Chickpea
The Library Bar and Grill

The Library Bar and Grill

4a Guildhall Hill Norwich, Norfolk NR2 1JH, United Kingdom

Steak • Mexican • British • Vegetarian


"At six and three quarters, being the oldest person in the room affords a certain air of esteem. One can look down on one’s peers with lofty arrogance informed by world-weary experience. *Tch* and *tut*, my little rugrat friends, what little you know of the world! Kathryn White asked me to sit next to her in assembly yesterday, and I said, like, no way lady! Dude, I’m a P-L-A-Y-A, and ain’t no crazy ho gonna cramp my style – HELL NO!At thirty-three (minus one day), the same does not hold true. First of all, sitting next to Kathryn White does *not* mean I’m going to marry her. Second, propping up the bar at the Mustard Lounge, I fear I may well be old enough to have fathered some of the punters. Third, it’s way past my bedtime.Come the morning, I am not feeling sprightly. By the grace of God, however, I’m not hungover, as such, and can at least mooch into town without too much ado.I’ve been meaning to eat at The Library for a while, but have never managed to arrive in time for lunch. Today, however, I can sit there, warm and fuzzy with smugness, if a little woozy from sleep deprivation and the really high ceiling.The fish options look good, but for reasons self-evident to anyone but vegetarians and teetotallers, the curative properties of the lah-di-dah fry-up seem more appropriate. We both order the hand-cut chips, thick-cut bacon and fried egg: it is triumphant, standing us in good stead for another night of acting half our age.The combination of book-lined shelves and purple décor make the place an ideal location for nerdy goths. Nerdy nerds, however, will despair at the filing of said books, which have been lined up with wanton disregard for any established classification system, happily marrying Bruce Lee with crochet and motor racing with Middlemarch.Such irregularity was echoed in the friendly, if erratic service, and the disappointing dessert. The espresso mousse was relatively feeble, with texture like bread in a swimming pool and a flavour more in line with Revels than tiramisu; frankly, I was more excited by my subsequent trip to the toilet.This not to damn the dish unfairly, however, as The Library’s exquisite toilets are perfect for restroom aficionados, and are surely shortlisted among the finest in Norwich."

Brazz

Brazz

Castle Green, TA1 1LR, Taunton, United Kingdom

Steak • Vegan • British • Vegetarian


"dreadful, very horny waitress. eat more pretentious, over price, tasted ‘ok’, but really nothing special. my chicken capital did not come with veg or kartoffel, so they have to buy the separately at £4, which if they arrive are enough for 2 people. a real waste of food and so stupid, not included with the main dish. no great place if they want a romantic or quiet table for 2. very loud. the bad layout and no idea of sitting things, meant that we stuck between 2 big groups of people, a side with a woman who swarms all the time. not funny. probably okay if they're on work night or a big birthday party. but it felt very hastened and they did not have a front side of the house to check everything is ok, or if they needed something. our waitress has done her best, but it took ages to get the bill as we could not signal anyone, and forget to need something or more drinks. we were handed over a menu when we set ourselves, but had to wait 10 minutes to ask for a wine menu. everything in all it felt like a transport belt system, nothing friendly or personal, very hurried, loud and badly managed. we are happy to get out of there and drink a drink somewhere else. they also have to sit in their moms, as nowhere to hang them and the toilets are not signed, so had to guess and ask for directions in the main hotel next door. the lighting and decorations were beautiful, but this is about the best I can say about it. will not come back soon."