The Warrener is located in Thetford Norfolk near popular outdoor resorts and activities and just off the A11, it’s part of the Whitbread group and has a Premier Inn next to it. It accepts the Tasty Rewards card along with plenty of other offers, the style of food is pub-like food similar to the Table Table, Brewers faire etc. We reviewed it during the busy lunch day and looked at the kid’s menu along with Boo and I sampling the food.
With the Warrener being part of the Whitbread group it’s easy to access what type of food they may have, and if you haven’t been to a Whitbread inn style pub/restaurant but tried maybe a Beefeater or Table Table, then expect it to be similar. Value-wise its slightly more than a Table Table but depending on part of the country slightly less than a beefeater, but its certainly not on the cheap side so using your points or looking for offers like their 2 for £9.49 which includes a selection of main meals, and options for discounted desserts or starters.
Table of Contents
Starters
For Boo and I, we opted for all 3 courses to sample the food, as for Boo she opted for Potatoe Dippers with sour cream, to be honest, she almost always orders this but for me, it’s great that I can see the comparison and variations lol, they were presented on a plate and gave the idea of less for me, normally they are served in a dish and stacks u and no doubt its the same but it just looked less. It was tasty though with lots of spring onion and some bacon strips cut up very finely, I think you will always have debate on the size of bacon, big strips or little tiny ones.
For my starter I went for the Brie Bites, this isn’t always a common option so I tend to go for this when I have the chance, along with the caramelised onion marmalade. There were three big triangle chunks, I kind of cut them in half to make it easier to cut and eat, looking inside it wasn’t completely melted but the outside was crispy, maybe the oil was a little too hot but still, it did taste great and the marmalade was actually very pleasant, would i prefer more? always with Brie but they are often in 3’s.
Mains
As we head to the mains we opted for main meals and not the 2 for £9.49 but if I’m honest I actually think that deals really good, and Boo and I could have easily chosen two dishes on it. For Boo she went for a fish and Chips, Beer-battered Haddock, chips and peas.
This is an excellent visual meal with the plate filling fish, something boo pointed out immediately was the lack of skin under the batter, which for her is great as she really doesn’t like the skin and often people would leave so its good to see them go to that level of detail. The chips and peas were good but the fish was the best part, personally not a strong flavour of beer, but that’s not a bad thing.
For my mains, there are plenty of choices, Burger, Grills, pub classics like Pies, Curry, Scampi etc.. I opted for a Steak, an 8′ Rump steak with Peppercorn sauce. I chose a medium but to be honest it was rarer, at a push medium rare, I’m fine with that but I get some would be a little bit concerned over it. The rump steak was delicious, it was so tender that I could have argued it was more sirloin etc. but it was just a good cut I assume, but a good steak meal overall.
Desserts
They have a solid selection of Desserts with cakes, Sundae and classic dessert options, boo originally went for Smores but had run out, she went for her backup which was the Cadbury Nibbles Icecream, Unfortunately sometimes there are gaps between parts of these sundaes and there was here. There was still icecream and cream and ofocrse the chocolate so you could forgive it but it wasn’t packed in, but did this take away from the Dessert? no, it was still good.
I choose a Brownie, I was back and forth as I love a sticky toffee pudding, but it didn’t come with custard lol, so I went for my backup of that Brownie. Now, something to point out is there wasn’t really a vegan or vegetarian option, let alone a dairy fee which I struggle with more. Since then I found out that there is a plant-based menu, with starters mains and desserts, including vegan icecream but this wasn’t an option offered for us. as for the brownie, it was hot, but the triple chocolate with hints of what seemed caramel was lovely and even though it had normal ice cream it was still good.
Kids options
To be honest, it didn’t have a kid’s feel, no doubt you can take your kids and if you’re doing one of your local attractions then you may stop by, but the atmosphere for me didn’t give that impression. The kid’s menu was essentially the same as a Brewers faire and Table Table, the choice of building your 3-course meal, it’s worth checking the website for the current choice. However there are several options like Fish, Pizza, chicken, sausage mash, and different dessert options, to be honest, there’s quite a good choice covering different veg and food choices so you should be able to find something.
Overall
It’s a place that can get busy, especially with near activities or holidays etc, the parking is fine and easy to find but planning is advised. As for the restaurant, it’s okay with several little compartment style rooms like add ons to the building etc… which offers more privacy. The menu is a little pricey fr what it is, but that’s partly down to the location and area, as I mentioned early other restaurants in the group offer almost identical and similar menus etc. arguably this is the second-highest.
But the food is good, especially if you go for offers and deals then you will get a good meal/offer. the atmosphere was good though it was busy, we saw 4 people before we got seen, and each one said someone will come over, it was like pass the buck lol, but we didn’t wait for ages just a little odd. At no point were we asked about dietry, allergy etc that I’ve found most good restaurants are doing now. I would have preferred this option, especially for dessert.
But overall the food was good, would I bring the kids? yes as their offer is good but it did feel a little off-putting for younger families. Based on the area it’s still a good place to go, offering that familiarity of other restaurants in the group and knowing what you like, while still being a fine place to eat for an occasion.
