Grant T.
Yelp
After a night out in Cambridge, we decided we should have some lunch before heading back to London. I asked my friend who lives there for a recommendation, and he said we should come to the Pint Shop. So I made a booking for lunch, and the three of us headed there to give it a try.
It's a super hipstery gastropub. The beard to non-beard ratio among the employees is high. We were some of the first people to arrive (I guess 12:15 for a Sunday lunch is a bit early), but by the time we left around 2:00, the place was packed. Because I had to drive, I didn't have any beer, but my partner decided to order an interesting cask ginger beer from the menu that wasn't sweet, just a regular beer with a hint of ginger flavor to it. Very nice. I had the Cucumber Soda (awesome) and the ginger ice tea (a bit too sweet, but still nice). We also ordered some of the snacks while we were waiting for our friend to arrive, so we had some really delicious chili jerky and some beer sticks. Then we sat back and enjoyed the art. It was very nice, and we both found a piece we liked, but I couldn't convince my partner he needed it in the flat. Oh well!
Food-wise, the menu reads like a dream. A lot of things on there that sounded amazing. I opted for the Sunday set menu and started with the potted crab on corn fritters and the roast beef. My partner got the bacon and egg croquettes and the roast beef. Our friend ordered the fried chili ribs and a burger.
Starters were nice. I tried the croquette. They were probably the best starter. The potted crab was lacking a bit of oomph in all honesty. The fritters were nice, but the crab was kind of masked by the taste of the fritter. I think a potted shrimp would have worked much better to be honest. I didn't try the ribs, but both my friend and my partner said they preferred the croquettes.
The mains came. The roast beef was one of the better roasts I've had at a restaurant, but my partner's was actually too rare in the middle so was slightly chewy. All the veg were good, and we also ordered some of the triple cooked spuds with truffle cheese sauce. I think my partner ate all the sauce but left most of the spuds. They were tasty though.
I was quite full, but was still contemplating dessert. There was a chocolate stout pudding cake on the menu that was calling my name, but when I saw it on another table, I decided it sounded better than it looked. I just got some coffee, and my partner tried the red dessert wine (because we love the stuff). It was a malbec. And while sweet, it wasn't amazingly complex. But kudos to having a red dessert wine on the menu. My friend ordered the small cookie selection (florentine, pistachio cookies and blondies). They were all okay, but the florentine was a bit soft, the cookies were a bit stale and the blondies were a bit too sweet and dry.
So while we had a good meal at Pint Shop, the food was a slight let-down. My partner commented that the menu read better than it actually was, and I think it's true. That being said, if we're in Cambridge again, we may actually give them another go. I think we may just have to be a bit more selective about what we order. (Plus go for dinner so I can drink too!)