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In the case of locations to eat in Cambridge, there’s loads to select from. Whether or not you are after mouth-watering chinese language dishes, tastebud-tingling curries, traditional high quality eating or (what we imagine to be) a number of the finest avenue meals within the area, if not nation – there’s one thing for everybody.
This implies it may be fairly stiff competitors for brand spanking new restuarants opening within the metropolis, with a lot competitors and what looks like each need and wish already catered to. Nevertheless, one new resturant on Bridge Avenue has crammed a spot we did not even realise how a lot we had been lacking in Cambridge.
Gastrono-Me opened in Cambridge on the finish of March this 12 months, their second restuarant after opening their Bury St Edmunds location again in 2015. Taking up the previous website of Bella Italia and La Tasca, the crew are bringing an array of contemporary and vibrant dishes to the realm.
Learn extra: Declare a 6p pint at certainly one of these Cambs pubs for the Queen’s Jubilee
The restaurant sits proudly on the road with its blue façade, which we’re satisfied is none apart from the enduring Cambridge blue. It really helps this restaurant stand out to passers-by.
Inside, the decor is stylish and fashionable, with a little bit of a kitsch really feel to it. It simply feels very cool – up to date artwork adorns the partitions, indicators and murals inform you to ‘save water drink mimosas’ (need not inform us twice!), and there is even a tree smack bang in the midst of the restaurant. The inside is a far cry from the decor of Bella Italia and La Tasca, with the house feeling prefer it’s had new life breathed into it.
The house is deceptively giant, with loads of house for bigger teams, in addition to extra intimate tables for date night time or simply window tables excellent for individuals watching. There’s an in depth drinks menu accessible, each alcholic and non-alcoholic, with all the things from signature mimosas, to traditional cocktails, and even a bit known as ‘breakfast beers’.
The menu caters for an extremely large viewers, with loads of veggie, vegan and gluten free dishes, issues to ‘boost your life’, lighter choices and traditional consolation meals. Every thing on the menu appeared like it could be a crowd pleaser, it doesn’t matter what your tastebuds fancied.
Cheers to the weekend!
We determined to begin with drinks from the ‘A Entire Lot Naughtier’ part of the menu – barely extra boozy, however begin as you imply to go on. First up, the ‘Katy Berry’, which consisted of gin, triple sec, lime, raspberries and blueberries.
It was refreshing and candy, with out being sickly – primarily a boozy ice lolly. The one draw back can be the sheer variety of raspberry seeds, which did make it tough to drink towards the tip, particularly as my eco-friendly cardboard straw started to disintegrate barely…
From there, our subsequent drink was the traditional lime mojito – it was tart, sharp, refreshing and the proper summer season drink – give us a vat of it please! And to spherical issues off, we could not go away with out attempting a Me-Mosa (get it?) – the Frenchie 75, with vodka, prosecco, lemon and cherry – it tasted of one thing from my childhood, however for the lifetime of me I couldn’t work out what, or get sufficient of it!
On the opposite facet of the desk my confederate loved a bitter and spicy little quantity known as the Princess Paloma. This is what she stated: “On look it appeared harmless – with its mild pink color and lime slice however it had a kick. It was the salty rim that packed a punch with this tequila crammed drink. It wasn’t a easy journey however it was completely scrumptious and the proper begin to a weekend of boozing.
Up subsequent, Abi loved the candy and tropical Bahama Mama – which she stated tastes EXACTLY prefer it sounds. Including” I might say it was an elevated cross between a Pina colada and a banana milkshake. It was mild and refreshing and was an ideal palate cleanser, after my spicy foremost. I am additionally a sucker for a Tiki glass.”
“My night time ended with an optly named Mermaid Me-Mosa. It was a gorgeous blue color because of the blue curacao and got here topped with a bitter fish – which (to my delight) brought about the drink to bubble and poo after I dropped it in. This one did style purely of Prosecco however I loved the novelty enormously,” she stated.
Off to a flying begin
I opted for the traditional halloumi fries, the flexibility to prepare dinner halloumi nicely is a talent many locations which serve the golden bites of deliciousness have but to grasp. However grasp it Gastrono-Me have…
With the lightest and thinnest layer of batter I’ve ever seen on a halloumi fry, they had been crispy with out being greasy. The batter was even flaking off, and so they did not go away me feeling as if I’d simply eaten as a lot, usually stodgy, halloumi as they so simply can do.
