Review: Something for everyone at new Gastrono-me Cambridge restaurant
After initially launching in Bury St Edmunds in 2015, Gastrono-me has now officially opened its doors on Bridge Street in Cambridge.
This bright and airy eatery serves breakfast, a bottomless brunch, lunch and dinner, and its menu is extremely varied, boasting Mexican, Korean and Italian influences, among others. The restaurant refers to the concept as ‘magpie dining’ - the idea that takes a little bit of everything from everywhere.
The first thing you notice upon entering the establishment is the décor, which is both striking and welcoming, with urban hanging lights, exposed brick walls, impressive foliage throughout and an oak tree.
Glancing at the menu, I was met with a great deal of appetising choices and it took me a while to decide what to go for. In the end, I went for the ‘Kimchi Quesadilla’ to start with and the Korean beef tacos to follow.
I love fusion dishes so the combination of kimchi, gochujang and mozzarella cheddar was an absolute joy. I adored the herb dip that came with it too, though even better was the ‘comeback’ sauce - a secret recipe, apparently - that accompanied my wife’s ‘What the Frickle!’ - deep-fried dill pickles that were dipped into said sauce.
The Korean beef tacos were very nice too - the meat was pulled beef, which I love - although I think the Kimchi Quesadilla won the day.
Opting for something more Italian, my wife had the ‘Return of the Mac’, a Gastrono-me classic, I’m told, made with homemade bechamel, blended with taleggio, extra mature cheddar, and mozzarella balls, then baked in a skillet.
The likes of BBQ pulled pork, sizzled chorizo, wild mushroom or bacon can be added to the dish and it also comes with garlic bread, cheesy or ‘normal’. I was fortunate to be able to taste it and it was as delicious as it sounds.
As mentioned in a previous food review, I’m a sucker for ‘fancy’ chips so we shared some ‘Roman Fries’ - chips seasoned with the delightful combination of truffle oil, parsley and parmesan.
There was some tasty pudding options too and in the end I went for the chocolate peanut butter brownie - not a bad choice at all, I’d say.
A welcoming atmosphere, friendly staff, soothing decoration and varied, tasty and thoughtfully-prepared dishes, Gastrono-me is definitely a place to which I’ll be returning.
For more information, visit gastrono-me.co.uk.
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