Restaurants in Cambridge

[Andy Lynes]

Can anyone recommend somewhere in Cambridge that opens on a Monday night (I'm booked in at the Midsummer House for the previous Thursday (salmon with white chocolate and caviar here I come), and its not open on Mondays anyway).

[Suzi Edwards]

I think Cambridge is a terrible, terrible town to eat out in. And everywhere is closed on a Monday. (why? why?)

However...

There is a place called the Three Horseshoes. It's in Madingley though. It's quite good. Try 01954 210 221

If you could go any other night I'd suggest 22 Chesterton Road. I have had some really great meals there (but admittedly it was a couple of years ago) The chef is still the same and friends still go there...their number is 01223 351 880 (the restaurants, not my friends)

And there's always Pink Geranium. Again, allergic to Mondays though.

Other than that I'm a bit stumped.

[Andy Lynes]

Thats great, thanks for the suggestions.

[Bapi]

I second the Three Horsehoes at Madingley- had a reasonable meal there, two years back. Its part of the Hunstbridge group which also owns the TheOld Bridge at Huntingdon and The Pheasant at Keyston- either may be a an option if you are driving.

Or I like the sound of this place- http://www.wfi-online.com/scripts/template...icleno=9907022a, although I have not been. A short drive to Newmarket.

Cheers

Bapi

[AdamLawrence]

I had lunch in the Star at Lidgate last winter. It's very nice - upmarket Spanish/Portuguese pub food feel - but it is a bit backofbeyondish, and I'm not sure I'd hack out there from Cambridge on a quiet Monday night. For me, more of a lunch venue. But a very good one (can't remember what we ate, sorry. Will email the wife who has a better memory for this kind of thing ).

Adam

[Suzi Edwards]

Has anyone eaten at Graffiti in the Felix Hotel yet? Any thoughts? Am back in Cambridge next weekend and am looking for a place for an early supper before a gig (thus ruling out a repeat trip to midsummer house) Any ideas? Jackal? Have you been anywhere good recently?

Edited January 5, 2004 by tarka (log)

[jackal10]

Go ethnic:

Chinese: The Peking in Burleigh St.

I believe they have also recently taken over the Tai Yuen in St John St in the city centre.

Otherwise Thai, Vietnamese, or Indian. All fairly standard.

Loch Fyne is, well, Loch Fyne seafood, opposite the Fitzwilliam museum. Also near there is Browns, adequate but hard to hear yourself.

Three Horseshoes is excellent, and I've heard good reports of the revamped Tickell Arms, but service is variable, although not as rude as it famously was under Squire Tickell ("No trainers, tee shirts, earings or long haired lefties")

How long are you in Cambridge for? Maybe we can eat together?

[Suzi Edwards]

Thanks for the suggestions. It never ceases to amaze me how little non-chain choice there is in Cambridge. Did you see the Giles Coren review of Midsummer House last week where he went with Oeuf, the CU Food Society? I had a wry smile to myself about the concept of a dining society in a town with almost nowhere good to eat out.

We're about Saturday afternoon, gig on Saturday night, hangover on Sunday morning (although I noticed that Belinda's (near Heffers), the esteemed greasy spoon and venue of many an undergraduate hangover has changed hands) and then lunch with some old friends. So I don't think we'll get to meet up this time, but would you keep that invitation open for our next visit?

[JudyB]

I think that this is called "progress" - at least some of the really interesting places got elbowed out by the Kite shopping development and there has been a lot more city centre "improvement" since then...

One notable eatery was Waffles - not haut cuisine, but good enjoyable food - they had to move to Castle Hill when the Kite came along, but I think that it has since closed.

[Andy Lynes]

I braved 22 Chesterton Road during my last visit in October. Despite a nice bottle of Soave Ca De Napa, I bailed out before dessert, even though it was included in the set price and I was charged full whack.

