OUR STORY

By Jorge Santos, founder and owner

 

“My love for food started in Portugal at home with my mother, Berta.

Every meal was a reason to sit down together, tuck into delicious food and share stories.

 

When I was 21 years old, my mother sadly passed away. I found that by recreating the vibrant Portuguese dishes of my childhood, the culinary inspiration of my mother and her incredible self-taught cookery endured.

 

Fast forward a few years and I was working with exceptional ingredients and fine wines for a 6 star cruise liner. This was an intense, fast-paced time where I learnt with some of the best professionals in the hospitality industry. Safe to say that my second love, wine, shone through and I became a sommelier, travelling the world. A journey of discovery, I learnt a lot about different cuisines, exciting new ingredients and some exceptional wines.

 

At that time, I also met my wife and long term partner in life and business, Eleanor.

Together we moved back to Portugal and ran a successful business together before returning to live in Eleanor’s hometown - the fine city of Norwich.

 

Once settled in Norfolk, the hunt was on to find the perfect location for the one thing that I’d been waiting to do since childhood. By pure chance, we found 2-3 Orford Yard and fell in love with the space. Jorge’s Restaurant fulfils my long held dream to open a restaurant serving fresh and delicious food inspired by my mother’s recipes, journeys around the world and a deep love for food and wine.

 

Pair that with Eleanor's vast experience running a successful marketing and events business - organising everything from simple events to large conferences and luxury weddings and parties - and we believe we have the perfect recipe. Food is our passion and no detail is too small to ensure the very best dining experience.

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We are delighted to have found the perfect Head Chef Yuri! He is highly experienced and shares our passion for incredible Mediterranean food, from the balance of the flavours to the use of ingredients and the vibrant colours that characterise our dishes here at Jorge's.

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We feel incredibly lucky to have found the perfect place to share our menu of Portuguese fusion dishes and exciting ingredients for curious foodies - we can’t wait for you to try them.”

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