Nibbles & Tipples September

Article By Cheryl Cade, Beer Educator

Some of the things I must thank Covid for are: my house is slightly tidier; I’ve developed an addiction for succulents, and we had a stay-cation.

When on holiday, we get up late, chill and then discuss where we will eat. This year, it coincided with the government’s Eat Out to Help Out. We took advantage of this; it let us have a more expensive beer or wine that evening. We explored favourite old haunts and discovered some new places.

My newest hit on the market is L’ Hexagone on Lower Goat Lane. This lovely French-styled bistro is run by a husband and wife team, Thomas and Gemma. They opened early in 2020 and you have to admire their staying power. The welcome is friendly and the décor, along with the menu, is simplistic and classic, (I do think there is space for a few more pictures on the walls at some point). There is a great range of drinks and it is good to see a range of Adnams beers suitable for pairing with the dishes. We went for a light lunch, we adore Belgium, so seeing Croque Monsieur (toasted ham and cheese sandwich) on the menu, it was a no brainer. A Croque needs a partner so, Frites and Ailio are a must. I could happily have sat there and eaten pots of the homemade mayo with the lightly tossed salad. Everything was fresh and beautifully presented. I plan to return for the dinner menu, but until then they do offer take-out too.

It was good to see that both the Vine and the Wine Press were still maintaining their highquality food and having to turn people away.

L’ Hexagone L’ Hexagone

The Vine

We also returned to the Merchants of Spice. This is normally a very reliable curry house in the centre of Norwich. The service was attentive, yet unfortunately the chicken was dry from over cooking and the Sagwala was lacking its fresh spice. A few days later, we visited the Passage to India (I have not been here for ages). For a Monday evening, they were very busy, yet the staff were on hand whenever required. I ordered Sagwala here; it arrived fresh and the meat was juicy. The only thing lacking was a lime pickle with the poppadums, plus when you are with two hungry men, the pickles don’t last long!

This is also the season for drink competitions. This year has been slightly different with zoom judging from home, yet standards have been very high and it is great to know that a number of local producers have been winning medals. Moon Gazer and Lacons have remained constant with their beers achieving medals from SIBA. Wines from Winbirri have continued to

match the world and Oak Villa in Wymondham, achieved medals for their Dry Gin from the International Wine and Spirit Competition.

It is a case that the hospitality sector is still on a knife edge along with our small local producers so where possible I will encourage all of us to buy local and use our local pubs, restaurants and cafes.

Cheers, until next month. Cheryl Visit: https://cherylcade.com