Sometimes you ring a restaurant and are told “No need to book, just come in”. Then you come in and the place is so busy there is not a single table free for another hour and you wished you had insisted that you had booked. Sometimes, if you are lucky, your Plan B ends up being better than your Plan A. This was luckily one of those cases.
I was meeting my darling friend The Second Wife and we exited the place of Plan A when we told that there wouldn’t be a table for the rest of the afternoon. So when we were left without a Plan B The Second Wife, in her infinite wisdom suggested The Norfolk. The magic words? “They have awesome soft tacos”. Now I need to admit one thing, I’m not a pub girl – a pug girl perhaps but not a pub girl. My low tolerance towards alcohol means that nursing three glasses of sparkling mineral water while everyone gets progressively happier isn’t my idea of good fun. However that said, beer or wine can be very happily substituted with good food.
We’re standing at the bar and it is 3:30pm. We’ve only had a lemon tart between the two of us and of course this leads to some crazy ordering.
“Let’s just get each of the tacos!!”
“OMG sliders!”
“Chicken wings! Do you like wings? I looove wings!”
“Ceviche-yum! I looove ceviche. Let’s just get one of everything!”
and in unison
“DEEP FRIED PICKLES!!!”
The menu has bar snacks and mains but even to our hunger crazed eyes the bar snacks look more interesting. The main menu has items like schnitzel, fish and chips, a burger, linguine an smoked trout salad. The bar snacks menu has more Mexican and North American fare. Also, it turns out that just yelling out every item in the menu won’t net you everything so I would suggest ordering in a calm, efficient manner as I realised that we didn’t get the chicken wings…
“This place used to be so dodgy” the Second Wife whispers to me. “We came here drunk with a bottle of wine and we just drank that here and nobody cared” she giggles “this was pre zhushing”. It certainly has changed and we make our way to the sun drenched courtyard where Surry Hills folk frolic and play musical tables and chairs. Zhushing involves Thomas Lim, ex of Tetsuya’s taking control of the pub menu and revamping it.
Ribena $4
I told you I’m a tee totaller didn’t I? Well I am when I’m driving as I’ve got a 0 alcohol limit and I’m too in love with my license to risk it. So Ribena with sparkling mineral water it is for me 
Deep fried pickles with ranch dipping sauce $7.50
Now if anyone said to me that deep fried pickles were a) a good idea or b) so damn good you’d forget your diet instantly then I wouldn’t have believed them. But here they are in all of the deep fried glory, a spongy crispy golden batter on the outside and a pickle inside with a ranch dipping sauce. The Second Wife nails the description after just one bite “It’s like a fillet o’ fish but better.”
Fish taco $5.50 each
Tacos can be bought for 4 for $20 and come in five different iterations with pork, fish, chicken, beef and vegetarian. Beef is not available currently though so we settle for two of our favourite: the fish tacos. Having had fish tacos both here and overseas some have contained deep fried fish and some haven’t. These marinated grilled whiting pieces have an anchiote chilli paste, lettuce, pico de gallo and of course the lime wedge that all of them come with. It is packed full of flavour.
Pork taco $5.50
The pork taco has braised pork beck, onions, cabbage, apple, mojo verde sauce and coriander and although nice enough, it didn’t really appeal to me as much as the fish or chicken tacos.
Chicken taco $5.50
The chicken taco is delicious with grilled juicy chicken thigh, red onion, guacamole, lettuce, chipotle mayo (love this stuff!) and cucumber. It is my favourite along with the fish taco as it had a great balance of flavours.
Vegetable taco $5.50
The vegetable taco is tasty with fried mushrooms, braised red cabbage, almond pico de gallo and pickled cucumber which all helped to give the taco a robust flavour.
Salt N Pepa Squid with Jalapeno aioli $14
The salt and pepper squid is a generously portioned dish and the squid is tender and lightly battered but there is an absence of both salt and pepper so we dunk it in the hot sauce and the jalapeno aioli which reminds me of a tartare sauce.
