The Eaton Cottage

The Eaton Cottage on Unthank Road is one of the pubs in the golden triangle area that I am more fond of. I offers good beer, a relaxed atmosphere and it is close enough to town and my home.
I recently went in to watch the mighty Norwich City take on Arsenal. I had thought that since the game had an early kick off the pub may not be overly busy but it was full which was good and added to the atmosphere. When I say it was full I don't mean it was literally bursting at the seams but it was more like all the seats were taken and the standing areas were full of football fans. There was enough room to get to the bar/toilet/door so it was still comfortable.
I sampled a pint of Wainrights from Thwaites which was very good, perfect temperature and a very good taste. At 4.1% an easy going drink which could have easily been consumed all day long. I also tasted a pint of London Pride which most ale drinkers will be familiar with. I do think though that Pride is very inconsistent, some places will serve it perfectly but some in some pubs it will come to you and taste rather dark and like a stout. The Cottage, fortunately, serves an excellent pint of Pride and this, to me, shows a pub that cares a little bit more about the beer it is serving.
To finish I tried a local pint, Tipples Moonrocket. Very citrusy but clean and crisp. Slightly stronger at 5% meant it had a little bit of a kick which was appreciated. Definitley one I would recommend to anyone.
The Cottage is a good pub overall, it shows major sports, which I have been critical of in the past but it is a little more cultured with local punters and a few students filling the seats. The beers are good and well looked after and there is also a wide variety to choose from. Inside the pub the front bar area kind of looks like someones living room but it is big enough and organised enough to work as a good seating area. There is a good outdoor terrace with a T.V screen and the pub is in an easy location for all to get to. Without a doubt this place should be a stop on anyones list while drinking around the edge of the city.

The Bread and Cheese

The Bread and Cheese is one of the more interesting pubs I have ever been into. It is like stepping back 30 years, into a completely different time. This pub is more like an old fashioned social club than a proper public house. The clients are mostly of retirement age. I wouldn't say this is a bad pub but there are a few things that really do need improving and updating. The bar is old fashined, made from very thin materials, almost like "put together yourself at home bar". The decoration is well out of date, although you get this in a lot of pub it is perhaps to far in this place. The televisions are miniature and never actually show anything. The music is usually just a radio with Norwich FM or Heart FM on which is just awful and the beer tastes like it will give you a stomach problem which brings me to the final point - the day after I was in the Bread and Cheese I had a serious gut ache. This could be down the the fact that because the Bread and Cheese only serve one real ale I had to drink lager all night.
It is interesting that a pub like this is still in business as we see them close all around us every day and considering there is no real pull to draw customers into the Bread and Cheese I am fearful for the future of the place when its current customers start to die off (which probably wont be too long).
It doesn't seem to do nice food or show any sports however they do have entertainment with local singers in on a saturday night. It is nice to see that there is a local pub which still has a customer base who are loyal and turn up to drink but this pub is going nowhere soon.