A few weeks ago I dined at Parkers Tavern in the University Arms Hotel. Courtesy of me finding one of Tristan Welch's PT Easter egg hunt which won me dinner for two and one of his fabulous Easter eggs! I've been to the restaurant two times before but this was the first time I'd indulged in three courses and cocktails.We started off with a Bloomsbury Boozer The Bloomsbury Set was a formidable group of writers, academics and intellectuals who met at Cambridge during their boozy student days. Made up of The Botanist gin, elderflower cordial, lemon, raspberries, raspberry foam. For starters I had the Tempura Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Debs my dinner guest had the Spring Truffle Risotto. They were certainly generous portions for starters. Thew drizzle of honey, cider vinegar and black pepper really gave a new level of flavour to the broccoli that I never would have thought of.
For our main courses it was a tough decision with so many tasty looking options to choose from. I went for the Roasted Lamb Rump served with garlic and rosemary fondant potatoes. The lamb was so melt in the mouth and cooked to perfection. It came served with a flavoursome sauce and some greenery which just brought it all together to create a beautiful dish. I had previously had their Sunday roast beef and that was also cooked perfectly so if you are a meat fan like me you are in for a treat here.
For dessert I couldn't resist the Valrhona Dark Chocolate bar and Debs had the Rice Pudding Soufflé. I'm not usually one for dark chocolate but the balance between chocolate and salted caramel ganache just lifted the dessert and was so rich and moreish. Debs impressive soufflé came accompanied by raspberry ripple ice cream and certainly didn't last long so I can imagine it was also delicious.
Aside from the food the decor of the building is super swish with a fluid sense of old and new, of a classic brasserie full of marble, pewter and shades of Cambridge blue. I have to add that the bathroom is also very instagrammable with minimalist tiling and a different audio book in the background. If your in Cambridge you must stop by, even if just for a coffee because its such a wonderful atmosphere to be in.
