Cafe Rouge Norwich Chapelfield

It was cozy and had a friendly staff with a great atmosphere and wine selection. I ordered the chicken which came in a pot… 10 minutes after eating the dish both me and Brian got severe food poisoning which caused me to vomit throughout what was supposed to be an enjoyable evening…

We went early Sunday evening with our children so it was still quiet with not many tables occupied. The staff were great; attentive and friendly getting colouring packs for the children and making sure we had everything we needed. The food was nice — cooked as requested, but the Steak Rouge was definitely overpriced at £17.95 for a pretty basic steak and fries.
We had Tesco Vouchers which meant the meal was good value, but having had a starter, main and shared desert I was still hungry!
The childrens menu was really good though and we would go back with the children if we had more vouchers — but not without them!
All in all 3 out of 5 stars for me… certainly not spectacular but a solid choice.

We went for dinner here after the cinema. The place is nice with a good atmosphere but food is average, but I guess what you would expect from a chain. I had mussels to start which were good, but likely not fresh. Dissapointing that they came without a spoon, finger bowl or dish to put the shells in so a bit messy! I opted for the bavette steak, rare. It came medium rare in my opinion and the steak was poor quality. Also had to wait a while for a steak knife to be delivered so half the chips were eaten whilst waiting. The steak was meant to have been rubbed in garlic and rosmary but was little sign of that. Service was a bit poor, didn’t feel like we were wanted there. However, it’s a chain and perhaps I should have known better. Ok for a lunchtime snack if shopping in town but much better places to go for dinner, even other chain restaurants.

My experience of Café Rouge was definitely a contrast to minted247’s. I’m always a little sceptical about restaurant chains, having been burnt in the past by badly managed franchises that took advantage of their location (i.e. an ever changing clientèle provided by a nearby major railway station). The Café Rouge in Norwich does not have this advantage and, if anything, is swamped by a plethora of other restaurants which would happily step in and take it’s customers.
The food we ordered was presented well, freshly cooked and well seasoned. The starter, a whole baked Camembert served with bread sticks, celery and sliced baguette, was delicious. The cheese was lovely and gooey inside, contrasting with the crispness of the accompaniments. I ordered the supreme of chicken in a Roquefort sauce as my main. The chicken arrived, skin crispy with succulent meat, the sauce was neither too meagre or overpowering. My dining (and also actual) partner ordered the Breton style vegetables; seasonal veg’ done with a creamy garlic sauce. These too were both flavoursome and delicious. All this we washed down with a bottle of crisp white wine.
I used a voucher (widely available) to get 50% off all food, meaning that the meal for two, including wine, came in at under £30. For that price it’s well worth a punt.

33. Café Rouge has very disappointing food as well as service and I will definitely not be visiting there again. Presentation of the food was very plain and undecorative which I wouldn’t have minded if the food actually tasted good. The portion size was very small, and having ordered a steak it looked like something that a Wetherspoons pub would serve at less than half the cost of £15. The service left something to be desired as the waitress serving was basically ‘fishing for tips’ with false smile throughout the entire meal. I would not recommend this place to an enemy, let alone a friend.