The Muddy Cup - Norwich

12 Distillery Square
Norwich

NR2 4BH

Open daily from 9am till 4pm

 Breakfast served all day

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I'd already awarded The Muddy Cup a recommended sticker in 2014 but a change in ownership meant another visit was needed.

Inside looked much the same, I didn't get a photo but the teapot and teacup lampshades hanging overhead were a really nice touch.

Place your order at the counter, the food is prepared in the kitchen behind.

I was loving the new logo!

I usually review the full English but couldn't resist trying the Irish breakfast instead. Toast isn't mentioned on the menu but it comes with the breakfasts and you can choose fried bread if you prefer.

When the coffee comes from Wilkinsons you know you're in for a treat.

 This was how I felt about this excellent large cappuccino, a bargain at £2.50.

Quality branded sauces arrived just before the food.

A birds eye view of the large Irish breakfast.

 Here it is from a different angle, I liked what I saw and couldn't wait to try it.

The chef here cooks great fried eggs and impressed me with perfect fried bread.

Excellent Guinness sausages from nearby P.B George and delicious potato farl.

Plenty of mushrooms and beans, very tasty tomatoes.

A birds eye view of the vegetarian breakfast.

My wife thoroughly enjoyed it!

A planned inspection at The Reading Rooms off Dereham Road fell through as I realised it had recently closed down, a back up plan was needed. Suddenly I remembered hearing about The Muddy Cup being taken over by new owners, this seemed like the perfect plan! I'd visited the Muddy Cup and declared their breakfast recommended (read that review here) in May 2014, it was time to return though to see what the new owners were serving from their breakfast menu...

Upon entering - The first thing I noticed was the fancy new signage, it looked great and once inside I also spotted a large "Muddy Cup" logo on the wall too. Last time I was here we sat outside where there are a good number of tables, today though we sat inside instead. Everything else looked pretty much the same as before, some quirky teacup and teapot lampshades had been added though giving it a nice unique touch. There are menus on the counter and cutlery, salt, pepper and sugar lumps already on each table. The same ordering process remained where you place your order and pay at the counter, the food is brought over ready when it's ready and prior to this the sauces arrive. 8/10

Service - We were were well looked after and made to feel welcome as soon as we arrived. We were given options over white or brown toast and my wife requested some more hot water to top up her tea, this wasn't a problem at all. My cappuccino arrived with a nice smiley face on top and we were asked if everything was ok. I briefly chatted to the chef that had created the stunning breakfast before leaving and told the staff that I promised to share the photos I'd taken with my friends! :-) 9/10

Contents - 2 Guinness sausages, 2 bacon, 2 fried eggs, 2 potato farl, 2 slices of fried bread, mushrooms, beans and tomatoes. 9/10

Presentation - The items had been beautifully presented on the plate filling it nicely. Beans in a pot ensured pouring them over the fried bread would be an easy task. The huge P.B George sausages sat proudly on one side of the plate, beside them an almost perfect pair of eggs sat beneath the kind of fried bread I always hope to find, golden and crispy. Everything on the plate looked superb! 9/10

The food - Being partial to an occasional pint of Guinness made me quite excited about trying P.B George's Guinness sausages. They certainly didn't disappoint, incredibly big with a firm meaty texture and subtle Guinness flavour, delicious! I think the bacon also came from P.B George, nice thick and tasty rashers. I took a bite of the potato farl and enjoyed it so much I ended up eating it on it's own, it didn't last long! An nice pair of fried eggs with runny yolks went perfectly on top of the golden crisp fried bread, no excess oil to be found inside and a nice crunch with every bite. The tomato was packed full of flavour and a generous amount of mushrooms and beans came with this very enjoyable breakfast. 9/10

Value for money - The large Irish breakfast cost £7.95, certainly a very reasonable price for a breakfast cooked so nicely with a quality line up of meats from the butchers next door. If you don't have such a big appetite you can pay £2 less for the standard sized breakfast. 9/10

Veggie option - 2 Quorn sausages, 1 hash brown, 1 fried egg, mushrooms, beans, tomatoes and a slice of toast for £5.25 (Go large for an extra £1.29)

Overall - I was once again really impressed with The Muddy Cup, a breakfast that's well worth heading to Distillery Square for. I always think a decent sausage at the heart of a breakfast is essential and here it really pays off. If you love proper crispy fried bread you will love this place too, often it's not quite right but the chef here serves it perfectly cooked. The cafe looks great and the staff are really friendly, no change in the scores since my last visit and definitely recommended! 9/10