BBQ’d sweet corn with chipotle mayo, queso cheese and lime $5.50
The corn comes as two pieces per serve and they’re rolled in a chipotle mayo, queso cheese and lime with a smokey char grilled flavour. They’re not bad although I do prefer my corn plain with butter.
The food necessitates a return visit with my partners in crimes Queen Viv and Miss America along with my beloved Mr NQN. Interestingly, when we order the pickles they come out entirely differently (oops we didn’t photograph these hunger being the culprit). They’re sliced in half horizontally and coated in a light batter. Out of the two ways, the first way with the thicker batter (eaten on a Sunday whereas the halved ones were eaten on a Thursday) is better.
Monteith’s Apple Cider $7
This time we’re sitting in the front area as the garden area is chock full of smokers. I was curious about the apple cider on tap here along with the churning slushie which I’m told is Jim Bean and Coke. The cider is a cross between sparkling apple juice and apple cider vinegar.
Potato Skins with bacon, cheddar, ranch and scallions (3) $9
Mr NQN really likes the stuffed potato skins which are smokey with diced bacon, cheddar cheese, ranch dressing and scallions. I’m not as smitten as he is. There doesn’t appear to be much cheddar in it which would have been a nice match to the bacon.
Fried chicken wings $12.50
I do love a good chicken wing and this comes as a serve of eight wing pieces coated in a crunchy batter and paired with two sauces, a hot sauce which is a spicy plummy “hot” sauce and a red eye mayo. And yes they’re great when you dip the wings in one sauce and then the other.
Spiced Norfolk fries $7.50
The spiced Norfolk fries we later learn are not strictly necessary as a separate order as many dishes include them. They are fat crinkle cut fries and they are fabulously golden and well cooked. The spice I can taste most predominantly is star anise which lends them an interesting dimension.
Hot dog slider x2 $7.50
Sliders of any sort are something we don’t get much of here. The serve comes as two small buns which are quite hard and chewy (sort of like that texture after you microwave bread and it cools off) with regular frankfurt sausages. It is topped with a range of toppings including bacon, sweet mustard relish, pickled cucumber, crispy onions and jalapeno sauerkraut. The toppings added a lot but the regular sorts of red frankfrurts and bun took a bit of the gloss from it-a nicer hot dog sausage would have been great.
Pork Belly Slaw roll with fries $7.50
I was much more smitten with this little roll that the hot dog slider. In the soft, bronzed bun is a horizontal slice of soft pork belly complete wihh sliver of crispy crackling. Along with this is a creamy, crunchy cole slaw and more of these Norfolk fries.
Pork Ribs Half rack $12 (Thursday special)
Each day of the week has a special attached to it and on Thursdays they have half priced ribs where a half rack of ribs can be had for a mere $12. The ribs are coated in a thick sauce and are tasty although they don’t quite reach the level of La Casa or South where the ribs really fall off the bone and there is an aroma we can’t quite put our finger on. But for $12, we’re not too fussed.
Fish and chips
Miss America has the fish and chips and they’re very slender fillets which prompts him to muse out loud about the fish. The batter is crispy and it is paired with those crunchy fries that are worth reaching over and stealing and risking a rebuke.
So tell me Dear Reader, do you share meals with your friends when you eat out?
The Norfolk
305 Cleveland Street, Redfern, NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 9699 3177
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55 Comments | Add your own
Pork belly slaw roll looks divine, as does the hot dog slider! Junk food for me please.
Good grief, pub food has come a long way since I was last in a pub! The tacos look particularly delish. Thanks for the headsup, Lorraine!
Deep fried pickles somewhat reminds me of deep fried Mars Bars. I love pickles and I am curious to what deep friend pickles will taste like
Mmm looks so good! ESP for pub grub!
The Norfolk is quite a charming place. I really like the garden area but I was full of darn smokers when iwas there on a busy Friday, too.
I emailed them to find out if the had gf menu items and I never heard anything back. That kind of put me off but maybe I am being a bit precious.
Wow you guys certainly sampled the menu- looks like a cool take on bar food. Chicken wings and tacos look amazing. I do agree about normal frankfurts- they really gross me out. I have to peel that hideous red skin off!
