The Norfolk, Surry Hills

Endless English Summer - $30

Happy Friday everyone! Fridays are the perfect excuse for some post-work boozing, and even though we're actually here at the Norfolk on a Tuesday, for some people every day is a Friday!

Clockwise from top: pork, beef and chicken tacos - $3 each (normally $5.50 each)

The real reason we're here on a Tuesday night though is for their $3 Taco Tuesdays. Normally $5.50 per taco or $20 for 4, we decide to order one of each of the beef, pork, chicken and fish tacos, minus the vegetable one. They're messy to eat and quite difficult to share, so we end up ordering another round of everyone's favourites. Everyone prefers a different taco, but my favourite is the chicken taco with the spiced chipotle mayo and creamy guacamole.

Chip Roll - $7.50

It's not all about tacos though. The menu also has mains including ribs, burgers and steaks, but we're more interested in the bar snacks. The chip roll offers some carb-on-carb action, with fries, cheese, chipotle mayo and bacon nubbins sandwiches between mini hamburger buns. I do love my carbs but this was a little disappointing, with the chips having gone soggy and the burger a little flavourless overall.

Spiced Norfolk Fries - $7.50

The chips on their own were fantastic though, crinkle cut with a crisp exterior and a nice spiced seasoning sprinkled over the top.

BBQ'd sweet corn - $5.50

None of us could pass up the offer of BBQ'd sweet corn, slathered with chipotle mayo, queso fresco cheese and a squeeze of lime juice. The corn is super sweet and juicy with some smokey black charred bits on the surface.

Fried chicken wings - $12.50

Fried chicken is also on the menu, looking enticing with its golden brown and crispy skin. The skin is studded with bits of chilli, and it's not until a few seconds after I bite into it that I realise how hot it is. It's so tasty though, particularly after dunking it in the red-eye mayo and hot sauce and I can't stop eating it even though I'm starting to break a sweat from all the chilli!

Potato skins - $9 for 3

The potato skins are a dish that no one could ever hate. Potatoes by themselves are already delicious, but scrape out some of the middle and replace it with bacon, melted cheddar cheese and shallots and ranch sauce and you've got something heavenly.

Deep fried pickles - $7.50

There's a bit of debate whether to order the deep-fried pickles, but they're added to our list anyway with a mixed reaction from the table. Not usually being a fan of pickles, I try one tentatively and find that the contrast between the creamy ranch sauce and the sour pickles is quite tasty. Of course it also helps that there is a deep-fried, crisp batter surrounding the outside of the pickle, which some people *cough* Suze, Sir D *cough* decide to pick off and eat by itself.

Salt n Pepa squid - $14

This seems to happen time and time again but I'm starting to realise that we ordered a lot of deep fried stuff.... but anyways check out the salt and pepper squid! The soft, tender squid is encased by a light salt and pepper batter with a few chillies tossed into the mix for good measure. It's not as hot as some of the other dishes though so it provides a respite from all the chilli. The bit I love most about this dish is actually the addictive jalapeno aioli dipping sauce.

Pork belly, crackling and slaw roll - $8.50

We're quite excited about the pork belly roll that includes crackling but sadly the burger seems to be devoid of any crackling whatsoever. We are sad pandas. It's still good though with juicy, tender pork belly stuffed between two burger bun halves and a creamy coleslaw, but I think most of the table forgoes this for the tastier, more exciting dishes.

Hot dog sliders - $7.50 for 2

And last but not least, we have the hot dog sliders. These cute-as mini hotdogs come with squiggles of mustard and tomato sauce and are garnished with deep fried onion rings. The sausage is your generic, red-skinned frankfurt but underneath hides a bacon and sweet mustard relish, sauerkraut and picked cucumbers.

So after ordering every item on the bar snacks menu (bar the eggplant and goats cheese cigars), we squeeze through the crowds to the downstairs bar where we have a few tequila shots (or sips in the case of a certain someone who can't scull) to finish off the night. Just another one of our regular Fridays Tuesdays!

The Norfolk
305 Cleveland St
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Ph: +61 2 9699 3177


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