Midsummer House, Cambridge

Midsummer House occupies a quiet spot overlooking the River Cam, a world away from the bustle and noise of central Cambridge.

It's hard to imagine a place like this exists, merely fifteen minutes walk from the town centre. A small rather unassuming cottage on the edge of Midsummer Common, the restaurant's exterior gives very little indication of the culinary powerhouse that lies inside.

Yet it's no secret to most Cambridge residents that Midsummer House is unquestionably the most highly reputed restaurant in the area. Headed up by chef Daniel Clifford, the restaurant proudly declares its status as "the only 2 Star Michelin restaurant in East Anglia".

It is a quiet Wednesday evening when I set out for Midsummer Common for a 7pm appointment. My excitement and anticipation are somewhat dampened by the time I finally arrive fifteen minutes late, thanks in no small part to my usual navigation aid which has conveniently lied about the restaurant's location. Nonetheless, I am swiftly seated, greeted and offered the menu.

Most of us decide to go a la carte (£76 for three courses) whilst Miss N next to me goes for the four-course set menu (£39.50).

Nibbles on the table... Left: Green olives ; Right: Gougères (choux pastry with cheese filling)

Several minutes of introductions and pleasant small talk pass before we realise the first of several amuse-bouches has already arrived and is melting as we speak. The sorbet is an unusual combination of sweet and savoury - slightly unremarkable on the whole, perhaps since it is unfortunately almost soup by the time we notice it.

Mystery sorbet... perhaps watermelon combined with some other green savoury stuff. Oh dear.

This is where I have to admit guilt for being an irresponsible food blogger, as for the most part, I didn't manage to keep track of what exactly it was we were eating... In my defence, the waitress serving us had such a thick French accent that none of us could really decipher more than about a fifth of what she was saying, although I do regret not asking her to repeat.

Next to arrive is an apple and raspberry foam, which is pumped out into amusing round-bottomed plastic coloured cups. The foam is incredibly light whilst managing to carry through reasonably strong flavour of fruity tartness balanced with sweetness, combined with a touch of something alcoholic. Definitely an interesting texture and an effective palate cleanser.

The final appetiser is a cauliflower velouté with cep and some kind of jelly. Once again, the soup is deceptively light in texture, yet with a wonderfully rich creamy flavour, covering over small cubes of both mushroom and a savoury jelly which I can't quite pin down. Not the most remarkable looking dish, but seriously amazing in both taste and texture.

My entree is seared hand dived scallops, celeriac, truffle, granny smith and caramel. I'm a sucker for good seafood, and the scallops are wonderfully large and plump, seared to a golden brown on the outside whilst remaining juicy and tender inside. The slivers of apple add a nice crunchy texture, although the truffle topping has surprisingly little impact. I am amused by the display of apple jelly cubes which provide a few sweet bursts of flavour. However, it is the creamy celeriac puree with truffle and the spot of sticky sweet thick caramel that make the dish my favourite of the night.

Arriving for main course is the slow roast loin of venison, braised choucroute, carrot puree, venison pudding, jus de cuisson. The meat is incredibly juicy and tender with a beautiful shade of pink throughout. I wonder if this has been done sous vide, although the description does say "slow roast". The carrot puree matches well whilst the choucroute (hidden under the slices of venison) isn't much to write home about. If there is only one minor negative for the evening, it is the venison pudding. Consisting of thin pastry encasing what is essentially a venison pie filling, I find the pudding a little heavy, not harmonising so well with the rest of the dish.

We are pleasantly surprised to see a pre-dessert arrive next - white chocolate sorbet with citrus foam. It seems the kitchen is big on its foams this evening, and the zesty foam is a nice refresher, whilst the sorbet hiding underneath is embedded with crunchy biscuity bits.

For dessert, two of us decide to split a pear tart tatin, vanilla, garlic, bay leaf. We soon discover that the "for two people" description wasn't kidding when we are greeted with a seriously generous tart straight from the pan, adorned with cinnamon, vanilla pods and star anise. Our waiter dutifully splits the tart into two, tops each half with ice cream and deposits a rather interesting garlic whipped cream into a smaller container lined with cubes of pear. Garlic with dessert? The subtle garlic flavour actually goes quite well with all the sugar and spices, even though it makes the dessert a little more savoury/heavy. The sweetness of the caramel and pear ooze through the deliciously flaky pastry layers.

So good, but so full now.

I have to say that my photos simply don't do justice to the food. Some of the others' dishes I didn't capture on camera were serious works of art. Whilst I can't say there was anything mindblowingly strange or out there Heston Blumenthal style (the foams came closest), each course was very well thought out and there was definitely no shortage of creativity. More importantly, every dish was solidly executed and the flavours and textures were fantastic.

Simply put, Midsummer House is a world-class restaurant, and in my mind deserves all the accolades it receives. There will always be haters and people who are disappointed. Don't expect explosions and liquid nitrogen pouring out of your dishes. Do expect seriously good food. Given the quality of the restaurant, their £35 three-course set lunch and £39.50 four-course set dinner are exceptional value.

I will definitely be going back sometime for lunch.

Midsummer House
Midsummer Common, Cambridge, CB4 1HA
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 369 299
www.midsummerhouse.co.uk

Warning: The map LIES. It's actually further west along the river, closr to Victoria Ave.
Update: It looks like somebody fixed up the location on the map!

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