24 hours in Norwich with chef Richard Bainbridge

8am: Coffee and toast at Bread Source Bakery
Just before my day starts I head to Bread Source Bakery, for excellent coffee and toast. They mill their own flour from traditional and ancient grains, and their Danishes are the best I’ve tasted outside of Paris.  In the mornings they have a special whereby you can have a coffee and unlimited toast for just £4, there is a toaster in the corner with about five to eight different breads and a selection of jams.

10am: A nutritious smoothie bowl at Pono Superfood
Mid-morning, I’d go to Pono Superfood Bar where they have really healthy and nutritious smoothie bowls and poké, which are really delicious.

 

Midday: Find lunch at Norwich Market
Head to the biggest, oldest, open-air market in the country, Norwich Market which has become very much a street food haven.  From local fruit and vegetable stalls to fish shops. Plus,  there is the Orient Express serving blow-your-head off authentic Thai curries.

 

3.30pm: Afternoon tea
The Assembly House in the city centre is an iconic public building in Norwich and it’s the perfect place to enjoy an opulent afternoon tea by Richard Hughes.

6pm: Pre-dinner cocktails at Playhouse
For a sundowner I would go to the Playhouse, a theatre, just on the river.  They do a really good selection of local beers and gins to sit outside in the sun and just relax.   Alternatively there is a fantastic old man’s pub just outside of the city, called Fat Cat, which has 160 different ales, beers and IPAs on tap.

 

8pm: Dinner at Woolf and Social
Woolf and Social is perfect for a casual dinner with friends, they offer a small tapas-style menu and good wine list. It’s the perfect place to sit enjoy delicious food and great company.

10pm: A post-dinner drink at Hawthorn
Hawthorn is a lovely little cocktail bar, which is incidentally across the road from our restaurant Benedicts.  The cocktails are really innovative and it’s a popular little hotspot in the city.

Midnight: A late night pizza at Rocky Mountain
After a hard service, we like to go to the Rocky Mountain Pizza Project, it’s perfect for a late-night snack.  It opens from 10pm until 4am and serves huge slices of pizza. My favourite is the Fat Elvis with brie, bacon and maple syrup.

To find out more about Richard Bainbridge, and Benedicts, click here.