I found the whole experience rather dispiriting, with a wildly overcooked starter of Pan Fried Mackerel With Ginger, Garlic And Thyme which sounded nice but was in fact a wholly misconcieved dish. The main of Breast Of Duck With Sage And Onion Rosti And Winter Vegetables was no better from what I remember of it (and I'm trying not to, to be honest.)

The room is rather dank and dingy and tables are set very close together. I won't be going back, although the place was absolutley packed to the gunnels on a Monday night.

[Suzi Edwards]

oh no. i remember recommending 22 on here. it was where i had my first ever "posh" meal when i was a student. i took a boy i was trying to impress and loved it.

judy, what's the kite development? it's been a while since I lived in cambridge.

[Andy Lynes]

oh no. i remember recommending 22 on here.

No worries, I wanted to give it a try anyway and wasn't really up a full blow out at the Midsummer House.

[JudyB]

judy, what's the kite development? it's been a while since I lived in cambridge.

Actually, it's a while since I lived in Cambridge (as a student) too so it may not be referred to as "the Kite" anymore - the original development was in the early eighties.

I think that the proper name for the shopping area is the Grafton Centre, but it was built on an area known as The Kite - to the east(ish) of the town centre.

A quick search on Google shows the following web site about The Kite if you want more details about the exact area.

[jackal10]

Ah, happy days! There are tales that could be (but won't) be told...

The Kite was an interesting area of low-rent and ethnic shops, bulldozed for the monstrosity of the Grafton shopping centre, as if Cambridge needed another identikit shopping mall. Waffles (started by Patrick and Virginia de la Charite was the place for Sunday breakfast - two poached eggs on a wholeweat waffle.

They migrated to Castle Hill, but it was not the same. They ran a Morroccan restaurant upstairs for a while. Its now another Indian restaurant.

22 was started by Ethel Minouge (who had also started the Costume History Shop) and Paul Lawrenson. She ran (and I believe still does) various Irish pubs in Islington. If anyone sees her say Hi from me. David Carter, the current proprietor, used to teach catering at the local FE college. His predecessors, the Sharpes have Sycamore House in Little Shelford.

[Hookster]

So, anyway, Andy what did you think to Midsummer House?

I was treated to a meal there last summer and thought it was pretty innovative although it did seem a bit of a Fat Duck copy.

The food was excellent although we were far too stuffed when we crawled out 3 hours later - the wine suggestions were very good as well.

[dallardice]

22 was started by Ethel Minouge (who had also started the Costume History Shop) and Paul Lawrenson. She ran (and I believe still does) various Irish pubs in Islington.

Sadly Minogue's in Liverpool Rd in Islington closed a few years back. A real Irish bar completely overwhelmed by the plague of O'Neills and the like.

[Andy Lynes]

So, anyway, Andy what did you think to Midsummer House?

I thought this.

[Suzi Edwards]

we ended up going to the three horseshoes for sunday lunch...i have a recollection of it being fairly good...

that said, i cannot remember what we had to eat. not a sausage. actually, that's right, no-one had any sausage. there was none on the menu.

i don't think this is necessarily a bad sign. although i do usually remember food in the minutest detail. it was all sort of vaguely mediterranian...busy, nice bread and a useless sommelier. jack says his carpaccio was sliced very thickly. it would appear he had carpaccio and then steak. he always has the beef.

we stayed at the hotel felix which i thought was very good. we got a great deal on laterooms.com. the restaurant looked pretty good too but we just grabbed a snack in the bar so i can't really comment on what they are doing. certainly looked appealing, quite a long menu with a mediateranian slant.

[SparrowsFall]

I'm spending ten days in Cambridge this summer, eating mostly in college at Clare. (Be afraid?) Can anyone recommend decent restaurants, even if they're not big-league? I want to check out Midsummer House, but how about things like curry? Etc.

Suggestions much appreciated.

