VENUE
FODDER VALUE
OVERALL
THE GEN Tables have been harder to come by than Norwich City goals at Dray Yard Smokehouse since its opening in October. Boasting the city’s only genuine American smoker, they stoke the fires with hickory chips and have had the most mouth-watering aroma wafting down Exchange St, right round the back of a very hungry Outline office. Tey have a limited but focused menu of the most tempting American BBQ food, and it fell to us to take the taste test.
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ATMOSPHERE Te only time you’re likely to nab an unoccupied seat at the moment, we nipped down at lunchtime, into the restaurant’s high-ceilinged, airy open space. With freedom to walk among the tables, owner Shaun talked us through the additions they were making to the décor in the coming weeks; a custom made Brooklyn Beer neon sign to compliment the rarely seen draught lager will be a nice touch, and it’ll be good to see them grow into their surroundings
TO START Hot Smoked Mixed Nuts / BBQ Chicken Wings w/ Blue Cheese Dip and Celery Having just chosen my main course, waiting patiently for it to get to the end of its 25- year smoking process (or something equally as impressive but with less exaggeration) and chewing on the house nuts, Shaun did this funny thing where he ASKED me if I’d like to try some BBQ wings. Given my growing reputation of shovelling everything (usually food) into my gob 24/7, and my need to wear body control pants underneath more body control pants, he should have known the answer was resolutely: YES. Good decision made. I went for the hot ‘uns, which were lip-smackingly sticky and generously meaty. No skin ‘n’ bone weedy little wings here.
GETTING HOME...
THE MAIN EVENT Pulled Pork w/ Crackling, Fries and Salad. Toothpicks. I’ve been racking my brains for what would make this a fair and well- balanced review, without sounding too much like I’d happily use my mouth as their meat fat drip-tray, and all I can come up with is I woulda quite liked a toothpick. When you get two pieces of crackling that, when crunched, sound like a cement mixer in your head, atop a huge pile of smoky, juicy meat – laced with a piquant vinegary taste that cut through the unctuous protein – what is there to complain about? My chosen sides of fries and salad were winners at opposite ends of the spectrum; one guilty and comforting, the other fresh, well seasoned and bright.
PUD New York Cheesecake With such an understated description, there’s some space for interpretation. When it turned up, I thought I spied bobbing blueberries. OK, fruit, I’m ready for you. But to my eternal delight, they were CHOCOLATE. CHIPS. I was so full, but there was no way I was admitting defeat. With my cheesecake bagged up to go, I skipped back to the office, ready to ingest those heady wafts again just a few hours later.
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VALUE I always refer back to the national average price of a meal now, and with options veering just slightly below and just slightly over, Dray Yard are already justifying their meal values. Trow into that the epic PILE of locally supplied, tenderly slow-cooked meat you get for your bucks, and there’s not one eyebrow to be raised. It’s bang on the money.
OVERALL Tere’s a bit of a battle of the BBQ going on in Norwich at the mo, and for that reason alone, I’d love to see them develop a couple more menu options, just to keep the rest of town on their toes. New light bites were mentioned though, so perhaps they’re a step ahead already. I’m already planning my return. I might even go alone. I think a date with some buttermilk chicken would be my personal perfect Valentine’s. I’m not trying to blow (hickory) smoke up their arses, but aside from the toothpicks, there really isn’t much to say against Dray Yard Smokehouse. [pic by Lewis Wollard]
WAITING AREA 24 HOUR SERVICE
50 SEAT
NO INCREASE AFTER
MIDNIGHT 6,7,8 SEATER AVAILABLE EXCECUTIVE CAR TRAVEL
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