The starters look like fun, something different. Lucky, Plan A didn’t work out after all
Cheesecake Boy and I always share. My friends on the other hand, it really depends who I’m eating with.
I had my first Monteith’s cider on the weekend and it was delish!
What a lovely array of food!
Tacos! I love them.
SSG xxx
I am on a taco bender myself at the moment! Being in Brisbane, there are not too many joints serving authentic tacos, but when you get one with sour lime, spicy sauce and tasty grilled chicken….oh baby.
Pickles! I want the pickles! There’s a lot of deep fry going on there, isn’t there?
Unless it’s fine dining we always share. I think it’s weird when I see people say at a Thai restaurant and they order one dish each and then proceed to eat only that dish. What’s with that? Sharing is caring.
yum! the pork ribs sure is really massive for only $12! yes i do love to share meals when eat out cause i’ll get to try out more dishes! greedy!
Wow I didn’t know you could get fish tacoes in Sydney. I’ve heard soo much raving about them from America so I’ve always wanted to try them. Lol that they sold Ribena..
Yum!! You have me drooling at my desk and it’s only 9.28am. Looks delicious.
Sharing with friends? – of course! Love S/SE Asian and N African – all lovely to mix and match! Not a pub person unless in one centuries old in England: perhaps the very freshly made salt & pepper squid stands out appealingly. Must be very behind times: this is the second time this week I have come up against ‘sliders’ (they were made for kids on ‘My Restaurant Rules’) – would you believe I had never heard of the term. Thanks for another lesson!
You’ve always got your finger on the pulse. I walked past there the other day. I’ll check it out for sure, looks tasty. I love good pub food…
I went last week for tacos Tuesday (tacos at $3)they were delicious but really slow to arrive
I’ll go back for the ribs and the courtyard is lovely!
Cleveland Str is getting really interesting!
Wow, you certainly had a better experience than mine. And different taste in hot chips, I find the Norfolk fries way too heavy and soggy. None of that lovely contrast of crispy exterior and mushy inside. The main of chicken was not cooked properly but the staff sent us lots of free sides to make up for it while they replaced the main. What was most disappointing was that it didn’t taste like anything halfway resembling portuguese chicken. Sounded nice on the menu, not so when it came out.
Think I’ll get the tacos next time, they look to be the Norfolk’s strong suit.
So much food. I feel full after seeing and reading all that. But it sounds so yummy!!! Congrats on your book altho will have to wait till next year. Funnily enough, I am from the same publisher.
I think I’ll have to make a trip to Sydney to try these deep fried pickles. I’ve seen Snooki on the Jersey Shore talk about them and didn’t think they would exist in Australia. Score! The soft tacos look delicious as well.
ahaha ribena! i haven’t had ribena in aggges. the pork roll looks awesome do they do desserts?
I’m not a pub girl, either. LOL, I’m like you, a pug girl. I won’t drink, but I think I would totally dig the food though…esp that BBQ’d sweet corn with chipotle mayo, queso cheese and lime!!! I usually like plain corn, too, but that seriously looks like the bomb.
I love little dishes like sliders and tacos and oh man that sweet corn thing looks delicious! It’s awesome when plan B turns out better than plan A isn’t it?
and lol at pug girl 
I never really like going to pubs because I don’t really drink too!I don’t usually fancy pub food, but looking how yummy these dishes look, I might have changed my opinion on pub food. Now I’m craving some mexican!
It depends on the meal and the friends. Asian food is always lovely when shared, but sometimes people just want to eat their own dish, which kind of defeats the purpose. If they are not pigs who slobber over their food, I love to share.
You’ve hit the nail on the head, I frequent this pub as my girlfirend lives across the road and the food has been variable from great to m’eh! The pub is usually jam packed with uber-trendies which puts me off but the menu is very moreish (when they’re not inundated) and a nice change from the pub food standards.
OMG. Deep fried pickles. Sounds like my gateway to food heaven. Why didn’t I think of that?
