Dinner At The Rising Sun, Coltishall, Norfolk
Published On Friday 28 Mar 2025 by Sticky Beak
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All good things must come to an end, they say and, sadly, The Man and I found ourselves on the last evening of our stay [and in the last restaurant] in Norfolk. Coltishall is only about 10 miles from where we’ve been staying, and is where The Rising Sun pub is located. It’s a bit of a weird setting; to get to The Rising Sun you have to go past one pub and into a large, shared car park and then the ‘Sun’ is in the far corner.
Anyhow, we managed to get parked up OK and headed inside. A warm greeting was issued as soon as we stepped over the threshold and into the bar and, when our reservation was confirmed, we were taken over to our table. This place is like a labyrinth, having several, linked dining areas and a wood-fired Pizza Oven just about in the centre. Decor-wise, The Rising Sun is very eclectic; the brickwork and stone walls are painted over, and dramatically dark ceiling beams are mirrored with open, equally dark, shelving. On the shelves are an assortment of old books, what looked like an old apothecary/dispensing urn, and jugs of varying sizes.
Even more bizarre was the washing mangle in one corner and a scaled-down Penny Farthing Cycle hung between a metal frame like some mechanical Damien Hirst installation. Put it this way, you’ll have no shortage of convo-starters when you dine here! I really liked the old. Red-toned tiles that formed the flooring, too; they looked like the original ones from way back. The tables themselves were the same dark wood as their accompanying mid-back chairs and each table was simply set with cutlery and napkins and a tealight in a faceted glass holder.
In an area adjacent to us was a large multi-generational family group and also a group celebrating a birthday, again with young children among their number; clearly the Rising Sun is child friendly, but is it welcoming to furry family members? The short answer is, yes; yes, it is. If you look closely, you’ll spot a metal bowl near the bar for water for pooch’s and there is a jar of treats for them there, too.
After bringing over our drinks, our server left us for a couple of minutes to see what we fancied to eat. I’ve mentioned the pizza oven, so obviously there are pizzas on the menu and, actually, there’s a really good selection of them. We did um-and-ah as to whether to share a garlic bread as a starter, but we’d ‘pulled a sneaky’ [as we call it] and looked at the desserts and said we’d go for mains and desserts on this occasion. Sometimes, you can have too much flippin’ choice on a menu and get all in a tizz, and that’s just what happened!! It took us a ridiculous amount of time (and several mind changes!) to order our mains: Shredded Teriyaki Duck Donburi with Jasmine Rice, Sesame Carrots, Wok-fried Greens, and Crispy Fried Egg (£19) for The Man, and ‘The Reuben’ Burger for me (£19).
We had timed our arrival perfectly: the group to our left had been served their food as we were ordering ours, and the other family group [behind us] ordered about 5 minutes after us; this meant that we weren’t waiting overly long for our food to arrive. Both dishes were beautifully presented, and certainly sizeable!
The Man Bird’s choice of Duck Donburi bowl was an inspired one – it looked incredibly attractive with its many layers, each of which was colourful and in contrast to its neighbour. A sticky Teriyaki glaze clung to the soft, tender shreds of tasty Duck breast meat and the crunchy ribbons of sweet Carrot had a marvellous nutty hint to them from the dinky Sesame seeds that coated their surface. Fluffy grains of Jasmine rice had a delicate fragrance to them and the baby Mange Tout were a masterclass in how to stir-fry veggies; warmed through, still crunchy but not raw, not oily or greasy, and with bags of flavour to them. Pea Shoots had been used to garnish the dish and the temperature contrast was a delight for the senses, as was the marvellously rich, creamy yolk of the crispy-edged fried egg. A total triumph of a dish.
It's no secret that I love ‘Frickles’ [fried Gherkin Pickles] and, having passed them up at Zak’s Mousehold Diner earlier in the week (in order to share a starter with His Maj), there was no way I was repeating the error on this evening. You cannot imagine the joy when I clapped eyes on the whole Frickle that topped my 8oz Beef Burger in its toasted Bun – seriously, I could’ve wept in happiness! Biting through the light batter, I was rewarded with that glorious sour tang from the crunchy Gherkin – oh my days, be still my beating heart.
The Beef patty itself was gorgeously charred on its surface to impart that irresistible smoky note on the palate, and this married with the meat’s deep flavour superbly. Peppery Pastrami added another layer of taste to this meal, and the crunchy, tangy Sauerkraut partnered it nicely. Mild Swiss Cheese added a rounded element to the dish and 1000 island sauce brought extra moisture and the ‘finger licking’ element that any self-respecting burger fan adores; you can’t eat a burger elegantly, it’s the law!
Accompanying my burger were more skinny fries than you could ever imagine. Much as it pained me, I said that The Man could help himself to as many as he wanted…and the greedy swine did, too! I drew the line at sharing the pot of creamy coleslaw, though…but he tried to get his mitts on it; back off, chappo. We took our time eating, and the serving team checked back on us a couple of times to make sure we were happy and to see if we needed more drinks.
With the mains expertly seen off, it was time to get down to the desserts: Chocolate Orange Cheesecake with Vanilla Bean Ice cream for me, and Trillionaire’s Tart with Chocolate Ice Cream for His Nibs (both £7.50). Both morsels arrived, looking marvellous, and I did a happy [internal] smug snort as I saw how much bigger my choice was. To be honest, I think we both thought that the Trillionaire’s tart would be a bit ‘deeper’ than it actually was, and that my Cheesecake would be a little ‘lower’. However, both desserts tasted ruddy tremendous; rich, indulgent and with the flavours that you’d expect: Caramel for the Tart, Orange for my Cheesecake. The Chocolate Ice Cream was lovely and cocoa-y, mine was comfortingly rounded with warming Vanilla tones.
Our tummies were fit to burst, but it was worth it, 100%! Hot Wings happily given to this great Coltishall venue; if ever we’re in the area again we’ll certainly be popping in here, there’s so many more dishes we want to try. To book a table call 01603 737440 and you can visit the website www.risingsuncoltishall.co.uk to view the menus…you can even book a room – the Rising Sun has a few rooms and offers B&B rates.
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