Review: Sunday lunch at Garden House, Cambridge
Garden House, the restaurant located within the Graduate Cambridge hotel and situated by the banks of the River Cam, has brought back its Sunday Roast menu.
The Sunday roast features locally-sourced seasonal produce, largely cooked over an open flame. Starters, mains and puddings include celeriac soup with poached egg and hazelnut, burrata and black olives, roast rump of beef rump, Yorkshire pudding, braised cabbage, triple-cooked roast potatoes, honey glazed carrots, and Cambridge Burnt Cream Tart.
Out of the choice of five starters, I opted for the salt cod fritters - which were nice and crispy, just how I like them - which came with a delicious roasted garlic aioli, while my wife went for the celeriac soup, poached egg and and hazelnut and very much enjoyed it. The other options on the starters list that grabbed my attention were the Caesar salad and the pork terrine with brandy prunes.
The four choices for the main course are roast rump of beef, roast free range chicken, grilled sea bream, and roast cauliflower steak, and we both had the beef. Sometimes, I find that meat portions can be a bit mean with Sunday lunch but here the portions are quite generous - and the meat was tender.
Out of the accompanying vegetables, I particularly liked the Yorkshire pudding and the braised cabbage. The latter, which came mixed with onion, was a revelation and like nothing I’d ever tasted before.
The dessert menu consists of St Jude cheese, chutney and crackers, Cambridge burnt cream tart, chocolate, caramel and almond slice, apple sorbet, and chocolate ice cream.
My wife had the Cambridge burnt cream tart (served with a smoked cherry sauce), something of a ‘signature dish’ at the restaurant, while I had the chocolate, caramel and almond slice. Neither of us had any complaints whatsoever as these fine dishes - the ideal end to an excellent meal - left us both fully satisfied.
Garden House’s Sunday roast menu is also available weekly over the colder months. Snacks to begin with also include sourdough bread and bungay cultured butter. The Sunday roast menu at Garden House is £29 per person for two courses and £35 per person for three courses.
[Read more: ‘Simple and honest’ fare promised at new Cambridge restaurant Garden House]
The Garden House autumn menu is also available Wednesday-Saturday from 6pm-9.30pm, while Sunday roasts are served weekly from 12-6pm. For reservations, visit gardenhousecambridge.co.uk.
