The Bakers Arms, Norwich

Feel I ought to return again and clear things up once more, as we've since returned to the Quebec Tavern to find it a completely different -and pleasant- experience. I know then that this review of sorts should then be on their page, but seeing as I slated it here (thinking originally that I was referring to the Baker's Arms, then I should keep the correction on the same page.

Since my original review in '07, the smoking ban has obviously come in, forcing most proactive pubs to spend a lot on renovations (esp. outdoors). The Quebec was one of these. Now they have a small sheltered smoking come barbeque area outside, but have also spent a lot upgrading their toilets to an excellent standard.

The pub had the horse racing on when we visited and it was clear by the sheer volume of racing memorabilia adorning every spare inch of wall that the owners and enthusiastic locals are keen horsey lovers. If I recall rightly (which has been debatable given my past record!) there was a lot of Quebec team info and photos on their noticeboard amongst the gee-gee stuff, for their footy/pool/darts etc teams.
Actually yes, just recalled there's definitely a darts team as a search a while back came up with the Quebec being one of surprisingly only a few in a small Norwich league (and another close by - possibly The Jubilee?)

A few old boys got chatting to us during our whistle-stop half-and-out-again pit-stop on our way into the city - I think we might have been about to watch the Gas Hill Gasp (just round the corner) which is coming up this Friday so nearly exactly a year ago then! And from what I remember I had the choice of a proper ale this time, so all in all a completely different experience and one that makes us want to return.

What I wrote in '07 was accurate - if written for the wrong pub name - but it's certainly out of date now and so I felt I had to correct matters. Sorry for the confusion, people. Pop in their sometime. I'm sure there was some enticing food deal on their chalk board too.

3 Jul 2012 22:43

The Bakers Arms, Norwich

Alice_RW:

Oops! Yes, you're right, I did get my pubs mixed up! I was thinking of the Quebec Tavern! I'm pretty certain I never got to try the Baker's Arms before it shut, sadly. I apologise for upsetting you regarding a pub you (and others) clearly held dearly.

I only discovered my mistake last night, when the missus had insisted on checking on the net for the BA's whereabouts (before we headed out to a pub that didn't exist anymore) after not recognising it on a stylised Woodforde's Pub Stops of Norwich map we've got (it's a few years old). She came on here and I then recognised your quotes of mine! I see from the Google Maps link on here and via the Street View, that there's a couple of houses with a bricked-up frontage, as if it was a shop or pub previously, to the left of the chip shop on St Leonard's. I have vague recollections of there being a (closed-down) pub on this spot - I take it this is where it was.

I will however, take my right to reply on your character assassination. I take great offence at the line "...probably because you've spent too much time in trendy wine bars and forgotten what a good pub is!" Let's be clear: what I reported on, I saw. I just got the name of the pub wrong. I know a good pub and a bad pub when I see one. And I detest trendy wine bars and the w*nkers they attract. I've walked past the QT a fair few times since, on my way into the city for a night out, and haven't felt any desire to see if things have changed in there. There's plenty of better choices desperate for my patronage.

Also, you may have overlooked the clue to my character in my choice of username: GingerBear. The ginger bit is obvious, the bear (aside being a reference to how hairy I am) is a nod to the Norfolk pronunciation of beer, such is my love of both proper beer and the Norfolk way. So don't misread me on the 'not from round 'ere' bit either. I'm as East Anglian as they come; born in Essex, briefly lived in Norfolk, grew up in Suffolk, now living in Norfolk again.

Oh and last night? We ended up nipping down a lovely local, The Cottage.

9 Apr 2011 09:47

Blue Boar Inn, Sprowston

Expected a lot more from this pub, but was let down. We went here as a large group for a Christmas meal a couple of years ago and they didn't really deliver. They were understaffed, which meant long waits, so why take on so many bookings if you can't handle them? The food was poor; we could have cooked far better at home, and for the price we paid, I'd expect a higher quality than a Bernard Matthews-esque pre-cut slice of processed turkey. It annoys me when businesses bite off more than they can chew, as they certainly couldn't cater for the large number of tables they had available. My experience has put me off going back for a drink another time.

7 Jun 2007 17:01