design21 Amid great anticipation, Boston House opened just before Christmas in Orford Street, offering a casual fine dining experience using high-quality British ingredients lead by the changing seasons. Hanneke Lambert headed over to find out more.
Boston House is owned by Tim Irven, who has owned Bun Box on Norwich Market, once of the most popular street food stalls, since 2017. However, Boston House sees Tim go back to his fine dining roots. After studying catering at City College, Norwich, Tim moved to London where he worked in Michelin-starred restaurants.
We went to Boston House for an evening meal with family and were greeted by warm and friendly staff who escorted us all to our table. We were lucky enough to have a table in front of the open kitchen, where we could watch the chefs preparing the dishes and working hard to keep all the guests satisfied. Our waiter, Will, ‘the wine guy’, was very informative and helpful, without being overbearing. All the food was beautifully presented, and the whole restaurant had a lovely, relaxed environment.
The menu features snacks starting at £4, small plates from £8, and large plates from £15, and there is also a tasting menu on offer at £80. Vegan and dairy-free can be catered for if asked in advance.
From the snacks, our party had the duck pastilla with plum sauce, and the sable biscuit with cheddar custard, along with the pork and pancetta terrine with black garlic and pickles from the starter menu. To follow, three of us could not resist the rump of beef with beef cheek, braised carrot, and shallot while the other member of our party ordered the pork fillet with herb crumb, celeriac, kale, and mustard. Everything was delicious and cooked perfectly! The slow-cooked beef cheek sat on the carrot, which was so tasty! To share, we ordered some crushed new potatoes and potato terrine with an herb emulsion.
There were lots of discussions about dessert as they all sounded so good, so in the end, we went for all of them! Chocolate mousse and raspberry, caramel éclair with blackberry, and Baron Bigod with toast and pickled walnut. There was no clear winner here – just lots of incredibly clean plates!
We enjoyed a bottle of Ricossa Barbera Appassimento from Piemonte with our meal, and it was rather delicious! Boston House also has a rather fabulous cocktail menu that matches the elegant and plush décor, and to end the evening, we simply had to try the Boston House honeycomb old fashioned – the perfect end to a wonderful evening.
For special occasions or larger parties of up to 10, Boston House has two private dining rooms available to book on request. Equally, if you are just passing, you are more than welcome to pop in and enjoy a drink with some snacks. I cannot think of a better way to while away an hour.
• bostonhouserestaurant.co.uk
• Social media: @bostonhousenorwich
