Medina Grill Restaurant Norwich

The Medina or "Med" as is plastered on the outside in neon lights is a quaint Morrocan restaurant on the Prince Of Wales Road in Norwich.

Every six or so months we have an 'old skool' night in which we try to get good food, good conversation (if you can call good conversation talking about partners, mortgages, work and life - a far cry from our college days - but I suppose we all have to grow up at some point!!) and a few ...
...The closest thing was the Medina which was described as a Morrocan restaurant - not the steak house that I assumed it was.

The next day I walked on the other side of the road, right past the Med. It was then that I noticed it - although the neon lights state Med Grill Bar - on the window in nice, subtle letters was "medina". That was the place I was looking for.

When I booked the waitress didn't even ask for ... more

The Medina or "Med" as is plastered on the outside in neon lights is a quaint Morrocan restaurant on the Prince Of Wales Road in Norwich.

Every six or so months we have an 'old skool' night in which we try to get good food, good conversation (if you can call good conversation talking about partners, mortgages, work and life - a far cry from our college days - but I suppose we all have to grow up at some point!!) and a few drinks.

We try and go somewhere different each time. Last Friday was my turn to organise the meal. I walk past the "Med" every day and I have always been intrigued. I love a good steak so I thought a grill restaurant would probably be a good option.

When trying to book the restaurant I thought I would use the net to get the number. Confusion - I could not find the "Med" any where. I walked past it everyday yet it didn't appear on Yell.com. The closest thing was the Medina which was described as a Morrocan restaurant - not the steak house that I assumed it was.

The next day I walked on the other side of the road, right past the Med. It was then that I noticed it - although the neon lights state Med Grill Bar - on the window in nice, subtle letters was "medina". That was the place I was looking for.

When I booked the waitress didn't even ask for how many people. I was a bit supprised considering it was a Friday night peak time of 8.30pm. I didn't bother calling back and thought that we'd always find something else if there was no room for us.

The Friday came and we went to the Medina. It is basically a bar with a small dining room behind it. The bar was packed out - always a good sign in a restaurant. However, the dining area was dead. There was not one other table that was occupied. In addition I noted that I could not smell any food cooking - not even a faint whiff. In every restaurant there is always a slight smell - even if it is very, very faint. But not here.

We got the drinks in and sat down at the table. The decor was pleasant. It wasn't modern or new or refurbished. It did not looked aged either - but I think that this is the norm when everything is wood and wood effect. It isn't a romantic setting - which is a good thing for 11 hairy a**** blokes. Lol. However, the lighting was soft.

The background music was a bit loud. It was classic Oasis, just like what we were listening to when we were at school - very apt. After a few tracks we decided that the catching up was not happening and we had to request it to be turned down.

The menu was a typical Fatso/Zaks menu with a couple of Morrocan specialties. However, unlike the Fatso/Zaks prices the meals in the Medina are quite expensive. Looking at the menu it appears quite reasonable. However, I only realised that a steak on the menu - was JUST a steak when the waitress asked me what sides I wanted and I replied "none". THis is when the price rises - dramatically. Everything is paid for separately - the meat, the fries/wedges/potatoes/rice, the onion rings. mushrooms, tomatoes, peas....................absolutely everything. This is my only gripe about the menu. It was not clear, and not made clear by the waitresses. Suddenly a £12.95 steak ended up costing nearer £20!

The food took ages to come out - despite our group being the only people in the restaurant! This was not a problem since we had all night to kill. If we were in a hurry or didn't like the atmosphere or run out of conversation then this would not be a good thing.

When the food did come out I couldn't fault it. The steak was cooked to perfection, the salad was really tasty with no 'extreme' dressings, everything was spot on. In addition the waitresses could not do enough for you.

Half way through the meal the chef came out to check all was ok. I don't know if this is common practice but it was a nice touch any way. We were asked if we wanted any more sides - supposedly for free.

I have no idea if they were free, since everything is itemised on the bill unless you go through it with a fine toothed comb it is going to be really difficult to tell if we got something for nothing or not. It doesn't really matter though.

There were no complaints with the food - from anyone. This is quite good since that there is one bloke in our group who will ALWAYS whinge about something. However, nothing was said. He didn't say it was OK but then he didn't say it wasn't either.

Overall the food was excellent, the waitresses were friendly and the chef even came to see if everything was OK. However, the pricing structure really lets this place down. It is difficult to tell how much a meal is going to cost as everything is bought separately.

Although I did enjoy it I doubt I will be going back to the Medina. The menu is too much like Fatsos/Zaks. Ok it is better service than Fatsos/Zaks and the food is nicer (although only marginally) but Fatsos/Zaks is much better value for money. And, on a night out the less you spend on food the more there is available for drink.

So, if you are out in Norwich and fancy this sort of food, unless you have deep pockets and enjoy paying over the odds for food then I would avoid the Medina and head to cheap and cheerful Fatsos which is about 100 metres down the road and closer to the Riverside.

 

...less