- A feature from the October 2016 issue of Suffolk Norfolk Life magazine
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- Food, Reviews
Read all about it… The Roadley-Battins discover The Library
Once the first public subscriptions library in Great Britain, this stunning grade 2 listed building in the centre of Norwich has now been cleverly converted into a restaurant, and since 2006 lovingly and carefully restored by owners Jayne & Nigel Ruffles.
As we entered, we were taken away by the beauty of the building, boasting fine period features, including charming wood panelling and bookcases still intact! This combined with elegant, tasteful and contemporary design, lovely easy listening background music and subtle lighting made a very relaxed and informal atmosphere.
As it was a beautifully warm summer’s evening, we took advantage of this and had a pre-dinner drink outside on the pretty courtyard and perused the menu.
With decisions made, we were shown to our table by our delightful waiter for the evening, Miguel, who was very attentive but not intrusive.
To start, Christian opted for the crispy beef with toasted sesame on a bed of Asian leaves, which he said was fresh and very tasty with oriental undertones and a western twist. I elected to start with one of my favourites – tempura tiger prawns with parmesan and aioli which was beautifully presented, a very generous portion, and extremely yummy!