Years ago, Mrs C and I were in a local pub quiz league team. We were not the sharpest tools in the box, if we’re honest, but Mrs C’s encyclopedic knowledge of 1970’s disco and the random useless facts littering my noggin were occasionally helpful.
One of our regular venues was the King’s Head, and we thought at the time ‘we should come here for dinner.’ But once we left the team, we forgot all about it... until the other day.
It was a chilly evening when we rolled up; a little quiet (the end of January isn’t the pub trade’s favourite time of the year) and as we chose our drinks at the bar, we eyed the free table next to the log burner. But a moment’s indecision – what beer to have? - cost us the place as another party moved in like heat-seeking ninjas.
But the adjacent pair of leather wingbacks made a comfortable place to browse the menu. I chastise myself sometimes for not being braver with my selections, but I love a ham hock terrine and the addition of pheasant promised a little something. It was very fine indeed, the bird bringing a point of difference, a subtle gaminess which complemented the salty ham beautifully. Excellent piccalli, too.
On the other side of the table, Mrs C felt it was a beetroot and orange gin cured salmon sort of evening. It went down very well; the curing imparted a gentle hint to the fish, and the accompanying pickled beetroot and horseradish made a nice counterpoint.
She stayed with the fish for her main course; sea bass fillet. It was cooked exactly as she likes it, crispy skin, still moist, with a super-smooth celeriac puree and dinky little Hasselback potatoes, which made a nice change. The caper and raisin butter was subtle, she said, though I did point out that if she had eaten the capers, and not pushed them to the side of the plate, the experience would have been livelier.
I like winter food, something hearty, reassuring and warming, and Guiness and black treacle brisket ticked all the right boxes. I will say that when the plate arrived it was a fairly brown affair – but it isn’t easy to make such a straightforward dish look glamorous, so we will move on to the eating.
My word, it was good. The thick, glossy sauce had the bittersweet balance bang on and the beef – a hefty slab - was fall-apart cooked to perfection. There was gorgeously smooth potato and just enough kale to make you feel faintly virtuous. Even the recollection of the plate is making me hungry.
I stuck with comfort for dessert, brioche bread and butter pudding and marmalade ice-cream. It was a sublime choice; there was sharp marmalade running through and the soft bread made it an absolute delight.
My companion felt that something less puddingy would be appropriate and so picked the chocolate marquise, with cherries and salted caramel ice cream. Sometimes, these chocolate affairs can be a touch dark, a bit puritanical, as if they don’t want you to enjoy it too much... but this one was on the money, with a proper choc taste and managing to tread that line of balanced flavour and sweetness.
As we settled back into our wingbacks and reflected on a fine meal Mrs C sat up like a meerkat; something on the background music caught her ear. “Candi Staton, Young Hearts Run Free, 1976,” she said. “Full marks,” I replied. “And to the evening as well.”
Market Place, New Buckenham, Norfolk, NR16 2AN
thekingsheadnewbuckenham.co.uk
Our review visits are unannounced and we pay for our meals.
