A splendid birthday lunch at Restaurant 22: Cambridge March 2020

Last Saturday I enjoyed an excellent lunch with two friends in celebration of a special birthday. I have been to Restaurant 22 a couple of times before for dinner with Steve and on those occasions I chose the five and seven-course tasting menus so I knew we were in for a treat. Restaurant 22 is located in a beautiful Victorian townhouse on Chesterton Road in Cambridge.   

The stained glass window in the main dining room is an outstanding feature.

As this was a celebration we had a Kir Royal as an aperitif.

Everything about this restaurant is elegant and I particularly admired these bespoke china plates.

We all loved the fantastically tasty house-baked bread and butter.

The Amuse-Bouche was a choux bun filled with smoked bacon, onion, and Spenwood cheese with a Velouté sauce poured at the table. Divine!

We all enjoyed this starter of Cornish hake, swede, lemon, and charcoal.

For my main course, I chose Burnt kohlrabi, duck egg, hazelnut, and shiitake.

One of my friends chose the Creedy Carver duck, duck fat potato, carrot, and Norfolk watercress for her main course.

I almost considered this Pre Dessert of Meyer lemon, almond, and ricotta too pretty to eat!

I chose the Clotted cream, Yorkshire rhubarb, and green tea for my dessert. 

My friends chose the dark chocolate, salted caramel, and peanut dessert.

At the end of our meal, it was a lovely gesture when my friend was given this chocolate for her birthday.

On this occasion, we chose the Set Lunch Menu (3 courses at £32.50 per person) which is excellent value for money as it included the Bread and Butter, an Amuse-Bouche, and a Pre Dessert. The freshness and quality of the food are very evident and the presentation is exceptional for the combination of colour, texture, and design. Chef Sam is a master of fine art on a plate and his dishes certainly have the WOW factor! In fact, my photographs unfortunately don’t do his spectacular and impressive plates full justice. The service is totally professional and attentive but it also manages to be friendly and informal.  This young team has obviously been very well-trained. Restaurant 22 is the perfect place for special occasion dining and I can highly recommend it. I am always happy to send other people here as I feel certain they won’t be disappointed. It’s essential to book well ahead as this is deservedly a popular and busy restaurant. A five-course and seven-course tasting menu were also available at the lunchtime service.

By the way readers, you may be interested to know that this week is the 5th anniversary of the date I started writing my food and travel blog. For those who have followed me on my journey I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you!

22 Chesterton Road, Cambridge, CB4 3AX

Tel: 01223 351880

http://www.restaurant22.co.uk

A New Year treat at Trinity Restaurant, Cambridge: January 2020

Trinity is located on Trinity Street in Cambridge

Last week Steve and I enjoyed our first date night of the New Year at one of our favourite restaurants. Trinity is an elegant eatery with excellent service and an interesting menu with a good choice of seafood dishes that has never disappointed us, so it’s always a pleasure to return. We started our evening with a glass or two of Cava whilst we perused the enticing menu. Steve chose a pre-starter of Mersea oysters served raw on ice with lemon, Tabasco and pickled shallots. I was happy to tuck into the delicious bread whilst waiting for my starter.

My starter of Seared scallops, butternut squash purée, roast squash, pickled apple, and bacon crumb was perfectly cooked.

Steve enjoyed Steamed mussels, with a Nduja cream sauce for his next course.

Followed by Whole roast sea bream, brown shrimp, caper and raisin butter sauce for his main.

For my main course, I chose Butternut squash risotto, roast pumpkin, toasted almonds, and crispy sage.

And for my dessert, I chose Orange drizzle cake, chocolate crémeux, burnt orange purée, with chocolate soil. The perfect dish for any chocolate orange lovers!

It was no surprise to me that Steve chose the Cheese Board of Boxer, Tipsy Billy, Cashel Blue, Baron Bigod, and Isle of Mull Cheddar cheeses!

Accompanied by a local award-winning craft beer.

It was a very pleasant and relaxing evening and started off our dining adventures of 2020 in fine style. Trinity is highly recommended for food and service, but prices are on the high side so probably more of a special occasion destination for dinner. We paid £126.00 for our meal with drinks, and for once Steve allowed me to treat him!

