)
We chose chicken tacos and had three of them in a tray. The tacos were filled with soft tender shredded chicken with a slightly spice hit that left a nice punchy after taste. The chicken was accompanied by crunchy onion and white cabbage - a naked slaw.
Tasty chicken tacos (£7)
We topped these with a Caribbean Mango sauce. Lovely mellow flavour that tasted like they'd been cooked in another country, rather than on the side of a road in Norwich.
Tasty falafel tacos (£7)
Seriously good, we teamed these up with Harry's Smoky Barbecue sauce and they transformed the dish into a saucy little vegetarian delight.
The falafel was full of flavour and texture and smothered in barbecue sauce, which made for a filling trio of tacos.
You genuinely couldn't tell this was a vegetarian dish, which as a meat eater is a good thing!
Reggae Rice and Beans (£3.50)
A very nice pot of Basmati rice with chili, kidney beans, sweet drop peppers and spices.
Perfect accompaniment to the tacos. After eating a couple of tacos I actually got a little bored of the tacos themselves and scooped the filling out and mixed it with the rice which was delicious.
Harry's Hearty Pit Beans (£3.50)
This was the big revelation for me and the best thing I ate. I am a bona fide baked bean hater.
The colour, the smell, the sauce. It just reminds me of being at school and wanting to never go near a baked bean. However, I do love beans when they are served up in a thick smoky barbecue sauce and these were sensational.
A hearty mix of butter beans, kidney beans, haricot beans and chick peas in a sauce so good I could easily have eaten two bowls of this with some rice. I'd say if you are ordering food from here, then this is an essential item.
Halloumi fries (£4)
Salty and squeaky, these were okay. I can't say I am a massive halloumi fan but they did give that lovely salty hit that it offers and contrasted nicely with the main tacos. And the sauce with a light paprika hit made for a cracking little Sriracha dip.
Jaimee's caramel and white chocolate blondie (£4.50)
This was lovely too, buttery crumbly blondie with a small pot of crème fraîche and a separate pot of stem ginger. It was packed with white chocolate chunks and very filling, but great all the same and a top way to end a nice meal.
Setting
You'll currently find Harry's Soul Train outside The Whalebone on Norwich's Magdalen Road four days a week.
Price
The dishes compare favourably in price to other takeways and you probably won't want to sample most of the menu like we did. Still, for nine tacos, wings, rice, beans, halloumi fries and dessert at £44 it's not bad at around £15 a head for three people.
A normal meal for two probably consisting of three tacos, a portion of wings and three sides would come in at around £20. Add some drinks at home and that would do you for a main meal.
Service
I ordered online the previous day and collected from the stall at exactly the time I selected. They do offer curbside collection, you can add your car details and registration and when they spot you, they'll hand you the food, with no need to get out of your car.
They also do delivery within a five mile area for £2.50 extra, but you must spend £15.
Highlight
Those beans were seriously good and the tacos too made for a lovely change. This takeway was hot, fresh and very tasty and so nice to have a change from the usual fish and chips, Chinese or Indian.
For more information see www.harrys-soul-train.square.site
How you can support your favourite restaurant in lockdown
Takeaways - While more places have opted to stay closed for the next few weeks, plenty are still open and offering takeaway meals for delivery or collection.
Vouchers - A valuable way to help businesses, you can buy yourself - or a loved one, as a gift - a voucher now to enjoy when it's safe to do so down the line.
Shop local - Make sure to support restaurant and pub suppliers, including beer, cheese and fruit and vegetables, by shopping local.
Social media - It's not an easy time for many people financially. A simple like on Facebook or follow on Instagram shows support for traders, though, and can help them build exposure.
Don't forget them when they reopen - It might feel like it, but this lockdown isn't forever, and our support should be consistent.
If you like that, try these
- Blue Joanna, Unthank Road, Norwich - offering Korean blue tacos and fusion street food, Blue Joanna has built up a strong reputation as a go-to for food-lovers.
- Jive, Exchange Street, Norwich - Mexican restaurant Jive seriously packs flavour and heat into its dishes, delivering a delicious meal every time.
- Gonzo’s Tea Room, London Street, Norwich - This Norwich eatery is known for its wings. It also serves piled-high burgers and generous portions of chips.
Our food reviews are always independent. They are the opinion of the reviewer based on their experience of the venue when they visited. The establishment is not aware of our visit, is not informed we intend to write a review and bills are paid by the reviewer. The choice of places reviewed is also independent and is not based on venues which do or do not advertise in our publications.
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