11 limited edition dishes to try during Secret Menu this month

Restaurants across Norwich are this month creating off-menu dishes as part of a push to encourage people to eat out in the city.

Having been postponed because of the pandemic, Secret Menu Norwich, organised by Zena Leech-Calton, kicked off this month.

Restaurants, bars and cafés have created limited edition dishes, which diners can order throughout June by saying 'secret menu Norwich'.

From breakfasts to lunches and snacks to cocktails, here are just 11 of the options to pick from.

• Brick Lane bagel, Danomey Kitchen at The Stanley

A chargrilled loin and leg of mutton bagel, with beetroot and Jersey Royal pakora, honey and ras el hanout whipped yoghurt and shredded mint and cabbage salad is on offer from Danomey Kitchen at The Stanley, on Magdalen Road.

It also comes with a guava, chilli and hibiscus dipping gravy, Naga chilli wings and a mango lassi shot and is £15.

• The breakfast waffle, The Street Café

A large waffle plated up with crispy streaky bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns and grilled vine tomatoes, with a jug of maple syrup, will get your day off to a good start at the Magdalen Street café. It costs £8.95.

• Mackerel and fennel, The Corkscrew

Wine bar Corkscrew, which opened as the pandemic started last March, is offering cured and torched mackerel with fennel, asparagus, pickled shallot, apple, grapefruit and Pecorino Sardo, for £8.50. It's based on St Benedicts Street.

• The Norfolk Garden Cocktail, The Merchant's House

The coffee shop and ale spot, on Fye Bridge Street, will be making a cocktail using Norfolk Farmhouse gin, with apple juice and soda, for £7.

• Pesto chicken, Logans

You can pick up your lunch from Logans, on Swan Lane, which is doing thyme and garlic roasted chicken in a toasted wrap with roasted peppers, sundried tomatoes, mozzarella and pesto.

It's £6.99 to eat in, with crisps and salad, or £4.99 to take away.

• The purple one, Gyre and Gimble 

For £6.50, Charing Cross-based Gyre and Gimble's drink will include Nohow gin, Italicus Bergamot Liqueur, elderflower, lemon and butterfly pea flower, topped with rhubarb and ginger tonic.

• The Ketilocos, Nrflk Store pop-up 

The Nrflk Store's pop-up Taco Drop UK, which will run at the Fat Cat pub on West End Street on Sunday, June 27, from 2pm, adds corn, jalapeno salsa and lime mayonnaise to Kettle Chips for just £2.

• Seafood tagliatelle, Blue's Kitchen at the Rosebery

The pub, on Rosebery Road, will offer a seafood dish including squid, mussels and prawns, with white wine, parsley, chilli, garlic and Grana Padano Gremolata for £12.50.

• The New Yorker, Chef Ron's Kitchen

You can pick up a New York-inspired trio of dishes from Chef Ron's, on Lower Goat Lane, including a pastrami sandwich for £4.50, cheesecake for £3 and ice tea for £2.50 - or £10 for all three.

• Kimchi fried rice, Kimchi

For £6.50, Kimchi, on Brigg Street, is offering kimchi fried rice with a fried egg on top, and you can add pork, spam or beef for £2.

• Methi Malai Paneer, Namaste

Namaste, on Queens Road, will offer Methi Malai Paneer, a creamy curry with fenugreek and house Indian cheese, for £9.95.

For more, visit Secret Menu Norwich on Instagram.

What is the goal of Secret Menu Norwich?

Secret Menu was launched by Ms Leech-Calton, the food blogger behind Love Norwich Food and a cookery tutor, and in 2019 it saw 100 restaurants and cafés across the country get involved.

She said: "Secret Menu Norwich is all about having some fun with food, chefs getting creative and me as a caterer being able to help promote local independent businesses."

She said she had enjoyed the creativity involved, and had helped the team at Sweet Tree Patisserie in Lakenham design their cheesy pig dish (a bacon, spinach and double cheese crepe).

"My favourite sounding dish is the Danomey's mutton bagel with wings and mango shot - I'll be trying that one.

"The Gyre and Gimble purple cocktail looks magnificent too. I just hope people go out there to try the 35 dishes on offer - with more coming in hopefully over the next week - it's still not too late to enter a dish if there are any willing businesses out there in Norwich."

We have launched a Summer in the City campaign, sponsored by Chantry Place and Norwich Business Improvement District (BID), which encourages people to make the most of what's on their doorstep this summer.