New Norwich restaurant Mon Experience is now officially open in Castle Meadow

Owner Thidar Win, 39, welcomed the first diners to Mon Experience on Friday. The restaurant is located next to her long-running convenience store in Castle Meadow

A new restaurant serving Thai, Japanese and Myanmarese food has opened in Norwich.

Mon Experience, in Castle Meadow, welcomed its first diners on Friday (February 17).

The restaurant is owned by Thidar Win, 39, who also runs the convenience store next door.

Mon Experience serves dishes such as eromba, consisting of fish, mashed vegetables and rice, as well as sushi, noodle soups, salads and stir-fries.

Thidar said: "It's very, very exciting and we can't wait to show everyone our food and to let us know how they feel about it.

"That's why we call it Mon Experience - to provide a true culinary experience.

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"I'm looking forward to sharing my 20 years of experience with the people of Norwich."

Thidar used a trial system to learn which dishes best suited the city's specific tastes, deciding on Thai, Japanese and Mon to strike a good balance.

She previously said: "Thai is quite hot and spicy, while Japanese is quite clean and Mon is in the middle, offering good flavour without being too spicy or mild.

"Mon food is different to Burmese food, more similar to Singapore or Malaysian cuisine.

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"There'll also be a range of drinks and cocktails as well."

Located in a former coin shop, Mon Experience's dining room is upstairs while the entrance, bar and lobby are on the ground floor.

The downstairs bar as one enters the restaurant (Image: Newsquest)

The upstairs dining space (Image: Newsquest)

It was hoped the eatery could be opened before Valentine's Day but this was delayed to allow Thidar and her team to put in the finishing touches.

She is joined in the business by friends and members of her family who bring "a wealth" of cooking experience to the new venture.

Thidar has also owned Win Asian Mini Market next door for three years and previously ran a takeaway called Tasty House.

Thidar Win (middle), the owner of Mon Experience and Win Asian Mini Market (Image: Newsquest)