William & Florence — Restaurant in Norwich

Sunday morning breakfast has a lot of competition in the norwich area, so when William Florence was suggested I was really pleased to try someplace new (for me). I hadn't been in since it had changed names and owners. The first thing that greets you is the friendly, warm and kind service. it's one of those places where I got a genuine feeling of affection from the staff. this isn't just professional- it's just what they do! We ordered two hot chocolates (I was with the kids) and a mocha with oats milk (this is a recent change for me- try it- you'll never go back to milk) hands down this was amongst the top 3 best hot chocolates I've tasted in norwich and the top 5 best mochas' I've had in the same vicinity. They were both well mixed without an ounce of powderyness, served in a homely mug, with a rich- luxuriant mouth coating viscosity that just makes you go "aaaah". it's just great to be in a place that gets the simple things right. With this success we ordered the foods. I ordered the full english, we also had eggs benedict with salmon, the pancakes with yogurt and fruit and the French toast with blackcurrant compote. All of which you can see pictures of below. My full English was well prepared and arrived first- the plate reassuringly hot- nicely cooked eggs and crispy bacon. I object to the thimble sized baked bean receptacle- why the cheapest ingredient have to be in the least quantity I'll never understand. The bread was an average sourdough that felt a bit lacking, as was the sausage. the clear winner on the plate was the black pudding. it was just the right amount of spice, and cooked to a crispyness that was delightful. The eggs benedict were on smallish pieces of bread- but the eggs were perfectly cooked. although a smaller looking portion is hit all the taste buttons. It does (I'm sure you'll agree) look a little lonely on the plate. the real disappointment was the French toast. The toast was a little soapy in texture and a touch too dark for my liking. it's lack of sweetness or even delicate saltiness (they could have taken it into either direction) was exacerbated by the splurge of compote that had been ejaculated across the serving. This watery sea of tartness not only looked off-putting but was also a really strong flavour (see the picture) if you order this tell them you want the compote on the side! however if you are really into your French toast, go to Amelias in town- then again their chef is French... moving on to the pancakes, this was a wonderful mix of wet, fruity and American type pancakes. we had a discussion on the table as to whether they were store bought or made in the kitchen. I didn't ask, and the table remained firmly divided as to the answer. The pancakes were the best value, in terms of quantity to cost ratio. Slightly too many for the plate (which is exactly how you want pancakes served) Williams and Florence have a simple pub decor wich is clean and wholesome. however sitting near on of the large windows meant that we heated up quite a bit during the meal. Mostly becuase of the UV light that was bounching off the the warm comfyn furniture. I wish they would have turned on the AC or opened a window- but other than this it was very pleasant and the service was a high high standard throughout the meal. Would I go back? I would- but perhaps not for breakfast. I'd definitely give the lunch menu a try and then have one of their...

I’ve been to this pub before once or twice and never left a review so I am now after this evening’s visit - I’ll try to keep it brief but I won’t make any promises. My memory of this pub before tonight can be summed up as ‘nothing special’; it’s an alright pub with some okay food. Today was a bit more mediocre. The service was quite slow, but the waiters were all very nice. The food took over half an hour to arrive (understandable for a busy pub only a mile away from a university but is longer than you’d expect to wait for a small bowl of halloumi fries) and the quality was inconsistent. The burger I had was one of the most spectacular creations I have ever eaten, I can’t believe how delicious just the cheese was. The starters were alright, the mains my family ordered were good, the desserts were disappointing. This may have been an unfortunate mistake but the tiramisu we ordered tasted like the cream/mascarpone had gone off - maybe the tiramisu is usually good and this was a bad batch - so it was supplemented with a free brownie (I didn’t eat it because I was full at that point but my sister and dad said it was good). If you don’t like salted caramel ice cream, try it from this pub because it’s so good it will change your mind. The cranberry juice I ordered was pale and diluted which was disappointing. So, the food and service were average but the atmosphere is what discoloured my evening (NOTE: this was due to a different customer and I do not blame the pub for this at all). A very pretty pub on the inside and out and the music is quiet enough to recognise songs you like but engage in conversation, but there was a seemingly drunk American near our table who was talking so loudly I promise you would’ve heard him from the street. Sullied the atmosphere with his slurring discussions on real estate, being friends with his siblings, and something to do with feet. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this pub for a ‘Top 100 Pubs in Norwich’ list , but I wouldn’t dissuade anyone from going there. Didn’t use the facilities tonight but from memory the...

It was Sunday and so we decided to pop put for breakfast, ended up arriving at 11:32 (They stop serving breakfast at 11:30), I begged, I pleaded, they agreed and thank you to all the staff in the kitchen and bar, we ended up having a truly wonderful brunch. Now lets be honest, the easiest thing they could have said was "I'm sorry but 11:30 is the cut off" and the fact they didn't speaks volumes about their customer service. The vibe and decor is cool hipster without the classic cliche, the staff were all very friendly and very professional. We sat next to one of the windows at the front and I had a great view of Unthank road. As I sat there, I couldn't help thinking "Hmm you should do a timelapse video of the people walking on the road and put it to music, as there were all kinds of people, characters, young and old, the cool and the uncool. Our pots of tea arrived, (Wife had Earl Grey while I had English Breakfast tea aka normal tea), the pots gave a good 3.5 cups of tea, and it was good, the wife had opted for the Vegan breakfast but I am a "Geezer" ;) so had the full English and we were both very pleased with the presentation, quality and taste of our meals. It was busy with a large bridal party in, but service was quick, we weren't hurried to leave, I settled the bill (which was very reasonable ) and added £5 because they deserved it. I asked them to thank the kitchen staff for agreeing to break the rules. And to top it all off there was an Austin Allegro parked just along the road.

So to summarise, a very good breakfast in good surroundings with great staff. Would I recommend "Bill & Flo"? damn right I would, just remember to...