In the past we used to order an entree and main and eat it without so much as letting the other person taste but nowadays it’s more fun to order a number of entrees, mains and desserts and share them all. That way you taste a wider variety of the menu and it encourages everyone to try different foods and discuss those particular dishes, it’s very communal.
Not a pub person but I love the courtyard and this food looks tasty.
I keep getting more and more excited by good quality pub food. Excellent prices and good food makes me so happy. Eating out as often as we do, there isn’t really the opportunity to go to those really high end restaurants as much as we like.
I’m definitely looking forward to a trip to the Norfolk.
Sharing is always the go for me. I love being able to taste as many things as possible at restaurants. But I’m not sure I’d like to share the Pork belly slaw roll lol
No, i don’t share my food willingly. HA … but perhaps if hubby asked, i’d give him a little bite.
How do you stay so thin, L. eating all of that delish food??? WOW, I gained weight just looking at the photos. xx
deep fried pickles, hot dogs, rib racks!
i’m there!
The soft shell tacos look a bit too easy to eat. Love the second wife’s description of the deep fried pickles “It’s like a fillet o’ fish but better.” LOL
This food is making me hungry. We are going to Spain soon so I am hoping to share some excellent Spanish food just like this.
Wow – deep fried gherkins. I’m in heaven! Everything here sounds so tasty…might see if my teamsters want to go here for one Friday for pub lunch…
DEEP FRIED PICKLES! Oh dear heavens, that’s what I need desperately after a first day at work where I was so in over my head I went to the bathroom so I could get control and not cry!
Wow, a cheap and cheerful Southern/Mexican eatery serving what seems like quality food and is located in Sydney?! I must go! It seems our local dining scene has really been pushing it in the last years.
I really should know not to read your blog when I’m hungry. I really should know better. Absolutely everything is what I want… now
I just love apple cider on tap. We don’t get it here very often, and the bottled stuff just doesn’t compare. I’m happy to share meals but I am hesitant to share dessert.
I really don’t get the point of eating together if you don’t share.
I’m not a pub girl either so I would probably never have discovered this place if it wasn’t for you Lorraine!
The deep-fried pickles have me drooling.
Deep-fried pickles?! Truth be told, my mouth dropped in shock when I saw the pic!
I showed your post to an officemate who’s currently pregnant. She took one look, then called her husband to pick up a bag of flour and a jar of dill pickles on the way home!
Glad you went back and tried the wings, they look delicious. I so want deep fried pickles now, even if just for the novelty value!
Deep fried pickles and fish tacos? That’s my kind of place!
wow! those all look amazing and delicious!
Oh, I am so not a drinker either so going to a pub would only be for great food! This one does look pretty darn good and yes I’d share about 10 dishes, too. Oooh and now I want to try those fried pickles!
What a great afternoon! I love sampling with a foodie friend. It all looked deliciously fun.
That is a lot of tacos! I do love a fish taco though…
The tacos look so simple and good… but I really have a hard time wrapping my head around deep fried pickles… it’s cool someone took a pub and turned it around.. usually when a place goes wrong it goes south. I am impressed you don’t drink with such fare… I would think it was de rigueur!!
Sounds like you had a blast at The Norfolk
The fried pickles look different than what I’ve seen here in the States. Usually… they are sliced like chips… and then fried. I was surprised to see them fried WHOLE. Oh… and read your previous post on meeting Nigella… I am so so jealous!!! You both look so beautiful in that photo 
The food looks insanely good! I love the look of that pork belly slaw roll…mmmm…
We enjoyed the Norfolk on our visit & have been meaning to return….so many places, so little time (& money!)
Deep fried pickles sounds delicious to me! Wow redfern is really having a revival at the moment. I love sharing food, cause I love trying lots of different things.
omgsh Lorraine! those pickles look sooo interesting! I got small dill pickles the other day to try this out. But I’m scared of deep frying stuff b/c when i eat them, I regret it. I get cramps haha. But perhaps I’ll bake them
This is a good find! I love pub food (and drinks…) and this looks cheap & cheerful
oh man this is going to get me so many girlfriend brownie points – owen will love this place!! love montieth cider but it almost feels like a dessert to drink it
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