Food review: Is this the best and biggest vegan breakfast in Norwich?

I spent weeks leading up to our booking practically dreaming about the meal to come, so when the morning came I was very excited.

We were one of the first tables to arrive and were greeted warmly by the staff, being seated downstairs. It is a relatively small dining area, but I believe they also have additional seating upstairs. This didn’t bother us too much as all the tables are spaced out and there is plenty of room for everyone.

The inside of Olives looking out onto Elm Hill. (Image: Archant)

After much deliberation, my partner and I both ordered the big vegan breakfast (£11.50 per person) - I felt like it would have been a crime to order anything else.

Accompanying the breakfast we also ordered an apple juice and a freshly-squeezed Valencia orange juice to accompany our big breakfast.

The drinks arrived swiftly, they were a good size and really refreshing. The orange juice really packed a punch and was the perfect revitaliser for a Sunday morning.

Breakfast arrived much faster than I expected, which was very much appreciated as the smell from their kitchen was wafting through and making me extremely hungry in anticipation.

When the food was delivered to the table, I was shocked by the amount piled up on my plate. I couldn’t wait to dig in.

A picture of the vegan big breakfast at Olives in Norwich (Image: Archant)

There was so much variety, from a creamy-looking chickpea scramble to meaty vegan sausages and vegan black pudding. I didn’t know where to start and just wanted to eat everything all at once!

The maple-smoked aubergine and griddled peppers were extremely notable and I’ve never seen or tried either on breakfast before.

I admit, I was slightly sceptical about having such bold flavours in the morning, but as I got stuck in I soon realised these were a gorgeous addition to a full English.

The smoky, crispy aubergine flavour and sweet taste from the peppers balanced each other perfectly.

Our food reviewer Autumn Lewis with a vegan big breakfast at Olives. (Image: Archant)

I've never tried black pudding as a non-vegan so I can’t compare as to whether what we had tasted was authentic, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It had a rich, nutty, earthy taste, and crumbly texture. It went perfectly with the vegan sausages, which were much lighter than what I’ve had on other vegan breakfasts. With the amount of food arranged on my plate, I welcomed something with a lighter touch.

The chickpea scramble was something I’ve also never tried before. My partner wasn’t the biggest fan of this and found it a bit too wet. We much prefer a tofu scramble, which seems to hold its shape a lot better and has more of an eggy texture.

Our breakfast also included staples such as toast, fried bread, beans, mushrooms, and tomatoes - all cooked perfectly.

Setting

Olives is a quaint restaurant in the heart of Norwich. It has a really homely warm feeling inside.

Price

It cost £28.50 for the two big breakfasts and a drink each which I think is a good price for the amount and the quality of the food you receive.

Service

The servers at Olives were very attentive and welcoming.

Highlight

The vegan black pudding was certainly the biggest highlight and I would definitely go back just to have that again!

Summary

It is definitely one of the biggest breakfasts in Norwich that I have had and I think it would be hard to beat with the amount of food that was served. I highly recommend visiting, but make sure you’re feeling hungry!

Our food reviews are always independent. They are the opinion of the reviewer based on their experience of the venue when they visited. The establishment is not aware of our visit, is not informed we intend to write a review, and bills are paid by the reviewer. The choice of places reviewed is also independent and is not based on venues which do or do not advertise in our publications.