Review: The Gunton Arms, Norfolk

Some places are destined to stick in the memory. Not because they cooked the most perfect food that ever passed my lips. Just because they’re doing something really cool and there’s nowhere else quite like it. Such is The Gunton Arms, in the middle of nowhere, Norfolk.

In the main room of the Gunton Arms there is a bloody huge fireplace. It looks like it’s been there forever. In fact, it looks like the whole pub was built around this fireplace. Hanging above the stone lintel are the ginormous 2,000 year old antlers of an Irish elk. I don’t know why. But it’s awesome. And the ceiling is covered in rough wood planking.

And this fireplace has a grill built into the hearth, and a chef spends the whole evening standing there, occasionally throwing more logs onto the fire and then throwing huge slabs of 28 day aged ribs of beef onto the grill. The flames leap and roar, lapping over the grill and around the meat, and to one side a huge tray of potatoes roast. I have no idea how he survives: our table is fifteen feet away and the heat is palpable.

It’s bloody brilliant.

Their speciality is a rib to share between two, and when he throws the giant chunk of red goodness on the flames you just can’t help thinking how the bloody hell are we going to eat that? When it arrives at table, seared black with carcinogenic goodness on the outside and insanely tenderly red on the inside, you still can’t help thinking how the hell are we going to eat that? Sure enough, there’s a doggy bag at the end. It would be a sin to waste this meat.

The roast potatoes are awesome too. Seriously crispy on the outside. Seriously. Like, you could break windows with them. But in a good way! Crunch, crunch, crunch. Made a really nice counterpoint to the silky meat.

I oughta say that starters and puds were really good too. Lamb sweetbreads in a rich gravy along with the nutty flavour of pearled spelt. And a simple salad of blue cheese, pickled walnuts and sweet beetroots can’t go wrong. Sea buckthorn posset was vivid amber and had the true puckering citric flavour of the seaside berries. So, y’know, there’s good stuff either side of the main event.

The pub rambles over five or six rooms, but for the full experience you gotta book yourself a table in the Elk Room. Not that the rest of the place is dull. There’s a great collection of art hung on the walls, much of it mildly pornographic and none of it dull. I liked the little shagging dinosaurs.

It’ll be £45 for 3 courses before drinks if you do the righteous thing and have a steak, maybe £32 if you opt for a more ordinary main course (the venison stew was great, and shot just outside the back door). If life ever takes you to north Norfolk, spend an evening at the Gunton Arms.