I’ve finally made it!
The Cambridge Chop House has an absolutely stellar reputation for being one of the highest quality sources for meat cuts in Cambridge and I’ve been dying to try this place for some time.
Offering a unique selection of different steaks ranging from the classic rib eye and fillet steaks to the less mainstream butler, tomahawk, and Japanese Wagyu cuts – any meat-headed carnivore is going to be completely spoiled for choice.
The Cambridge Chop House is thoroughly charming and perfectly decorated to reflect the nature of the historic centre of Cambridge. Everything has a real traditional feel and has been tastefully presented.
The restaurant has a selection of beers on draft, including a couple of kegs behind the bar. I noticed the locally made Smokevurks by Brewboard on tap, as well as a zesty IPA. There was also a hilariously named The Badgers Nadgers by the Papworth Brewery.
You’ll notice a theme of locally made beers here. This is not exclusive to beers but also with a lot of the produce too. The Chop House tries very hard to make sure everything is sourced from the surrounding community, which they proudly boast across the wall of their restaurant and menu.
I ordered pork crackling which I thought was going to be a very modest snack or starter. This turned out to be a beautifully presented visual feast which, quite frankly, took me by surprise.
The pork scratching was like air fried pork crackling. It was much lighter and less salty than the usual stuff you’d find in a pub and felt less fatty. It came with a side of apple sauce which was perfect to share. The portions were superb.
I opted for the Rip Eye Steak for my mains. I was tempted to go for something more extravagant like a T-Bone but going down the menu meant that the prices shot up significantly. This is by no means a cheap restaurant but rest assured, you get the quality for your money.
The steak came with mash potatoes, peppercorn sauce, and a very small side salad. I ordered some cauliflower and cheese which was an added extra.
The steak met all expectations and more. It was one of the nicest and most tender cuts I’ve had in a long time. The mashed potatoes looked quite stingy to start with but turned out to be just about right in terms of balance with the size of the steak. The cauliflower and cheese was absolutely brilliant and one of the nicest examples I’ve ever had in my entire life. It was delicious.
My wife had The Chop House Burger, which was trenchmore Wagyu cross beef burger with baby gem, tomatoes, pickles and theit very own burger sauce. She thought it was very tasty, succulent, and well executed.
My mum has the haddock fish cake with crushed new potatoes, spinach, and a creamy caper sauce. My step dad and sister had the roast beef. This was basically a roast dinner which was very well received. The yorkies were a little over done but otherwise an overall flawless meal.
A nice little detail I noticed was going into the toilet and hearing Blackadder being played over the speakers. I couldn’t help but laugh at this as it is one of my favourite comedies.
Instead of dessert I decided to opt for a cheese board. You get a selection of 3-4 cheeses with a side of grapes and celery. There was a very stingy selection of crackers/biscuits which came with it, so we had to order more. The staff were more than happy to supply these without any trouble.
You are able to pick any cheeses you want for the cheese board, which I thought was great. My repertoire of cheese knowledge is not great but they were able to supply everything I requested.
My family and I had an excellent time at The Chop House. It was everything I had heard and more. The steak quality, as expected, was superb and the staff were friendly, polite, and attentive. The selection of locally sourced draft beer was a real nice touch and the wine was excellent. I’m honestly struggling to find a criticism and I’m already counting down the days till I return so I can move down the menu to their more robust selection of steak cuts.
This has to be one of my favourite restaurants in Cambridge. 👍🏆
Thanks for reading!
The Cambridge Foodies 