Alimentum, Cambridge

This is the second new restaurant we tried this month. Alimentum has caused quite a stir since it entered the Cambridge restaurant scene in 2007. It is not short of praising reviews but also pulls in some opposite opinions. This has been on our list to try and we did last Saturday.

Here is what we tasted:

Amuse-bouche:

Mushroom and porcini veloute

House bread with butter

Starters:

Mackerel encrusted with thin bread, horseradish and mooli

48hr lamb with anchovies, olives and broad beans

Main:

Sirloin beef, corn, warm lettuce salad with ranch dressing and potato mash

To finish:

Passion fruit tart with coffee ice cream and meringue

Assortment of British and French cheese from a cheese cart

The first thing that caught our attention is their nice décor, modern and elegant. We were seated comfortably with a table of plenty space. Live music was on all night during our visit. Lovely.

Shortly after we ordered, we were treated with porcini veloute and house bread. I have never tasted veloute before. The version from Alimentum consists of tiny fine bubbles, i.e. foamy. Sorry to say that this is not my cup of tea. The flavor was nice, with a deep earthy porcini taste. I would love it better if its texture were silky and creamy. The butter which came with the bread was very good. It has a hint of caramel when you eat it. The house bread was well made. Good start.

The Mackerel starter was very popular as it kept coming out from the kitchen. Hubby ordered one and he loved it. The combination was full of contrast and complement. Like crispy bread skin of mackerel contrasting with softly poached horseradish, or the rich taste of mackerel with the freshness of mooli. The whole dish is a brilliant design. My 48-hr lamb was less spectacular. It was tender all right but not stunning.

As for the main course, we both ordered sirloin beef, cooked to rare. I had great expectation before it's served but my heart sunk half way when I saw it. First, the presentation needs to be re-thought. The green skid mark in the middle of the plate was not very appetising for me. Secondly, our beef was presented in cubes of 2-cm, i.e. pre-cut. The carnivore inside me was howling already. Why on earth would you pre-cut my steak?!?! As a steak lover, I take pleasure in every second I spend with my steak. It starts from smelling its aroma with my nose, examining my whole steak from all angles with my eyes, cutting it with my knife to my desired size and savoring it in my mouth with all my senses united. That's the full process for me to enjoy my steak and now the process is broken. S.C.R.E.A.M.

Ok, let's try to stay positive.

The beef was tender. The warm salad with ranch dressing was delicious. The sweet note from the corn kernels was a nice complement to the whole savory dish. The concept was good but we probably won't order it again if the beef remains pre-diced before serving.

The highlight of our dinner was the cheese plate from their nicely presented cheese cart. The person who served us the cheese is knowledgeable and friendly. And their cheese selection is fabulous, with good representations from British and Continental providers. My passion fruit tart did cheer me up after seeing my beef diced without my consent.

Food aside, the service staff from Alimentum were a bit let-down. They are individually courteous (if feeling a bit pretentious) and that's the problem. The whole service staff should work as a team, not as singletons. And that's exactly how we felt during our visit. Getting someone's attention was not easy (the restaurant was not full during the 3-hr we were there). It took us a long time to complete the bill paying process. However, the menu is unique and creative. We like the food enough to come back again to see how the restaurant matures. Probably not with friends though.

food: 8/10
service: 6.5/10

Alimentum
152-154 Hills Road

Cambridge CB2 8PB