Food > The Big Eat Out: or IN
Zaks Riverside // Food Review
14/05/14
THE GEN: Zaks Diner, Norwich’s own self-made chain of three restaurants, has two very diverse claims to fame: one, that it’s the only place I’ve ever been where I ate myself silly until I was sick, and the other, an urban legend that it’s Delia Smith’s favourite burger joint. I so wish it to be true. I reckon we should present them with plaques marking these two major achievements. A photo of my green-tinged, fudge cake-smothered 11-year old mouth, and Delia tonsils-deep into a Bacon Double Cheeseburger would just set off their walls nicely. Tonight, I went to my old haunt, the Riverside branch. This, and the other three – Waterside in Mousehold and the other in Poringland – have enjoyed a menu revamp, so I was keen to see if I could reach the same pleasingly nauseating heights I ate my way to in 1995.
ATMOSPHERE: There was a good mix of young and old at Zaks on this weekday night. With their walls festooned with American memorabilia, leather diner booths and an appropriately ‘Murican, the message has clearly been passed through the generations that you’ll get some decent tucker here.
DRINKS:All-American Beer ListIf an arm-length wine list with rapidly escalating prices isn't how you like to accompany your meal, perhaps Zaks' extensive 'All-American Beer List' will hit the mark. I was over the Blue Moon to see the Hawaiian beer available, but I went for my hard-to-find (in Norwich) favourite, Boston's Sam Adams.
TO START:FAMOUS WINGS / SHRIMP ON A STICKSomething old, something new, something blue cheese was the theme for the evening. In the interest of scientific comparison, we decided to choose an old classic off the menu, and then one of their new additions. Famous Wings are a Zaks staple, and the clincher is in which sauce you picked. Tangy, full of heat and a lot like Fred’s Red Hot Original, I went for the Famous Hot Sauce. The wings were meaty and in good number, and with the accompanying blue cheese (you see) dip and celery, it brought a little Cool Aid if you needed it. The Shrimp on a Stick, by comparison was dainty and light, although tasty all the same. From another choice of glazes, we went for garlic, and it was a more modest appetite’s way to start proceedings.
THE MAIN EVENT:COUNTRY SHORT RIBS / THE HOMBREWhere do you sit on the fat on meat spectrum? If you lean more towards the big fat girl’s blouse, please look away now. On the same notion of choosing something old and something new, my old classic was the Zaks Country Short Ribs. Fattier (MOTHER-TRUCKIN’-YUM) than the Baby Back Ribs, and smothered in nuclear purple BBQ sauce, my knife and teeth glided subtly through them. With zero amount of shits given for my arteries and waistband, I chomped through them with the other classic, Zaks Curly Fries, although the accompanying corn on the cob was water-logged, over-boiled and superfluous. For our ‘something new’ we chose ‘The Hombre’ 100% Beef Dog. Crowned with guacamole, salsa, sour cream and jalapenos, it was like a spicy Mexican duvet swaddling the dog. Everything was SO big, SO undignified but a guilty pleasure. Like watching your fat auntie fall on her arse at a wedding.
VALUE:For a size:price ratio, you’re sitting pretty – you’ll never leave hungry no matter what you choose. The chargrill options will price some people out, and you’ll not get a pretty plate, but the burgers and dogs are an easier to swallow price.
OVERALL:With chains popping up and seeming to dominate the city centre, one thing that has to be mentioned is Zaks' ultra-local inclusions on the menu. With one burger named after one of the Norfolk Brawds roller derby girls, and a pud concocted by a customer, it’s a good cure for the paint-by-numbers type restaurant. There’s something to be said for getting exactly what you expected. Bra inserts, online dating and limited edition Chocolate Pringles have taught us that so often, what’s anticipated isn’t delivered. Zaks has stuck – and added - to the formula for years, and I was pleased to enjoy a satisfying plateful of nostalgia. In the battle of Norwich’s diners, this will always be a big hitter.