Seared scallops, butternut squash purée, roast squash, pickled apple, and bacon crumb

Castle Cottage Cafe, Oakham was a quirky venue for an excellent Afternoon Tea: September 2019

Castle Cottage has lots of outside seating and a very pretty garden but we chose to sit inside for our meal

Yesterday I had an interesting visit with a friend to Oakham, the County Town of Rutland. I used to live in the area over 40 years ago and my son was born in Oakham Hospital so the place held significant memories for me. It’s an attractive market town steeped in medieval history with lots of independent shops and we were spoiled for choice in the number of cafes and eateries. We had read excellent reviews of Castle Cottage Cafe so thought we would seek it out for lunch.  It’s easy to find although somewhat tucked away in Church Passage, which is just off the Market Place.

The Butter Cross in the Market Place at Oakham features the town pump and some unusual stocks.

Castle Cottage Cafe is located in Church Passage off the Market Place in Oakham.

The cafe interior is delightful with fairy lights, fresh flowers and lots of quirky vintage pieces.

Castle Cottage has lots of outside seating and a very attractive garden but we chose to sit inside for our meal.

The cafe interior is charming, quirky and shabby chic in style.

Although it was lunchtime we chose to order the traditional Afternoon Tea which was served on pretty mismatched china. We ordered a second pot of tea at no extra charge.

We were served very promptly with a splendid Afternoon Tea on the traditional three-tiered stand.

The bottom tier held a selection of freshly-made sandwiches with interesting tasty fillings.

My favourite was the smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich. The bread was soft and very fresh.

We shared a warm freshly-baked large fruit scone with fresh strawberries, strawberry jam, and clotted cream.

The selection of cakes on the middle tier were home-made and absolutely delicious.

We both considered the lemon cake with lemon curd filling and buttercream topping to be light and truly scrumptious.

The cafe interior is delightful with fairy lights, bunting, fresh flowers and lots of quirky vintage pieces. The concept really worked and the food was excellent too!

The entrance to the extensive garden of the cafe, which had a marquee, a summer-house and lots of nice sheltered seating areas.

The cost of our Afternoon Tea was of exceptional value for money at £12 per person and it was probably the best I have ever come across in terms of price, quality, and quantity.

Castle Cottage Cafe,

Church Passage, Off Market Place, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6DR

Tel: 01572 757952

Castle Cottage is a real find and well worth seeking out if you are looking for somewhere to eat in Oakham.

 

An exotic Valentine’s Day feast at Navadhanya, Indian fine dining

This week Steve and I enjoyed a 7-course menu at the newly refurbished Navadhanya, Indian Fine Dining on Newmarket Rd, Cambridge. This specially designed menu was only available for Valentine’s Day on 14th February and the restaurant was full of couples enjoying an exotic and romantic dinner accompanied by a choice of Valentine’s Day Special Cocktails. On arrival, all the female guests were presented with a red rose which I thought was a nice gesture!

A final flourish – strawberry dipped in dark chocolate to share!

7th course – Strawberry mousse stuffed jamun with mirror glaze

Navadhanya is located on Newmarket Road, Cambridge

1st course – Deep fried spiced purple potatoes with ginger, cumin and lime leaf

2nd course – Dahi vada ground lentils served with thick yoghurt, tamarind and mint chutney accompanied by Santa Alegria wine, Chile

3rd course – Monkfish, mustard and smoked aubergine mash, accompanied by Pinot Grigio Rosato wine, Italy

4th course – Rose apple sorbet, which was impressively served in a chilled bowl

5th course – Two ways tender chicken curry leaf and roasted red pepper served with an Indian pancake, accompanied by Chenin Blanc wine, India. (This was Steve’s favourite wine as it perfectly complemented the dish)

6th course – Lamb Ossobucco finished with classic Rajasthani, served with yellow dal Gulab. saffron pulao rice and spinach roti, accompanied by Santa Alvara wine, Chile     

7th course – Strawberry mousse stuffed jamun with mirror glaze accompanied by Moscato wine, Italy

The final flourish – a strawberry dipped in dark chocolate to share!

