A few weeks back I was tablet browsing the internet, tucked up in bed on a Saturday morning. I must admit to feeling a tiny bit the worse for wear as the night before we had been out for a great meal with friends at the Hingham White Hart, where the wine had flowed rather freely! As I was surfing I came upon a story on the BBC site about a local Blog called the Fry up Inspector. It’s a great idea and a fab site full of reviews and photos of the Great British Breakfast (the majority of which are in Norfolk). Even in my delicate state, the pictures of bacon, eggs, sausages and “the works” soon had my stomach rumbling.
Whilst browsing through the reviews I came across one for a café in Norwich Called Pandora’s Kitchen which has been privileged to be awarded a Fry up Inspector recommended sticker for it’s excellent breakfast.
I have to say, to my shame, that I had not heard of Pandora’s Kitchen because if we ever stop for coffee in London Street we don’t get any further than Costa. So I made a note to myself that the next time we were in Norwich we would forgo the super chain and support a local business.
That day came yesterday on a shopping trip with my daughter to do some very last minute back to school shopping. As we were pushed for time we stopped off at Pandora’s for a quick elevenses. I have to say it’s a lovely little gem of a place full of vintage loveliness – old books, mismatched crockery and wild flowers in little bottles on the tables.
I opted for a cappuccino which was just perfect – the right amount and piping hot – and a piece of chocolate and peanut butter cake. I was a little be wary of the choice when I ordered as peanut butter, when over used, can be a bit sticky and cloying (as seen on last week’s bake off!) but I needn’t have worried. It was moist and chocolatey with just the right amount of peanut butter in the filling. My daughter opted for a raspberry lemonade and a piece of salted caramel chocolate brownie which she also declared to be delicious!
What she wasn’t so keen on was my insistence on taking several snaps on my mobile phone – a huge embarrassment to the teenage psyche. She also pointed out that there was a security camera in the corner of the room capturing my every every move. So if you’re looking back on the footage that strange middle aged woman wielding a camera phone was me!!
The Fry up Inspector praised Pandora’s for the friendlessness of their staff and excellent service and I can only agree. As is the norm for me, I had no cash in my purse and when it came to paying so I had to use my bank card. However there were problems with the terminal connections so the payment wouldn’t go through. Instead the transaction was cancelled and I was pointed in the direction of the nearest cash point. My daughter was surprised that they let us go without holding something to ransom – but that’s the kind of place Pandora’s is. We returned a few moments later with our cash and paid the bill.
We shall definitely be going back – perhaps the next time I’m feeling a bit fragile on a Saturday morning we’ll jump into the car and drive to Norwich for a Pandora’s breakfast!!
