The Dun Cow — Restaurant in North Norfolk

Well... I don't know what's changed. We went to the Dun Cow last year and it turned out to be the culinary highlight of the trip. We were excited to repeat the experience this year, but alas, it was but a shadow.

First off we ordered a couple of starters which we indeed quite tasty. Seeing how quickly those came out we got worried the mains we ordered would arrive too quickly. One goes for the dining "experience" after all, not just to fill a belly. The very polite staff informed us (oddly they seemed surprised at the request) that that's no problem and that we should wave them over when we're ready and that the braised chicken leg, which was one of our orders would take 15 mins to come out. When we were ready (no longer than 10 mins) we ordered our food (Lamb burgers w/ blue cheese sauce + Braised chicken left w/ bbq sauce), expecting it would take the mentioned 15 mins. Unfortunately the food started arriving pretty much immediately, meaning it was prepared beforehand and shoved under a heat lamp. Not ideal.

We were still quite excited for the food however since we had such a great experience last time!

Unfortunately the quality seems to have tumbled straight down. The braised chicken leg that was advertised on the specials board was very far from special. The bbq sauce it was swimming in must have been straight from a McDonalds sachet and the chicken itself was supremely underseasoned. The lamb burgers barely tasted of lamb and were underseasoned. That being said, the chips and blue cheese sauce were tasty. The house wine was also very nice and reasonably priced.

We were quite disappointed, but decided to get some dessert too since what we had last time was amazing. More disappointment I'm afraid. The cheesecake was badly cooked and not of the right consistency, while the chocolate marquise w/ vanilla ice cream and pistachio cream was (against all odds and with great effort I'm sure) made to be incredibly bland and boring.

We found out that the venue is having a change of hands, so I'm guessing the old chef just couldn't be bothered anymore. The only thing I can say to the new management is good luck and please take note from the mistakes of the previous owners.

Old review:

Absolutely delicious food! Lovely cozy pub, great atmosphere, the staff were nothing but professional, friendly and accommodating. Great experience, would go back in a heartbeat. The only tiny wrinkle was that we wanted to finish off the night with some espresso coffees but the only kind offered was...

When I was a kid I won a scholarship to a choir school and my world experience suddenly changed. Instead of going round to a mates after school for fish fingers, chips and beans for tea it was suddenly croquettes and salsa salad or sautéed duck cutlets. My friends were still the same, they still played football and had an intense desire to climb trees and swim in rivers, but when I stayed the night and woke up to all sort of posh, unfamiliar breakfast cereals I sensed that the way I lived was not the way they did too.

And so it goes with the Dun cow. The staff are friendly and relaxed and you can imagine yourself chatting with them long into the night, enthusiastically sharing stories and laughing at jokes - there is no pretention - and everything on the menu looks familiar enough. You've been to this pub before. It's familiar, it's welcoming and then you are suddenly aware of the gallery or delicious aromas from the kitchen. It's at this moment you realise that your initial assumption was a little off perhaps and you are in for something special.

The menu seems a little pricey, but when you marry it up to the quality that the kitchen aroma promises it seems a bargain. You order something and wander out into the wonderful garden and take in the view.

The rest you know. The food arrives, you are wowed by its quality and decide to stay a little while longer for another glass of something to take that view in just a little longer. Like I said, it's familiar and just tinged with the right amount of exceptional.

It's a gallery of all the senses, and if I had the power to award a Michelin star I would. It's somewhere worth visiting just to say that you did.

It's like being in Sunday best with a pair of snazzy trainers on. Its enjoyable, it's relaxing and it's a cut above what you...

OUTSIDE PUB RESTROOM EXPERIENCE — REVIEW NOT OF THE PUB ITSELF.

My friends and I visiting Norfolk for the day, we had the unfortunate experience of eating at Cookie’s Crab Shop who don’t have restrooms for their customers and so directed us to this nearby pub.

You have to insert a 20p coin to use the toilet, which is fine, we weren’t customers. Luckily we had 20p left because Cookie’s Crab shop is cash only. 2 of us needed the toilet, one of us on our period. So I held the door open a bit while my friend went first so I could use after.

An employee of the pub (young looking lady with a blonde pixie cut) saw me holding the door and said “that’s cheeky it’s 20p each”. I was embarrassed and thought she was being funny, so just smiled. Then she came back again and said “the money for the toilet goes to Romanian Orphans.” I said “we only have 20p left, can I get coins out at the bar?” She said “no”. Then came back again 30 seconds later and repeated the Romanian Orphans line.

If the money does go to Romanian Orphans, why wasn’t there a poster talking about that initiative on the outside of the door? Or, she was making a joke about the money going to charity — we were quite confused!!

(There was no toilet paper in the bathroom either).

Odd experience and wouldn’t make me want to come back and visit the...