Overlooking the River Cam, a visit to The Graduate offers a quintessentially Cambridge experience.
After walking through the historic hotel’s reception, and passing its walls lined with punts and book-filled shelves, the Garden House restaurant awaits down the corridor.
The restaurant’s interior itself a mix of traditional and modern: exposed oak-effect beams, green velvet sofa chairs and boldly printed soft cushioned chairs, as well as pressed dried flowers that are symmetrically placed in picture frames.
On a warm day, the sun shines through the floor to ceiling patio doors, while the turquoise frilly pelmets add a touch of elegance.
It’s very easy to spend hours watching the world go by – with a fruity and sweet Cam cocktail in hand, of course.
This all adds up to a perfect setting to experience Garden House’s new Ultimate Sunday Lunch.
At £35 per person, it may be on the pricier side, but the the food is faultless.
Accompanied by crispy crackling, the succulent pork belly just falls apart, while the sizeable carrots are cooked to perfection with herbs.
Equally delicious are the (bottomless) Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes: crispy yet fluffy inside, the beef dripping in which they are fried bolsters the traditional flavours. Meanwhile, the red wine gravy acts as the cherry on top.
The cauliflower cheese is nicely baked on top, with a soft creaminess waiting beneath.
As if that wasn’t enough to tempt the tastebuds, the fruit crumble is faultless; as well as a generous layer of crumble on top, there’s no sharpness in any berry, and the balance between fruit and crumble is spot on.
Although it is a very sweet choice, pouring on the vanilla custard that accompanies it makes for a great pairing.
Our only note is that, when it comes to the desert menu, the options are quite slim; perhaps a chocolate-based option could cater for this.
As for location, the storied building is not too far from anything, with Cambridge’s busy shopping streets just minutes away.
With Garden House being located at one of only two Graduate hotels in the UK - the other being in fellow university city Oxford - there’s a further air of exclusivity to what is one of Cambridge’s best restaurants.
Book online here.
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