What’s the food like at Notcutts’ new restaurant in the town?
Last week, on a rainy weekday, we headed to The Kitchen, at Notcutts in Woodbridge, hoping for a nice, hot lunch.
The first thing which struck us was how popular it was – we’d clearly come to the right place, as there was a queue out of the door. Luckily the end of the line was in the undercover porch area.
The next thing we thought was how big the new restaurant, which opened earlier this year, was.
We were soon queuing inside – you order at the till and then take a seat. There was a no-touch hand sanitiser near the door, and social distancing markers on the floor to keep people two metres apart.
Handily, there were menus on stands along the queue, so we could decide what to order before we reached the till.
There was quite a selection of main courses to choose from, including sea bass with crushed new potatoes and a cherry tomato sauce, bacon chops, eggs, chips and tomato, and gluten-free options of hand-battered cod and chips and tomato, olive and basil penne.
There were also jacket potatoes, sandwiches, quiche, salads, soup, as well as lighter bites. A children’s menu, with hot and cold options, was available too.
Just before getting to the till, there was a Track and Trace QR code to scan. Alternatively, you could fill in your name and contact details on a piece of paper and hand it in at the till.
I’d decided on the sea bass, but that had sold out, so I opted for the vegan option – sweet potato and vegetable tart. Phil ordered the speciality sausages and mash. To drink, I asked for the Breckland Orchard Elderflower Posh Pop Lighter and, for Phil, a latte.
As we weren’t sure what the queue would be like later on, we ordered some desserts at the same time – a slice of carrot cake for me, and Victoria sponge for Phil. Other sweet treats available on the counter on the day included lemon cake and chocolate brownie. You could also buy St Jude’s ice cream pots.
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We headed to the seating area, where a lot of the tables were set two metres apart, and tables closer together had screens in between them.
We sat down at a table for two, and it wasn’t very long before a server brought over our food.
My sweet potato tart was presented on top of roasted potatoes, carrots and parsnips, which were surrounded by a tomato sauce.
The delicious tart had crisp pastry, with caramelised onions at the bottom, then a delicious, nicely spiced sweet potato topping, with a generous sprinkling of mixed seeds on top. The tomato sauce was nice and tangy and the roasted vegetables had plenty of black pepper on them.
Phil enjoyed the good quality sausages, creamy mashed potatoes, peas and gravy, which were topped with roasted strips of parsnip.
My slice of carrot cake was moist, filled with raisins, and aromatic, with cream cheese icing and chopped walnuts on top, while the Victoria sponge was light and fluffy, with jam and buttercream sandwiching it together.
The portion sizes of all of the dishes were just right, as afterwards we felt nicely full, and not overly so.
We both really enjoyed this warming, autumnal meal, and will certainly return to The Kitchen soon.
Drinks
The Kitchen offers a range of hot and cold drinks, such as Breckland Orchard soft drinks, which are made in Cambridgeshire. Hot drinks include barista coffee, Tea Pigs tea and hot chocolate.
Setting
This light, airy barn-style restaurant is very modern and, as you can imagine, plants are a feature too, dotted in some of the corners. We noted that our chairs were really comfortable!
Accessibility
The Kitchen is easily accessible for wheelchairs and pushchairs. There is a disabled toilet and separate baby changing room.
Value
Two courses, plus two drinks, cost £32.80, which we thought was very good value for money for the quality of the food.
Our reviews are conducted independently and any views held are our own.
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