Who knew, frankly, who knew? That Norwich - a city primarily associated with Alan Partridge and Delia Smith - was so damn cool?
Local proprietors may complain about rental costs in the city centre (as one did to me), but Norwich's streets and its maze of ancient "lanes" are remarkably full of independent shops and interesting places to eat and drink. I counted at least four new and second-hand record shops, while, for those interested in what I can only describe - summoning my inner Pevsner - as old shit, there is tonnes of it: there seems to a medieval church on every second corner and one street, Elm Hill, has, I'm told, more Tudor buildings on it than the whole of London combined. Suck on that, metropolitan elite!
The local food and drink scene is similarly vibrant. Naturally, compiling the "budget eats" series - in which we're mapping Britain's best places to eat, for under a tenner - can be a bit of a slog. In many towns and cities, Britain's food revolution is far from secure. The local, seasonal activists are isolated, and you have to question and search, and eat and eat, to find the good stuff.
In contrast, Norwich has great venues to spare. No 33, Wholesome and the Bicycle Shop didn't make my 10, but from the vibes they were giving off, and the numbers they were packing in, they certainly could have.
Likewise, there were a raft of places - being but one gob and working against the clock - that I didn't get to, which I'd have liked to. I've heard good things about the Unthank Arms, 103, Little Red Roaster, Last Wine Bar and Spice Paradise. Can you corroborate?
As it is, my 10 included the likes of Frank's, Iron House, the Window, Vine Thai and Clark and Ravenscroft. You may agree or disagree with that spread, but, bearing in mind our £10 a head ceiling, where else would you recommend? Come on, Norwich, where are you? Where are you?