7th course – Strawberry mousse stuffed jamun with mirror glaze

4th course – Rose apple sorbet, which was served in a chilled bowl

It was a pleasure for us to return to dine at Navadhanya with it’s friendly and courteous service and the food is always of exceptional quality, so very deservedly it’s now listed in the 2018 Michelin Guide. Head chef Kamaladasan with his trademark style creates authentic dishes with a unique twist and he excels at artistic presentation. If you like Indian food this restaurant is perfect for a special occasion and comes highly recommended.

Navadhanya, Indian Fine Dining  

73 Newmarket Road

Cambridge

CB5 8EG

 Tel: 01223 300583

email: info@navadhanya.co.uk

http://www.navadhanya.co.uk

The triumphant return of Cotto Restaurant – now at The Gonville Hotel, Cambridge

This week Steve and I dined at Cotto in it’s new home at The Gonville Hotel in Cambridge. The reopening of this highly acclaimed restaurant has been long-awaited and much anticipated, so after reading lots of ecstatic reviews we were very keen to see what has been a triumphant return for ourselves. Readers we weren’t disappointed – as the food, the service and the ambiance were all delightful. The perfectly cooked dishes were well-devised with interesting flavour combinations, and the presentation was nothing less than fine art on a plate. This is special occasion fine dining at it’s absolute best!

Cotto is located at the front of The Gonville Hotel on Gonville Place, Cambridge

The splendid and inviting entrance to Cotto can be found on the far side of the hotel’s bar area

The tables had fresh flowers and I loved the chairs which were upholstered in crushed velvet

The interior dining area was spacious and classy

The Amuse-bouche featured mini-tartlets of hummus and Venison wasabi

Black truffle and plain butter accompanied a delicious range of home-made bread

This unusual centre-piece was certainly a talking point!

For my starter I chose a piquant Loch Duart salmon and Cromer crab dish which had robust flavours including Soy, Wasabi, Ginger and Miso

Steve chose the Gressingham Duck Terrine Parfait, with Spiced Apple and Plum Chutney for his starter ….

 

and for his main course Steve enjoyed the Rack of Salt Marsh Lamb with Thyme, Rosemary and Natural Jus with seasonal vegetables

 

For my main course I chose the Halibut with Olive Herb Crumb and Fregula Pearls

 

I chose ‘Chocolate Time‘ for my dessert – Papouasie Milk, Single Estates Dark and Milk Ice Cream.

The fine detail of this stunning dessert designed by Masterchef and chocolatier Hans Schweitzer was awesome. The plate was covered in a fine chocolate spiral which was so perfect I thought it was actually a design on the china !

Steve chose to complete his meal with this splendid Cotto British Cheese selection with crackers and fruit. The cheeseboard included Vintage Barber Cheddar from Berks, Organic Meadow Brie from Bath, Wobbly Bottom Goat from Herts, and the Duke of Cambridge Blue from Cambs. As it was a special occasion he treated himself to a glass of Baros Port too !

 

Fine dining at Cotto

 

Sublime, superb, and supreme are just three of the superlatives I could use to describe the Cotto dining experience. This is an inspirational partnership between The Gonville Hotel  and the restaurant. Now in the perfect location overlooking Parker’s Piece with the welcome additions of the hotel’s bar and car park Cotto can only go from strength to strength. We loved the design of the new restaurant which has been purpose built and is light, bright and welcoming, with décor which oozes taste and class. The attention to detail is obvious and the service is exemplary from a young, well-trained team who are professional, friendly and attentive without being intrusive.

 

The Bar at The Gonville Hotel

 

We started our evening with a Gin and Tonic at the hotel bar and with dinner Steve chose a dry white wine from Germany – Schloss Johannesburg Yellow Seal, and I drank Prosecco.

Booking in advance is essential  and prices are £65 for three courses (minimum) on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and £70 on Fridays and Saturdays. Expensive yes, but well worth it for a special dining experience which never disappoints.

Cotto Restaurant at The Gonville Hotel

Gonville Place

Cambridge

CB1 1LY

Tel: 01223 302010

info@cottocambridge