Big Eat Out - The Vine

THE GEN: Whether it’s a pub with a kitchen let out, or restaurant seeking some bar-only trade, establishments that perform as one, with the other on the side, rarely gel. But try running a fully operational Thai restaurant in a well respected, beer lovers’ pub without letting either side take a hit, and you have a challenge on your hands. I have massive respect for owner, Thai native, and now Norfolk proud local, Aey. A business owner, mother, real ale enthusiast and focused perfectionist, she’s a hard-working domestic goddess: Thaigella, if you will. Aey breathed life into an overlooked city gem, the previously closed Vine, the smallest pub in our beer-thirsty city, and has established it as both a serious contender on the beer enthusiasts’ trail, and the foodies’ hit list.

ATMOSPHERE: The Vine has two levels of dining to suit your mood; upstairs is the bijou, tiny restaurant space with fresh, crisp linens and downstairs is the warm traditional British pub, that together compromises Norwich’s smallest boozer. Small, as this 5ft 2-er can corroborate, is just dandy and it gives the premises a warmth and buzz however light or heavy the clientele is that night.

STARTERS Mixed Platter Ah, the crispy course. I don’t mean to come over all Kerry Katona, but the crispier a starter, the better. If you get sweet and spicy and sharp and creamy things to perform a gluttonous dunkathon in, you’re reaching the higher echelons of taste satisfaction. With fish cakes – no potato filler, as Aey passionately tells us – chicken satay with freshly made, crunchy satay sauce, golden parcels, chicken toast (with densely generous meat) and spring rolls, there was not an under-flavoured, limp, pasty morsel in sight. We demolished it like the good little piggies we are.  

THE MAIN EVENT: Chicken Gang Pha (Village Curry) / Beef in Oyster Sauce “Try the hot one”, the native Thai owner suggests to me. Now, along with Dr Pepper’s advertising strapline of “what’s the worst that can happen”, these are two statements that shouldn’t be accepted too casually. Being daring / stupid as I am, I accepted the Village Curry challenge… but boy, am I glad I did. Heady with – and this is just my guess – tamarind, fish sauce, holy basil, chilli and a myriad other flavour-bombs, it was as tasty as it was aromatic. I did sweat a little, get a touch dizzy and see the inside of my brain with each passing mouthful, but it was adrenaline filled, and not gratuitous. The taste was paramount, and that’s all that matters when wrangling with heat. The beef was still spicy, but also deliciously salty in that decadently meaty way, with a thick sauce that wrapped itself around the virgin rice.

DRINKS: I’m sure amongst the gems my parents have taught me, are my Dad’s words resonating now: “never pass up a free bar”. However, having an acupuncture appointment straight after our meal, I stayed alcohol free, lest I become a viciously fizzing old lush when the needles were prised in. What a bad place to opt out though, with the extensive drinks list confirming The Vine’s reputation as a definite destination on Norwich’s real ale trail. There’s also a large selection of world beers, and an ever-extending list of other tipples.