Thanks,

Steve

[alexhills]

I went back to see my family a couple of weeks ago and had a great chinese meal, I meant to write it up on its own actually. It was at a place called Shanghai family on the corner of Burleigh St. and Mill Rd - upstairs above a sandwich store. Unusual, very strongly flavoured food, twice cooked pork belly superb, hot and sour soup also - everything had obviously been prepared in the restaurant, no pre-cut meats or anything. Also very decently priced. There's a long standing expensive and good chinese called the Peking on Burleigh St. itself, but I enjoyed this food more and it's less than half the price. The clientele was almost exclusively Chinese and they had some amazing things coming out - a slow cooked pork shank and some whole fish looked really interesting. I usually gripe horribly about Cambridge eating but this was a superb meal.

[Suzi Edwards]

I used to go to Sala Thong on Newnham Street. It's not too far from Clare and is reasonably reliable and inexpensive. Haven't been for a while- would be interested to know if it's still OK. Will you report back? We don't have a huge amount of stuff about Cambridge.

That Chinese place looks great though.

[jackal10]

I'm spending ten days in Cambridge this summer, eating mostly in college at Clare. (Be afraid?) Can anyone recommend decent restaurants, even if they're not big-league? I want to check out Midsummer House, but how about things like curry? Etc.

Suggestions much appreciated.

Thanks,

Steve

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Clare food is OK, but it depends on the budget.

Lots of curry houses, mostly reasonable bog standard. The Curry Queen on Mill Road is one of the better ones.

Some of the better food is in the pubs in the villages: Three Horseshoes at Madingley for example.

Other restaurants are 22 Chesterton Road. Now run by the person who used to run the catering courses at the local FE, with the food you might expect.

Otherwise there are the usual collection: Browns (noisy but OK); Loch Fyne (seafood), Greek/Cypriot (Gardenia, Eros, etc), Pizza italian etc etc

[alexhills]

Suzi - Sala Thong was great when it started, but now pretty dodgy I believe (was already headed downhill when I last ate there 5 or 6 years ago), now worse according to the reliable parents.

I like the 3 Horseshoes quite a lot, I think there was a thread on that 6 months or so ago. Apparently what was Hobbs's Pavilion is now a pretty decent thai, again secondhand... The famous Fitzbillies cake shop now has a restaurant attached that looked ot be upscale modern-ish british, but no idea if its any good. I last ate at 22 Chesterton Rd 2 years ago or so, elegant, simple, food well cooked but a little plain - more upmarket dinner party than serious restaurant I'd say. For cheap places the noodle bar on King Street is decent, but very generic. Way way too many chains in general, though. When last back EVERYTHING was totally packed on a Saturday, ended up in a pretty dodgy pub, sort of amazed that that many people were eating out when what's on offer is pretty limited.

[adt]

The Volunteer in trumpington isn’t bad and is reasonably priced. ‘modern british’ I suppose, had a decent eastern reinterpretation of gravadlax there I recall, rather frighteningly large serving in fact.

Quite agree on the three horseshoes, the cooking is sound and interesting and some of the ‘assemblies’ have really good ingredients, e.g. their smoked mozzarella. almonds and oloroso good. avoid sunday evenings, the menu is limited and I suspect the head chef is not in the kitchen.

Went to graffiti once some time ago wouldn’t go again, nice sounding menu but none of the combinations work out, I recall they ruined two perfectly nice scallops (one with coral, one without!) with the addition of a sun-dried tomato sauce and some other ill-judged flavours.

You could consider a train/taxi to the tickell in whittlesford if you like that sort of thing (rather french, celeriac/artichoke froths ladled over poached eggs, endive salads etc.) but not cheap, and they only seem to have 60 minutes of classical music, which they play on loop, for historical reasons…

Cambridge has no decent ‘new wave’ indian restaurants I’m aware of. Pasta fresca on mill road is cheap and cheerful and serves good home made ravioli etc. If you’re doing pizza express go for the jesus lane branch.

[Winot]

When last back EVERYTHING was totally packed on a Saturday, ended up in a pretty dodgy pub, sort of amazed that that many people were eating out when what's on offer is pretty limited.

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