Unfortunately, eating out is not one of them. Most restaurants are either boring chains or simply not good. Maybe I have become picky over the years but really nowadays we are out of ideas as where to go for a quiet Friday night dinner or a relaxing Saturday lunch.
That may be about to change. There are few new independent restaurants popping up over the last two years. We decided that we will try them all this year.
We paid a visit to Oak Bistro last Friday. Right across the landmark Catholic Church (of Our Lady and the English Martyrs), behind the wooden door and warm light coming through the window panes is Oak Bistro. It is a Grade II listed building, nicely maintained. When you walk inside, you see the bare brick walls and big wooden (oak?) beams on the ceiling and dividing the dining area. With a lively atmosphere and warm candle light, I like it already.
After being led to our table, we ordered a bottle of still water and started to read the menu. Wow, it's been a long time since I read a restaurant menu which excites me. I want to try almost everything on the menu. Here is what we ordered:
Starters:
Pan-fried scallops with mixed leaves, crisped pork belly with mustard and apple compote
Mains:
Cajun sword fish with potato, tomato&green bean salad and guacamole, pan-fried calves liver with red wine shallot jus and potato mash
Desserts:
Coconut panna cotta with brandy flambée prunes, Blackberry and apple crumble with custard.
Everything was cooked flawlessly and nicely presented. More importantly, they all tasted delightful. The juicy and plump scallops are lightly seared on both sides and dressed lightly with pesto, just enough to bring out the savory and sweet notes of scallops. The mixed salad on the side, I was told, was nicely seasoned and a great companion to the scallops. My crisped pork belly got my attention back to my plate. Crisp outside and tender inside. I only got a tiny smear of yellow mustard on my plate which didn't last long. A bit more would have been nice. Apple compote was a bit too sweet for me but a nice contrast to the pork. Now we couldn't wait for our main courses.
My Cajun sword fish came sitting on top of mixed salad and with a dollop of guacamole on the side. Mine oh mine oh mine, how did they get the sword fish so juicy and tender? Very lightly seasoned with Cajun spice, the fish steak was grilled to perfection. Firm without being chewy, the fish remained fork tender. I felt the luscious juice coming out from every bite I took. Really, this must be the best fish I have had for the past 10 years. The bed of salad which sat underneath consisting of crushed potato, blanched fine green beans, tomato dice and mix leaves did support the overall American southern style well. The guacamole bit was an interesting one. Before I tasted it, I thought that it was an odd combination to mix sword fish and guacamole. After tasting it, I realized that without avocado, the whole dish would have been too light. Guacamole brought the note of richness and creaminess into the mouth which made us feel satisfied. It still feels a bit odd to see sword fish and guacamole but it does work for me. As for calves liver, a liver aficionado did say that it's also one of the best he has tasted in a long time.
Lastly, dessert. You always have to have dessert, don't you? I absolutely loved my coconut panna cotta with brandy flambée prunes. The brandy flambée part was a genius stroke from Oak Bistro. It not only provided an elegant twist for the prunes, but also complemented the panna cotta perfectly. Even the hubby usually not the dessert type ate up all his crumble. I think that said it all.
All in all, Oak Bistro is certainly one of the best restaurants I have tasted in Cambridge. The service earned a top mark for me too. Attentive without being pushy. Every dish was served and taken away in a good rhythm. You will definitely see us go back for more and even with friends too.
food: 8/10
service: 8/10
Oak Bistro
6 Lensfield Road
Cambridge CB2 1EG
Closed on Sundays
Closed on Sundays
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