Cheeky!
As I’ve said before, when the weather is cold English food really comes into its own. There’s something to be said for a plate of warming, dense, food – with plenty of carbohydrates and lots of protein – that warms one from the inside out and protects against the ravages of a bitter English winter.
Really, then, there are only two restaurants that make sense in Cambridge in weather such as we’ve been experiencing (he says, glancing out of the window at the two-or-more inches of snow that lie deep, crisp, but rather uneven in the street.) Of course, I speak of the Chophouses. The King’s Parade venue could only offer a table by the door, so we headed to St John’s. I started in the bar downstairs with a pint of Tydd Steam’s Barn Ale. I first encountered Tydd Steam at the Chophouse, but have since enjoyed it at many beer festivals!
I started with devilled kidneys – a good warming dish, on toast. Two minor criticisms: it was perhaps a little spicier than would be ideal for a starter for most people (I have relatively spicy tastes) and there wasn’t enough toast. I mopped up the remaining sauce with bread. For my main course, the choice was simple: beef cheek. Not a common cut, and this was braised and served with mash, curly kale, and roast parsnips.
It was good: as is the necessary style with these cuts, it had been cooked for a long time and the meat was meltingly tender. I didn’t need to cut it, as it just pulled apart with a gentle tug. Very flavoursome, and the sweetness matched well with that of the parsnips and was balanced nicely by the bitterness of the kale. I finished with a slice of bakewell tart, also excellent, before fortifying myself for the journey home with a glass of Blandy’s Duke of Clarence. Another excellent Chophouse dinner!
