The Last Pub Standing...

The Last Pub Standing in Norwich?

Considering the vast amounts of pubs in Norwich I can confirm this is most definitely not the last one still open in Norwich. Like the name suggests though, is it good enough to withstand the harsh economical climate of Norfolk and compete with the great pubs of Norwich to be the last one standing? Let us join hands and find out. Firstly a little bit about this pub: it is somewhat of a pub jewel in an otherwise not very great part of Norwich (Prince of Wales road aka the legal red light district of Norwich). The pub has nice decor, good pork scratchings, a strange glass floor which can be quite confusing after the fourth G&T. It also has some sort of history of ghosts. I certainly had an eerie feeling the ghost of a health inspector was looming over me. Overall as a drinking pub it's pretty decent and well worth a visit for drinks alone. Am I called the drinksman though? No. I'm here to cross analyse every aspect of their burger to see if the pub is more style than substance. So let us begin, to the burger.

The Burger

Do I even need to say anymore that I started by requesting it pink? Well incase you forgot, I did. The menu is quite varied and at first it wasn't obvious to me that they even sold a burger, but here it is:

“KENTUCKY HOT MESS, You won’t find a tastier burger. Homemade, aged, prime rib pattie with crispy streaky bacon, Ementhale Swiss cheese and Kentucky Bourbon sauce, served with chips. Messy, but marvellous.” All coming in at £11.

Straight away I went in for the crucial cut slap bang down the middle. The results of the burger slice were disappointing considering I was allowed it medium rare. The burger was well and truly cooked through leaving a fairly chewy and dry burger. Strangely it also wasn't overly flavourful considering the spiel about it being aged prime rib. In addition to this it was also perfectly formed and looked as if it had been vacuum formed into shape. It states it's homemade but I could of sworn it was bought in, though I guess the chef could be very particular about crafting perfectly circular and even patties. Sometimes all this pretence with prime rib cuts blended is just wasted, just get some steak mince and pound it flat and fry it in house. I can guarantee it would be 10 times nicer. Rib meat has to be cooked slowly to render down the fat. When it is then made in to a burger it's flash fried under high heat with little fat so often just overcooks the patty. The bourbon sauce was very nice and did somewhat save the dryness a bit.

The emmental cheese was mild so didn’t really add much other than a slight creamy texture. As I always say with cheese, go bold. No one will remember a mild cheese over a punchy extra mature cheddar, don't compromise. Give the emmental it's P45 and hire some real flavour. Bourbon oak barrel smoked cheddar maybe for a Kentucky style burger? 

The bacon wasn't done crispy which would of improved things. It's a pet hate of mine when bacon is advertised as crispy and then isn't delivered. The pickles were strong and tasty though unfortunately it wasn't enough to revive the overall disappointing burger.

The bun was ok though didn't look great with a small piece missing on the side. Considering they weren't batch baked there wasn't really an excuse for it. Just limited quality assurance on dishes coming out of the pass.

The Sides

Overall the chips were good though due to being thick cut on occasion I got a particularly large one that felt more like I was eating roast potatoes. Though I will admit this is just my personal preference as I think fries work better since you can get them mega crispy for a serious texture blast. The one exception is the Orford Flat Iron steak house that cooks their chips three times and still can't get them crispy... somehow?!

Overall

Would I come here for drinks? Yes. 
Would I come here for food? No. 

The reason I firmly believe they fall short is because they are attempting too much. The menu is too varied over too many cuisines, it is a completely unachievable menu to successfully deliver (and yes I did try a few of the other dishes to make certain). It is a case of culinary cuisine quantity over quality. The list below is the extent of the cuisines available:

• Lebanese
• Israeli
• Greek
• Scottish
• Norwegian
• Indonesian
• Brazilian
• Argentinian
• Louisianan
• Kentucky
• Andalusian
• South African
• Portuguese
• Szechuan
• Hungarian
• Vietnamese
• Persian

It’s essentially like going to Cosmo but in a pub form. “Taste the world at the last pub standing” is their motto, well if this is what the world tastes like, travelling is overrated. The burger just fell short in the presentation, the taste and the cooking and really just needs more love and care spending on it.

3.5/10

27-29 King St

Norwich

NR1 1PD