Is this hash brown haven the king of breakfast in NR3?

Beguiled by the squares of golden hash browns and loaded breakfast creations on Instagram, I was keen for a slice of the action and headed down on a quiet weekday morning.

I’m of the opinion that there aren’t enough good hash browns about. They’re the first thing to be ditched from a fry-up (when we all know it should be the tomato) and, when they do make an appearance, often replaced by trendy rosti-style varieties. Still delicious, but it’s hard to top crunchy, golden triangles of goodness.

A caffeine order was first, a flat white (£2.90) and an iced latte (£3), before we turned our attention to the menu. The Hashery uses Dark Arts Coffee, a London-based roaster which sources its beans ethically and they hit the spot.

Back in Norwich, The Hashery’s blackboard menu is concise and changes often – when we went there were three savoury choices, including The Hashery breakfast muffin, which comes loaded with a sausage patty, American cheese, a hash brown, fried free-range egg and house brekky sauce (£9.50).

There was also the cheeseburger (£9.50) and the sweet and savoury combo of the Elvis sandwich, which comes with streaky bacon, flambé banana, grape jelly and peanut butter between two slices of thick-cut, toasted brioche (£11.50 – and a picture here courtesy of Norwich’s beloved Fry Up Inspector). I’m not a banana fan, but have heard rave reviews of it – if you love sweet meets salty meets rich buttery indulgence, it may well be for you.

For those with a sweet tooth, there’s also a cherry pie, which comes with vanilla ice cream (£4.75). If you hadn’t guessed, The Hashery has an American diner flavour, though it’s certainly not total pastiche and nods to the US are more noticeable in its menu than its decor.

Ready for something which would set us up for the day, we plumped for two breakfast muffins and an almost mandatory side of hash browns (£3.75).

I was expecting a breakfast muffin similar to the size of those from a fast food giant which shall not be named, but this was not that. It was enormous. It was a burger, really, and so giant that I’m sure I risked jaw dislocation on the first bite.

This is a great breakfast. Meaty sausage, buttery egg yolk, crunch of the hash brown and the fruity acidic tang of the house sauce (most comparable to a mix of barbecue and brown sauce).

Excellent stuff. Did it set me up for the day? Yes. Did my day also need to end at 11am so I could nap? Most definitely.

We absolutely didn’t need our side of five hash browns, but we ate a couple and took the rest home to have the next day. These are stand-out, and if you visit The Hashery without ordering them, it is a mistake. Really well-seasoned, fluffy and light on the inside and encased in a consistently golden, crispy shell. They are perfectly formed creatures. If I could eat these every day for breakfast, I would.

There are a lot of places that claim to have the city’s best breakfast, but The Hashery would definitely have good reason.

The Hashery, 27 St Augustines Street, Norwich, NR3 3BY. 01603 612908

Atmosphere

Really relaxed. While you can nip in for a coffee on the go, to make the most of The Hashery take a book or newspaper (this one, ideally) and head down for a leisurely brunch.

Service

Very friendly and welcoming (and helpful when we asked to take our hash browns home).

Location

It’s on the busy St Augustines Street, about a 20-minute walk from the city centre. There’s bus routes that head that way, and parking in the residential streets nearby.

Toilets

There’s one clean and functional toilet.

Drinks

There’s a hot and cold coffee menu with dairy and oat milks (and the option to add CBD for £1.20). There’s plenty of soft drinks, and a fridge containing cans including a blueberry muffin soda and cream soda.

Accessibility

It’s on one floor so pretty accessible, though it’s not the largest of spaces so it’s worth bearing that in mind.

Value

At £9.50 for the breakfast muffin, it isn’t at the cheap end of the breakfast scale. But it’s also more than breakfast – the quality was excellent and we didn’t need to eat again until late. We didn’t begrudge the prices.

Highlight

Do I need to answer? The hash browns.

Summary

A great addition to NR3 – I’m envious that plenty of people will have this as their local café. Delicious food and a menu with a difference. I hope it does well.

If you like that, try these:

The Bicycle Shop, St Benedicts Street, Norwich – The Hashery had a similar feel as The Bicycle Shop to me. A regularly changing menu, great coffee and chilled out feel. Agreat place to while away an afternoon.

Ber Street Kitchen, Ber Street, Norwich – You’ll need to book if you want a brunch at Ber Street Kitchen, which is often busy weeks in advance thanks to a reputation for good grub.

Danomey Kitchen, Magdalen Road, Norwich – Glance at Danomey Kitchen’s Instagram and you’ll be convinced you need to visit. A fellow NR3 spot, its creative dishes have earned it a legion of fans.