There are a million things we've meant to blog but just haven't had the time! Super-epic sushi, a trip to Alimentum, my Hong Kong trip, homemade smbc pizza... just to name a few. But I realised we hadn't done a restaurant review in a while (since this one), so...
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Nothing says an English summer quite like sitting out in a beer garden with a cold refreshing jug of Pimm's.
Gosh that sounded like an ad... but Pimm's tastes incredibly good after two hours of serious
punting all the way from the Trinity punt shed to
Grantchester.
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| Swans outside the Trinity punt shed. |
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| Is it the Amazon? No, just a shady segment of the River Cam... |
It is a beautiful Saturday in Cambridge when Uncle Tobys, Peen and I decide to make the trek to Grantchester (apparently home to the highest concentration of Nobel prize winners) by possibly the most inefficient form of transport known to man.
A tip: If you ever find yourself trying to escape from water-based ninjas, a punt is not a wise choice. This is purely hypothetical of course, as you'll never see them coming.
After soaking in the sun and pushing a large stick against a riverbed for two hours, we moor alongside the Grantchester Meadows and head to the nearest pub we find: The Red Lion.
Pimm's is a gin-based liqueur which is typically mixed with lemonade and topped with fresh ingredients such as strawberries, oranges, lime, cucumber and mint. Tastes and looks a bit like lemon, lime and bitters. So refreshing!
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| Artsy shot. Glass of Pimm's, top view. |
The three of us just about manage to polish off the whole pitcher before our food arrives, which is testament to how thirsty we are, or perhaps the speed of the service... always good to know the food is being cooked fresh though!
About the food, I'm always a little sceptical about pub food in the UK. I think I was scarred the first time I sat down in a pub, looked at the menu and realised that it was exactly the same as the last pub I'd been to. The only thing different was the pub's name! This was before I realised that most UK pubs are franchises owned by large companies like Greene King. Sad but true.
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| Avocado and crayfish with a marie-rose dressing, salad, brown bread and butter (£5.75) |
I am so ravaged that I decided to go for a starter and main. The
avocado and crayfish is pretty much as described I guess?
Marie-rose dressing is a fancy way of saying ketchup + mayo! You learn something new everyday...
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| Steak strip, mushroom and onion baguette (£5.75) |
The
steak baguette is actually really well toasted, nice and crisp on the outside but soft and warm on the inside. Contents were an old favourite, steak and mushroom - perhaps a touch greasy on the whole but I have to say I did enjoy this one.
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| Farm assured 'smothered' chicken breast with grilled bacon, goat's cheese and a tomato Provencal sauce (£9.29) |
What on earth is
farm-assured chicken? Uncle Tobys asks the waitress, who tells us something that sounds like free-range chickens to me, although she is also unsure why they can't just call it "Chicken, chips and salad". Agreed.
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| Hand-battered cod and chips with mushy peas and tartare sauce (£8.39) |
Peen's
fish and chips look decent, at least from across the table, although he reports that it is a little disappointing. I've also yet to find a place for fish and chips in the UK where I've been really satisfied afterwards...
Whilst the food was average, The Red Lion does have a great beer garden and quite a nice pub feel overall, perfect for a summer's day.
The Red Lion
33 High Street
Grantchester CB3 9NF
Tel: +44 (0) 1223 840121
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