Richard Heywood

DON’T BE LEFT OUT – MAKE SURE YOUR SURVEY VIEWS ARE HEARD!

Extended deadline: June 4

The response to our 25th annual survey has been excellent, but a forthcoming promotion with The Sunday Times means we need a longer survey period.

As a result, we have *extended our deadline* until 4 June.

If you HAVE NOT already given us the benefit of your views, we hope you’ll give the survey a try.

DON’T FORGET THAT EVERYONE WHO TAKES PART WILL RECEIVE A FREE COPY OF THE 2016 GUIDE. YOU WILL ALSO HAVE THE OPTION, IF YOU PREFER, OF A FREE APP INSTEAD OF A FREE BOOK. YOU WILL ALSO HAVE THE CHANCE TO WIN A FABULOUS FOOD-FOCUSED BREAK IN PARIS.

To get started, just click on the following link www.hardens.com/survey/

Roger Hickman’s Restaurant has received lavish praise in the 2014 Good Food Guide, which has just been published (September 2013).  Widely regarded as one of the most reliable and unbiased guides, the review starts with fulsome praise: ‘Roger Hickman’s civilised restaurant still beats the local competition hands down.  There’s something about its comforting surrounds that attracts both the Norwich old guard and new-breed foodies.’

Of course, the food is at the centre of any review, and the Guide continues its compliments in this department: ‘Clean-cut, clearly-defined flavours and incredible attention to detail are the hallmarks of Hickman’s spirited cooking’, with ‘high levels of painstaking skill’ noted, as is the ‘superb, thoughtfully assembled wine list’.

Service is not overlooked by the review, either, with the author noting that ‘faultless staff apply the personal touch in the cultured yet gregarious little dining room’.

The Good Food Guide reviews are compiled from comments made by an army of readers, as well as anonymous inspections, representing one of the most thorough and unbiased overviews of Britain’s restaurants anywhere.  It is the UK’s bestselling restaurant guide, and is compiled by Which?

Roger Hickman’s Restaurant has been awarded a coveted third AA rosette – the only restaurant in the city to hold the accolade.

Roger Hickman’s Restaurant, in Upper St Giles, has been awarded the third rosette, one of just 21 restaurants in the UK to receive the accolade at Monday night’s AA Hospitality Awards at the Park Lane Hilton in London.

“To receive three rosettes just two and a half years after opening is a fantastic achievement,” said Roger Hickman, chef-proprietor of the restaurant.  “When we opened we said we wanted to be both the best fine dining experience in Norwich and a food destination for people coming from further afield, and we are now achieving both of those things.”

AA Rosettes are only awarded after visits by independent inspectors.  The AA describes establishments achieving three rosette status as: ‘Outstanding restaurants that achieve standards that demand recognition well beyond their local area. The cooking is underpinned by the selection and sympathetic treatment of the highest quality ingredients.

‘Timing, seasoning and the judgment of flavour combinations will consistently be excellent. These virtues tend to be supported by other elements, such as intuitive service and a well-chosen wine list.’

Roger Hickman’s Restaurant opened in 2010 in the same premises formerly occupied by Michelin-starred Adlard’s, where Roger Hickman was himself head chef for five years.

More details about the AA Rosettes can be found here: http://www.theaa.com/travel/accommodation_restaurants_grading.html#tabview%3Dtab3.