Another two Norfolk restaurants have got the seal of approval from renowned food critic Giles Coren, including Norfolk’s restaurant of the year in 2019.
In his latest review in The Sunday Times, Mr Coren headed to Eric’s Fish and Chips in Thornham and Socius in Burnham Market and it follows a gleaming report of his trip to The Duck Inn in Stanhoe published last Sunday (August 2).
While he couldn’t work out whether he went to the Thornham or Holt branch of Eric’s Fish and Chips, stating “but exactly where in Norfolk, I’m not sure I can say”, it becomes clear he went to the former as he talks about a gravelled front with picnic tables.
He ordered the medium haddock with chips, which he felt was “good value” at £9 apiece, and said it was “historic. Epic. At the very top end of what fish and chips should be”.
His high praise continued and he called their black pudding fritter “excellent” and tartare sauce “very good”.
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The chippy, which has a third branch in St Ives in Cambridgeshire, is owned by Eric Snaith who is also the chef and owner at award-winning restaurant Titchwell Manor.
Mr Snaith said: “We were delighted, the actual comments he made are hard to take in and to call it historic and epic it couldn’t be much better.”
Mr Coren also visited tapas-style restaurant Socius in nearby Burnham Market, named the best restaurant at the Eat Norfolk Food and Drink Awards 2019, while on holiday with his family in the county and was a big fan.
As they had accidentally booked for the wrong week and it was completely full they were sat outside.
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He loved the sharing plates and said the deep-fried chicken thigh nuggets were “wonderfully dark and sticky” and that the sticky lamb belly was “perfectly done”.
Natalie Stuhler, who runs Socius with partner Dan Lawrence, said: “It was amazing, we really weren’t expecting it - he is a very tough critic and was very complimentary about absolutely everything.”
See the full menu for Eric’s at ericsfishandchips.com and book a table for Socius at sociusnorfolk.co.uk
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