The Moorings — Restaurant in North Norfolk

The Moorings

During our recent midweek break in Blakeney , Norfolk we enjoyed two fabulous evenings at The Moorings a lovely family run restaurant on the high street and just a short walk from the quayside.

Our first visit was on the tuesday where on arrival we were given a lovely welcome before being seated at our table. The restaurant was full and obviously very popular which as we found out was not hard to see why. The menu is a la carte with a lovely selection of starters , mains and desserts

We started with the Brown crab gazpacho, white crab, roast fennel, almonds and jamón as well as the Octopus salad, dill & buttermilk tarator, pickled shallots which were both delicious. We followed this with two fabulous fish dishes of Halibut, clams, grapefruit beurre monté and the Hake, salmorejo, cantaloupe melon and cucumber, samphire. These dishes were excellent and perfectly cooked. The watermelon with the hake was an absolute triumph. We then finished with dessert and we wasn’t to be disappointed here either as we enjoyed the Chocolate and Pecan Tart and the Rich Ginger Pudding with Toffee Sauce.

While we ended the evening with a coffee and chat with the team we asked if they had availability for the thursday and luckily for us they could squeeze us in. So with this we said goodbye and see you again very soon.

So two nights later we were back and the food was once again amazing , the staff were very friendly and yes they were busy again.

There were a couple of tweaks and changes on the menu which is down to the availability of the amazing local produce. This time we started with the Gnocchi, broad beans, courgette, çökelek cheese and the Tamarind & chilli pork belly, grilled nectarine, Blakeney leaves another two fabulous dishes. Now to the mains where I was in for an absolute treat. While my wife enjoyed the Sea bass, ratatouille and saffron fumet I was in heaven with the Pork chop, bone marrow ragu that was incredible. There was only one way to finish after that than with a Sticky Toffee Pudding and it was delicious while my wife enjoyed a delightful Cheese Course.

We finished again with a coffee and chat before parting ways with the hope of seeing them again someday. This is definitely a restaurant I would recommend. The food was amazing , the staff were friendly and the location is stunning so please take my advice and if you’re in the area book yourselves a table.

Thank You to all the team at The Moorings and look forward to seeing you...

Sadly, I did not love my experience here. There was a lot of hype for this restaurant, so I honestly expected better. Was a very loud place, which can be OK if the atmosphere is right, but it wasn't loud in a fun way, more just the fact that it's a small place with noise bouncing around everywhere. Anyway, that wasn't my main issue...it was more the fact that the mains weren't that tasty. I had the fish soup starter, which has some good spiciness to it. It wasn't a seafood chowder with a cream base, but rather finely chopped fish in a tomato base. The sea bass main I had was overcooked and bland. My wife had a cod main (a replacement for the halibut they ran out of) that wasn't overcooked, but was boring. At least the potato gratin side was tasty. The saving grace was the delicious ginger pudding with toffee sauce and ice cream. All of the desserts looked pretty good from the list on the wall. Maybe we just got unlucky with our choices, but I would try a different...

Had a great time at this restaurant. The staff were friendly, quick and accommodating, and they talked us through the menu which they knew very well. We all picked the right choices and despite everything on the table being delicious, nobody ended up envious of anyone else's dish. A testament to the quality of the whole menu, as well as the attentiveness of the staff.

All the dishes that arrived at the table were very tasty (we had three courses) and the portions were large. My highlight was the fish soup, which was phenomenal, and the potato side which we're still trying to work out how they made so delicious!

Would recommend this restaurant to anyone, but it suited us particularly well, the food was a good mix of fancy and hearty, in a relaxed setting with a nice buzz. The sort of food you would normally get dressed up for, but in a place that will accept you straight from your walk...