It was time for another Cambridge Foodies ‘moderator meet up’. This is where our team gets together and blows off steam for an evening, after several months of moderating the Cambridge Foodies community.
Tonight, we visited The Carpenters Arms for a long overdue visit to this popular pub on Victoria Road.
What attracted us to The Carpenters Arms was their reputation for food. They are well known for doing some damn good pizza but tonight was also their “Taco Tuesday” event. Both are exciting enough to visit in their own right but with both available on the same night, it was a no brainer!
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I entered The Carpenters Arms but I was not prepared for what I was about to see. It is a truly special place with it’s very own distinctive, yet unusual, style. The pub is historic yet quirky, with tonnes of character. Board games are sprawled across the place, neon lights add a warm atmospheric glow, and old fashioned wallpaper clashes with novelty signs and brick work on the wall. Together this creates an organised mess of fun and intrigue.
If I had to describe it, I would say it was a mix between a classic Cambridge pub with a Budapest ruin bar. There isn’t anything like it in the city and I absolutely adore it.
The menu has a wide choice of different dishes. The pizza menu was front and centre, offering 15 pizzas in total (with 4 being plant based pizzas). Prices ranged from £11 to £14.50, putting them about average for pizza prices in the city. The pizzas are cooked in a brick oven at 290c and made with fresh hand stretched dough.
Soft shell tacos were also on the menu. These usually go for £7 for two but as it was TACO TUESDAY (🥳) we were able to buy them for a mere £2.50 each!
There are three taco options available,
• Franks red hot buffalo chicken with ranch sauce
• Beer-braised brisket with salsa verde
• Cauliflower Satay with spring onion mayo and roasted peanut.
I got overly excited and ordered all of them but for £2.50 each, why not? 😂
The tacos were presented in a mixed tray. They were fun sized and great for sharing between friends, giving it a real communal dining experience. For such a competitive price, I felt like I could indulge and have fun without having to worry about my wallet. It was a liberating experience.
The red hot buffalo wings had a spicy warm glow with a distinctive chicken flavour. This was complimented with the crispy salad that added a satisfying crunch on the bite that was signed off with a nice savoury flavour from the creamy ranch sauce. I am not sure whether they were “red hot” but you could certainly feel some heat.
The beer-braised brisket was also a winner. I often worry that beef is going to be too tough for the likes of a taco but it was cut up in to tender strips that were delicious and manageable.
Sean tried the cauliflower satay which he said he enjoyed, especially the creaminess of it.
Gerry always has to be awkward and order something completely off the wall for his mains (see here for further evidence of this). Tonight he ordered from their Loaded Waffles menu with their “bananuts”. This is a large waffle served with Nutella, hazelnuts and chocolate ice cream. This came with sliced or dried banana, similar to what you would find in a whole food shop.
The waffle was big, fluffy, and generously slathered in ice cream and Nutella. Gerry was kind enough to let me sample some of it for the purpose of this review and we were both in agreement that we struggled with the dried banana slices. They were a little too hard for our liking and felt that an ordinary softer banana would have been better. I see what they were trying to do here, by adding them in for a satisfying crunch but the banana slices were a little tough to pull it off. This by no means ruined the experience but it was something we would prefer personally. Otherwise, it was a perfect dessert…or mains, in Gerry’s case 🤷♂️
Sean and Monique both ordered the mac and cheese made with macaroni in a homemade cheese sauce.
The portion of mac n cheese was very generous but it didn’t taste cheesy or savoury enough for me. I put a lot of pepper and chilli oil on. I know Sean put loads of pepper on his too. I’d have preferred chunks of crispy bacon rather than pale strips of streaky bacon. It was good despite all of this but needed to pack more of a punch for me.
Monique
Sean felt the same but said it was also a very warm and comforting dish, almost like a “warm cuddle”. Exactly the sort of thing you want from a mac and cheese dish.
Both Kate and I ordered one of their brick baked pizzas. I had one from their specials menu called Pesky. This comes with mozzarella, anchovies, capers and olives.
The pizza was a good size but had a very large crust, so I recommend ordering a dipping sauce. The tomato and mozzarella base was lovely with some incredible meaty olives on top. I was also pleased to see a generous portion of anchovies, something restaurants have previously been quite stingy with. The base was lovely and soft with just enough crispiness to give it that satisfying thin crust crunch around the edges. It was well executed, and a no nonsense pizza that should please everyone.
Kate ordered herself a ‘no tomato’ pizza called Blanco (v). This came with mozzarella, garlic mushroom, truffle oil, ricotta and Italian hard cheese.
The pizza went down a treat and was nearly finished by Kate (if you know her, this is a big deal 😂). She had the same comment about the crust being quite large (so, make sure you order a side sauce for dipping) but otherwise it was a well received “yummy” pizza with no complaints.
Conclusion
I was really touched by the abstract beauty of The Carpenters Arms. This is an atmospheric pub with a real heart and soul. From the outside, it comes across as modest and unassuming but once you enter you are met by a quirky, fun, and friendly place, with some great food to boot. If I lived a little (a lot) closer, I could really see this being my local.
As for the food, the pizzas were excellent. I was particularly fond of their generous and quality toppings. The tacos were unbelievable value and great fun to share between friends. If you are thinking of visiting then make sure you come on Taco Tuesday!
I can see myself returning real soon!
Thanks for reading!
You must be logged in to post a comment.