A bit of culture. (Modern Life Cafe, Norwich)

Modern Life Cafe,

Norwich,

Open Mon-Fri 9:00-17:00, Sat-Sun 10:00-17:00

It has now been 5 weeks since the surgeon had me under the knife but my rehab has been going well and I have been able to do plenty of walking but no cycling yet. As I was getting fed up of buses and their extortionate fares I decided to try a cafe walking review today. As I can now do about a 4 mile round trip I got out my map and plotted a circle of 2 mile radius centred on my house to define the target cafe walking zone (TCWZ). Within the TCWZ there was only actually one candidate so today I set off, with today's guest Chris (wife), for the Modern Life Cafe at the Sainsbury Centre of Visual arts.

The 2 mile walk is very pleasant as it goes along the river and then past the UEA broad which is a favourite spot for joggers and dog walkers. However there are also many dangers along the route so it should only be tackled with great care and courage. The first challenge is the infamous bridge of pain. This innocuous looking bridge is an accident black spot. I know this from my own experience as when out jogging on one frosty morning I slipped on the corner and smashed into the bridge breaking my collar bone, ending up in hospital. Make sure you treat this bridge with respect as there are surprisingly no warning signs highlighting the danger. 

Standing on Bridge of pain by the rail that I slipped and bashed into
when breaking my collar bone a few years ago

Other dangers I have previously encountered on this route include, slipping on the 'river of mud' causing me to land face fast in a big puddle, being hounded (pardon the pun) by dogs off their leads using me as their plaything and worse of all being viciously flapped at by one of the evil swans, who stalk the river bank, causing me to turn round and run away screaming like a little girl. 

One of the evil vicious swans that stalk the river
but fortunately stayed in the river today

Although all these hazards were present today we managed to avoid being caught by any of them and got to the Sainsbury Centre of Visual arts in one piece.

Sainsbury Centre of Visual Arts which is also secret 2015 HQ for the Avengers

For those of you who are not culture vultures then you maybe surprised to know that the Sainsbury Centre of Visual Art is neither a supermarket nor aircraft hanger but a public art museum originally built to house Lord and Lady Sainsbury's art collection as it had got too big for their front room. It is also due to appear in the 2015 Avengers film as their new HQ.

Outside Sainsbury Centre of Visual Art
which is where the Modern Life Cafe can be found

On arrival we made our way through the art collection straight to the Modern Life Cafe situated at the far end of the hanger just past the tinned vegetables and soups. At the counter we checked out the cakes. There was a small selection but enough choice. Chris choose the scone and I went for the chocolate loaf. I was offered either chocolate loaf with or without stuff on it. I went for with stuff. 

Cake selection which was small so did not get a high ECS score

My drink was hot chocolate and Chris went for a skinny Mocha.

Drinks and cakes ready for rating

Unfortunately my hot chocolate was one where all the focus had been put on the hot bit meaning the drink tasted burnt milky and not hot chocolaty. Chris likes it hot but as her drink cooled down so did her rating of it. Both the chocolate loaf with stuff on it and the scone were nice enough if not exceptional.

The best part about the Modern Life Cafe is the huge light space and enormous window giving it a nice relaxed atmosphere. 

Inside the Modern Life Cafe 

We made our way back through the exhibits but as neither of us really understand art we didn't spend much/any time looking at the work on display. However I did notice that  a chap called Henry Moore never did seem to master heads on any of his sculptures, which was a shame as he was clearly quite good.

Henry Moore Sculpture at UEA

We carefully walked back round the broad and along the river avoiding all the dangers. If things go well I maybe able to do a short bike ride for the next cafe visit and cafe cycle reviewing will be back on!

Ratings for Modern Life Cafe

Hot Choc Quality	Guest Hot Drink Quality	Effective Cake Selection	Cake Quality	Ambiance and Atmosphere	Café Rating
4	6	4.5	6	7	5.50