The Cottage — Restaurant in Broadland

Hadn't been here before, booked a table for a birthday lunch with the family, which just happened to fall on mothers day. we specifically booked here because the menu on the website was quite varied & had so many good vegetarian & vegan options, so even though we expected there may be a different menu for mothers day we thought there would be at least a couple of plant based options, after all its not unusual to be vegetarian or vegan nowadays! when we arrived we were each given a single sided sheet of a4 paper which was the mothers day menu, very limited options, nothing vegan AT ALL & no vegetarian mains! we asked the young waitress who took our drinks orders if there was a main menu we could order from & she just said "this is the menu" & asked if we wanted to hear about the meats! we asked her if there were any meat free options & she really didn't seem to know what to say to us! we felt like we were being a nuisance just for not wanting meat! if we hadn't been with my inlaws we would have just left we felt so unwelcome! in the end an older lady came to take our order & gave 2 vegan options for the main course, I ordered a vegetable tart which was quite nice, & everyone else made do with fish, I ended up skipping dessert because everything on the menu had dairy & I already felt like I was being a nuisance! overall even though the staff we saw were polite & helpful it was a very disappointing experience, I felt so unwelcome! very disappointed that there wasn't even one meat free main meal on the menu! really ruined the day for me probably wouldn't go back which is a shame because it seemed...

We meet as a family of 19 every year at Christmas time to enjoy a meal together. This was the first time we had used the Cottage and it’s in a lovely setting. When we arrived, we had to cancel for three of our party as they were still unwell and not able to attend. We did apologise for this and it was unfortunate. The waitress said she would have to inform the kitchen straight away as they would be starting to cook the meal shortly. She then proceeded to flounce into the kitchen, declaring her pleasure with us in a very loud voice. She reappeared and walked across to the restaurant area and it was only when she turned around and glared at us that we realised we should’ve probably followed her although she gave no indication that she was showing us to our table.

The food was okay. The presentation was very nice and the portion sizes were generous. A lot of it could’ve done with some extra seasoning and the burgers were quite dry.

When the deserts came the same waitress ‘threw’ my granddaughter‘s choice of ice cream at them because, as we were socialising, we hadn’t heard her calling out the desert she was serving and she seemed very cross about that.

I did speak to, who I believed was, the owner after we’d paid and he suggested that it was likely because she had just returned from a period of sick leave. I don’t think that’s an excuse. We paid a lot of money for a large party of people. We had starters, mains, desserts and drinks. I think, if you’re in the hospitality business, the very least that people can expect is that you...

Went to The Cottage for the first time, had had one of those Sundays, sorting out cars that just weren't playing along, hungry and frustrated a friend and I looked for a roast and found the cottage, we called and reserved a table whilst being advised that the kitchen was closing at 17.30, so we hurried along to ensure we got there on time, after going to the Cottage on Silver Road and being advised we were at the wrong Cottage we jumped back in the car and made it to The Cottage on Thunder Lane and what a delight! The staff were so warm and friendly, welcoming us getting drinks sorted and showing us to our table. We were conscious we were close to the time the kitchen closes so we placed an order for food which was promptly taken. We went out for a cigarette and before we even finished our smoke the food was served! A really rather brilliant sized portion of Roast Beef and Roast Lamb awaited us. My Friend and I ate with reckless abandon and once our food reverie subsided and we continued conversation, we both waxed lyrically about the food. The check back was completed by the very friendly member of staff in a timely manner, not as soon as we started eating but not so far into our meals that if there were cause for complaint it couldn't have been rectified, all in all it was a wonderful experience and very much appreciated. Good value for money with nice drinks and lovely service....