Store
Stoke Holy Cross, Norfolk
Dinner in a former mustard grain store? Come this way. Through an archway in the far corner of the main Stoke Mill restaurant, is Store – a diminutive, dimly lit space that is the professional home to jovial chef Liam Nichols. With only five tables and one 7pm sitting Thursday-Saturday (plus a token Friday lunch), scoring a booking requires forethought. Effort is rewarded because Nichols’ pacy, eight-dish menu is packed with energetic flavour and fun as he takes the familiar and makes it his own. A flurry of snacks ignites the meal, the salty lick of whipped cod’s roe followed by the spicy tones of a Colman’s mustard beignet. Lime zest and lemongrass leap vigorously from a bowl of Thai green curry sauce in which sits a hand-dived scallop, lime-glazed and topped with a slaw of cabbage, carrot and mooli. It’s fresh and bright, while that seared bivalve is all plump pleasure. Anyone for fried chicken? Nichols takes the idea to the next level, topping a spiced waffle with super-smooth chicken liver parfait and an irresistibly crisp, juicy chicken thigh scattered with Jerusalem artichoke crumb. The umami tick is balanced by the sweetness of pickled cranberries, a maple glaze and hints of blood-orange marmalade. Lasagne arrives as a delicate salmon and prawn mousseline between the silky pasta sheets, topped with a béchamel and Parmesan-crusted layer and surrounded with a glorious shellfish bisque and nori powder. It’s another umami-laden belter. Lamb rump arrives pink and perfect, with familiar flavour-fellows – mint in the form of clear jelly cubes, puréed black garlic for sweet tang, and gentle Middle Eastern spicing in a kofte. To finish? A freestyle flourish, announced as ‘stuff on a plate’, is just that. The sweet-sharp collection of yuzu and white chocolate crémeux, shortbread, hibiscus and cranberry gel, fresh and freeze-dried raspberries, some roundels of brik pastry, and an exquisite raspberry sorbet is haphazardly delicious, if tricky to spoon. Two six-glass wine pairings drawn from a compact wine list include a bright Pinot Noir from Petri Winery in Pfalz and a classy Fleurie Clos de la Roilette 2021.
Dining Information:
Private dining room, Separate bar, Parking, Family friendly, Credit card required, Deposit required
Stoke Mill, Mill Road, Stoke Holy Cross, Norfolk NR14 8PA
01508 493337
