OM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM

[karohemd]

Alimentum has six thumbs up from feanelwa, robinbloke and me.

This was (one of) the best meal(s) I've ever had. It's been almost an hour and I can still taste those distinct flavours of my dessert. Galaxies away from the one I had at 22 last year and cheaper (while having a wonderful Mojito on top of meal and wine). I wish I had been able to copy the menu because I can't remember details now.

We started in the bar having cocktails which were fantastic, flavourful and strong. While we were drinking, we were offered the menu so we could choose our meals before actually being shown to the table.
At the table, there was some lovely bread and butter and the drinks were served as we sat down. It didn't take long and the starters arrived.

For starter, I had duck parfait with a fine rocket salad. On a rectangular plate was a crunchy ball stuffed with duck meat, a pile of salad and a blob of the very creamy and wonderfully flavoured parfait with a wonderfully thin and crisp crouton stuck in it.
feanelwa had a lobster ravioli and robinbloke a potato and carrot(!) soup.

The main for me and robinbloke was roast venison, a tower of meat in the center of the plate with crumbled carrot pieces on top with a wonderful reduction drizzled over and around it. Two smears of shallot puree, a pile of braised savoy cabbage and some wonderfully smooth mash. The great thing about this (just like the starter) was that it lived completely off the wonderful ingredients, no added faff, just natural flavours. Absolutely wonderful.
feanelwa had the four hour roast pork belly (from the website menu).

For dessert, I had the Alimentum "Tiramisu" which was a sort of deconstruction. Again on a rectangular plate, there were four small cubes of Espresso Jelly, then a nugget of (clearly freshly made) vanilla icecream and then a tall cylinder. The cylinder consisted of a thin rectangular leaf of fine dark chocolate curled around a stack of alternating biscuit discs and mascarpone, topped with chocolate shavings. It was simply divine.

feanelwa and I shared a caraffe (250 ml) of a wonderful, full-bodied red called, IIRC, Sabucco (gah, my memory is failing but it wasn't a name I'd heard before and I simply went by the description)

The staff were attentive but not in your face (glasses regularly topped up but you didn't feel like you were being watched), friendly and knowledgeable. The tables are reasonably widely spaced so the room  doesn't feel cramped although it isn't that big.

The overall impression was that everyone knows their stuff inside out. There's attention to detail without being OTT but the main focus remains the food and that they do wonderfully.

If I was supposed to find some fault in the evening then it would be that there was quite a bit of a wait (15-20 mins?) between starter and main but we didn't mind. We had time to digest the starter and chat and cleanse the palate before the main.

All in all, it was a very pleasant experience and I think I'll go back regularly for the Monday night fixed-price menu. Also, next time I'm taking my camera.

Highly recommended.

ETA: Almost forgot the quote of the evening. feanelwa after tasting the cinnamon icecream:
"Oh wow, that's like being slapped around the face with an apple pie."

Comments

[kake]

Good, innit? I went there shortly after it opened. My writeup is on the Open Guide to Cambridge (and I've now linked to yours from there). I did take some photos; they're on Flickr.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Indeed! (have now edited with a quote by one of my co-diners)
Cool, thanks!

[bibliogirl.livejournal.com]

Glad you had fun, and happy birthday!

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[briggsy.livejournal.com]

Happy Birthday! Hope to see you tomorrow evening despite a busy day tomorrow :)

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Make sure you get there early or the food will be gone. :o)

[emperor]

I can't see atreic and I going out for dinner in Cambridge in the near future, but I'll try and remember it.

[tooth-fairy.livejournal.com]

Mmmmm cinnamon ice cream

hippo birdy

big hugs

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :o)

[kaberett.livejournal.com]

Hmm. So the fact that (last time I checked) the vegetarian options looked unoriginal and uninspiring doesn't mean it'll actually be unoriginal and uninspiring?

I'll bear this in mind. Don't heed the whining. ;)

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

I looked at the vegetarian option and chose a meat one, it has to be said.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Definitely not.
As I mentioned to puddingcat (who decided against coming along due to the limited veg options) yesterday, there seems to be a sad tendency that the higher the level of cooking, the fewer vegetarian options will be offered. Shame really.

[kaberett.livejournal.com]

There's a very posh vegetarian restaurant with an incredible-looking menu about 5 minutes' walk from the Spanish Steps in Rome. We didn't dare go in - being a bunch of scruffy-looking English students who'd've lowered the tone quite considerably - but there is *some* evidence of the kind of thing existing :)

Thanks for letting me know, though!

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

I know there are fine dining veggie places but they are far and few beween.

[mobbsy.livejournal.com]

Glad you had a good meal, and a belated Happy Birthday. :-)

I really must find an excuse to go back there again soon.

[karohemd.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

Robin and I are thinking of going there on a Monday occasionally when they do the fixed price menu all evening.