So, you find yourself in Cambridge. Alongside the sightseeing, punting and shopping, you’re going to need sustenance – and Trinity restaurant is serving up a first-class menu of British delights.
What:
Trinity College is a bit of a must-see when visiting Cambridge – the sprawl of its medieval range, glorious clock tower, and Christopher Wren’s much-admired library surely make this one of the most impressive buildings in England. But although gazing at the college’s fabulous architecture will be included on our to-do list of the city, please excuse us if it comes second to a different kind of Trinity. Call us philistines, call us dedicated foodies, but the Trinity we’re most excited about visiting is the restaurant tucked along a winding street in the bustling heart of the city.
Trinity is the sister restaurant of Varsity on St Andrew’s Street, and has the same approach to dining – fantastic produce, inventive dishes, and wonderful flavour combinations resonate through the menu. You’ll find some of the best fish dishes in Cambridge here, alongside sumptuous meat offerings, delicacies such as oysters, and even a Champagne Card. No wonder we wasted no time in paying them a visit…
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Atmosphere and decor:
Trinity manages to maintain an atmosphere of elegance while also feeling warm, enveloping and relaxed. In other words, all the elements you want to find in a restaurant where you intend to spend a leisurely meal. Located within a Grade 2 Listed building, the decor is contemporary chic. Tan leather banquettes, prism-like amber lampshades and wooden cladding on the walls are all eye-catching additions. The lighting is soft and glowing, and probably very romantic when evening rolls around. Since we were here for lunch we sat by the huge window, bathed in light as we watched the world stroll by. Even on a Thursday at midday the place was busy – word has obviously spread that Trinity is the place to be.
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Food and drink:
There’s a very reasonable daytime set menu with tempting options – three courses for £20 is enough to make anyone draw out their lunch break. However, it’s also worth checking out the a la carte menu, since you’ll discover more stunning dishes. The focus is on British produce, often from independent local suppliers, that’s elevated with a dash of serious creativity. Braised octopus might come with squid ink & tomato pearl barley, or you can tuck into pork fillet wrapped in pancetta, served with burnt apple purée.
Our attention was immediately caught by the Champagne Card, however, as well as the selection of oysters gracing the top of the menu, so we started with a glass of fizz and two Jersey oysters. We could have plumped for the more unusual serve of Rockefeller (grilled with spinach & Pernod) and even Black Velvet (Champagne & local imperial stout). But we wanted them plain with just a dash of lemon and vinegar, to truly appreciate that pure, salty blast of the ocean wash over our palates. If there’s a better way to begin a meal, we’ve yet to find it.
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After this, it was seafood all the way. For starters, we couldn’t fault the torched herring, served alongside swirls of zingy lime & dill yoghurt. Blobs of burnt apple purée, the colour of late autumn leaves, added a sensational sharpness that tasted amazing alongside pickled cucumber. And the puffs of celery foam were a revelation, harnessing both the garden-freshness and peppery aftertaste of these vivid green stalks.
Then there were the seared scallops with pea purée, deep-fried pork belly, and black pudding soil. We’ve long known that scallops and black pudding were happy bed-fellows, but having the latter in a perfectly seasoned crumb gave it subtlety and texture. Add in the succulent fattiness of pork belly with the sweetness of pea, and once more the plate was announced a massive success and scraped clean.
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When it comes to main courses there are some very tempting meat dishes, and we almost succumbed to the roasted lamb rump and pomegranate seeds with a carrot & brown butter purée. However, the lure of seafood was too much. Roasted sea bream was a sensational spectacle of whole fish swimming in a clam, tomato & brown butter sauce, sprinkled with steamed samphire. Pulling the tender white sea bream from the bone and dipping the gleaming flakes into the sunshine-yellow sauce, alongside pops of cherry tomato, was a highlight of the whole lunch. The al dente strands of samphire created a perfect balance to freshen up the plate, and it was great fun picking the tender little clams from their shells. What’s more, we were recommended a crispy and zippy Muscadet to sip alongside the dish. If we’d closed our eyes we could have been in a little taverna on some sun-drenched Mediterranean coast. Such is the power of a superb meal.
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You know somewhere is special when you look forward to every course arriving. One of the huge successes, alongside the prowess of the chefs, is the staff – they’re so knowledgeable that you feel completely at ease leaving your choices in their hands. Upon their recomendation, we finished with the coconut cheesecake with a pineapple & chilli salsa. Exotic and slightly decadent, it was saved from being overly sweet with the addition of vibrant lime gel, herbaceous flecks of coriander, and a finishing touch of toasted coconut. This, and an Espresso Martini, was the perfect end to a genuinely sensational lunch at Trinity. Now, time to go and take some photos of the college, we suppose…