The Duck Inn, Stanhoe | Eating out in North Norfolk

Saturday, September 05, 2015

review The Duck Inn Stanhoe North Norfolk

A couple of weeks ago we drove out to the village of Stanhoe in North Norfolk to a restaurant which came highly recommended from comments I've heard on Twitter; The Duck Inn. These days we appreciate high quality cooking with local produce and that's exactly what we got. It is absolutely worth investing in something special and making the most of a wonderful time out.

I phoned up to book a few weeks in advance to make sure that we would get a table which was just as well as it was busy that (Saturday) evening. We were sat in the dining area away from the main bar and dining area which suited us as we prefer to be away from the hubbub. I liked the room. It was clean and set out so each table had plenty of space so felt perfectly private. The wooden table was sturdy and simple, set out nicely with some fresh flowers and a candle too.

review The Duck Inn Stanhoe North Norfolk\

review The Duck Inn Stanhoe North Norfolkreview The Duck Inn Stanhoe North Norfolk

The dinner menu and specials menu were full of interesting sounding dishes, all appealing and nothing ridiculous. I appreciate that. As usual, I'd snooped online at the menu so I had a good idea of what to expect and had also picked out a few choices, pending inspection of the latest additions to the specials. The photographs I took are not great as my phone is becoming increasingly uncooperative and taking pictures indoors in low light has all but tipped it over the edge. Apologies for the abominable shots, I dithered whether to include them all or not but frankly a restaurant review without pictures is pretty pointless from my perspective.

For starters I chose the scotch quail's egg with mustard and tarragon mayonnaise. Deliciously scrummy, a good size and everything I was hoping for. C had the Brancaster crab starter which he liked and said he would have preferred a little more. Can't have everything!

review The Duck Inn Stanhoe North Norfolkreview The Duck Inn Stanhoe North Norfolk

As our designated driver for the journey home, I savoured one of the soft cordial beverages in wild elderflower which was delicious. C made the most of being able to sample one of the real ales; he had a couple of pints of 'Golden Newt' which he seemed to relish.

review The Duck Inn Stanhoe North Norfolk

The pork main had my name written all over it while C opted for his favourite meat, lamb. (He seems convinced that I don't really like lamb, so often eats it while we're out). The pork was a fabulous dish, really clever and tasty. I loved all the apple concentrate as well as the delicious crushed potatoes and the stand out cider braised cheek, all the 'sauces' were so tasty. The whole dish was amazing although I have to say the uber light crackling wasn't to my taste; I am more of a traditional crackling fan; the kind which simultaneously threatens to break your teeth then gets really stuck in there for the next hour.

review The Duck Inn Stanhoe North Norfolkreview The Duck Inn Stanhoe North Norfolkreview The Duck Inn Stanhoe North Norfolk

It's a missed opportunity not to eat a pudding on an evening out so we took a look at the dessert menu. C accurately guessed I would be helpless to resist the white chocolate and vanilla cheesecake with hazelnut and cherry syrup and honeycomb. It was a large dessert considering I'd already eaten a fair amount and to my chagrin I couldn't finish the dish. It was heavenly, with all the flavours I enjoy (barring the hazelnuts, I swept them aside). The chocolate torte was C's choice which although looked smaller than mine, was rich and sumptuous so the right portion size.

review The Duck Inn Stanhoe North Norfolkreview The Duck Inn Stanhoe North Norfolkreview The Duck Inn Stanhoe North Norfolk

The evening out was thoroughly enjoyable at The Duck Inn; it's a fantastic place to go for some top class pub food and a great level of service. We will return and demolish more of the menu.

Sophie

Ghastly quality of photographs, I do apologise!

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Sometimes I am sent items to feature as part of a post and these will be clearly mentioned as part of each post.Everything else is bought by myself. Any sponsored or collaboration posts will be clearly marked. Each post is my own content and all opinions are honest.