Served alongside a candy chilli sauce and a mayo which felt a step above the squeezy tubes from the grocery store. We even managed a cheese pull… with halloumi.
Abi went for the 70s Prawn Star, here is what she thought: “I actually loved the prawn cocktail starter. It wasn’t doused in an offensive seafood sauce like so many are. I used to be a giant fan of the dill, radish and diced avocado, which took this dish from chintzy 70s starter to star of the present. The prawns had been juicy and had a pleasant chew. I might have it once more in a heartbeat.”
The principle occasion
As a self-confessed mac n’ cheese connoisseur, there was just one possibility when it got here to mains – Return of the Mac. I opted so as to add a bockwürst sausage to combine issues up a bit of – although it did add a distinct texture, it is fairly a gentle flavour, so the bacon most likely would’ve been higher so as to add the saltiness I used to be lacking.
The Return of the Mac got here served in a skillet, which would not have been misplaced being owned by Mary Poppins – the macaroni simply stored coming. Alongside had been two piece of garlic bread, which shared an eerie similarity in look to the fake plastic bread slices I bear in mind from the plastic kitchen set I had as a toddler.
The place this dish actually proved itself was the, barely uncouth, dipping of the garlic bread within the tacky pasta sauce. That is what it was lacking, that wealthy garlic-y flavour. Admittedly, I’ve excessive requirements relating to mac n’ cheese, having honed my very own recipe over a number of years to now embrace 5 various kinds of cheese.
General, it was much better than nearly some other mac n’ cheese I’ve tried in Cambridge – solely overwhelmed by the Station Tavern with their addition of Sussex Charmer.
Abi selected the Center Japanese Hen Skewers from the Spice Up Your Life part of the menu. Not one to draw back from a bit of warmth, here is what she fabricated from her foremost.
“I used to be actually happy with my foremost. It was mild and aromatic, balancing thick Mediterranean hummus with pickled veggies, salad and splendidly charred hen made for a harmonious mouthful. The skinny and crispy flatbread made it filling and the addition of chilli peppers supplied a potent warmth. It was scorching with out being insufferable and made me excited for summers spent lounging by the Med. If I used to be being particularly finnicky I might say it might have used a yogurt/adjoining sauce to placate the warmth of the chilli however it was in any other case a scrumptious, nicely rounded and engaging dish that I might undoubtedly suggest.”
Alongside our mains we needed to attempt the loaded fries – the title ‘Molten Lava Cheese Fries’ was simply calling our names. We opted so as to add bacon to our cheese fries for an additional £1.65.
They really reside as much as the title, with a wholesome smothering of tacky sauce, smoky, cripsy bacon, contemporary spring onion, pink onion and lettuce – they had been divine. Undoubtedly not a small facet to have alongside a giant meal, the portion is beneficiant to say the least.
General, the parts at Gastrono-Me are undoubtedly beneficiant, and with the mains all coming in beneath £15 it is nicely well worth the cash.
One thing candy
After all, we needed to at the very least take a look at the dessert menu. It could be impolite to not, proper?
It was fairly ice cream heavy, with an Oreo sundae, traditional Knickerbocker Glory, ice cream by itself, and a number of other different desserts served with ice cream. It might have benefited from one thing that wasn’t cake or ice cream, one thing mild and crisp – comparable to a tart.
Ultimately, I used to be tempted by the Tipsy Vegan Lemon & Raspberry Trifle. Vegan sponge laced with Limoncello, prosecco and raspberry jelly, custard and cream all topped with a cherry. It sounds heavy and sickly, however it was mild and candy however refreshing. Basically summer season in a glass. The one subject can be the inconsistent setting of the jelly – however that could be as a result of addition of booze to gelatine, which is a difficult mixture.
To finish, Abi loved a decadent, moorish chocolate deal with, here is what she stated in regards to the chocolate and peanut butter brownie.
“As a savoury meals fan I can often take or go away dessert after I exit for dinner however it was a Friday and after what felt like a reasonably ‘wholesome’ dinner, I felt like I had earned a bit of deal with. I am not often one for brownies in eating places as a result of far too typically they’re sickly and a bit – dare I say – boring.
“However this one struck a distinct chord. Ooey, gooey and doused in a treacly, caramel sauce, this was no peculiar brownie. It was laced with chopped peanuts which introduced a brand new dimension to the dish. It jogged my memory a little bit of a snickers which I wasn’t mad about. This dessert might have simply fed two adults – it was HUGE. Speak about worth for cash. I used to be rolling out of there by the ultimate mouthful.”
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