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After the untimely passing of Trinity restaurant, renowned chef Kareem Roberts is back with a new menu at the Burleigh Arms pub. This will be a huge relief for many in the Cambridge Foodies community, who were disappointed with not getting a chance to visit Trinity before it closed.

It was a sunny Sunday afternoon and I hadn’t visited the Burleigh Arms in some time, perhaps even decades. In fact, I had long forgotten what the pub even looked like on the inside.

I was pleasantly reminded upon entering of its beautiful historic charm and nice patio garden. It is traditional with a distinctive Cambridge feel with a wide selection of beer and real ales. It perfectly matches the cosy Sunday afternoon pub setting.

There are three menus available. The bar menu, the Sunday roast menu, and a general every day menu. The bar menu is “a la carte”, whereas the Sunday roast and general menu offer 2/3 courses for a set amount.

Cocktails

The Burleigh Arms also offer cocktails. A specific one caught my eye called ‘When The Apple Drops’, a nod to Cambridge legend Sir Isaac Newton. It is made with riesling wine and apple & plum vodka.

I’ll admit, I didn’t really know what to expect when ordering it but found myself pleasantly surprised with its mix of sweet and bitter flavours.

The bar menu

We started off with a few dishes from their bar menu. First, was this beautifully presented coronation chicken served on toast with soused onions and roasted shallots.

The chicken is garnished with onions marinated in lemon. This adds a striking zest, making it so much more than a bit of colour but injects life and a vibrancy into the flavour. If you find yourself ordering this then make sure to pick some off and try on it on its own, you won’t regret it.

The toast had a touch of spice that caught me by surprise. It added warmth and an exciting flavour that I wasn’t expecting but was definitely welcome. The toast had a satisfying spongy texture that complimented the tenderness of the chicken with perfect balance.

Next, was the sausage roll served with pickled onions and mustard gel.

A common theme with the menu is that all the dishes are beautiful, with real care taken in their presentation, down to the finest detail. The colour, the positioning of the ingredients on the plate, and the flavour all come together to create a work of culinary art. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a beautiful sausage roll in my life…and likely never will again 🤣

Subtlety is a common theme throughout the dining experience. An example of this is the mustard gel that is quite mild. This is something I generally don’t opt for with mustard but it seemed to work with the other flavours and compliment the ingredients, rather than trying to dominate them.

The sausage was much leaner with significantly less fat and gristle when compared to other sausage rolls. The pastry was crisp, light, and cooked to perfection. I couldn’t fault a thing.

The last dish from the bar menu was a cheese arancini, a popular Italian dish made from rice balls that have been stuffed with peas and goats cheese with a breadcrumb shell served with chive mayo.

This was incredible and likely my favourite dish of my dining experience. The texture was perfect, with the breadcrumbs giving a satisfying crispy shell that surprises you with a gooey centre of goats cheese and peas in the middle.

The goats cheese was light and milder than what I am used too but it added a creaminess to the peas that really worked. Being in season at the time of writing, I also noticed chopped asparagus that was very welcome.

The roast dinners

The roast dinner menu gives you a choice between a roast chicken leg, a rump cap, pork belly, and roasted vegetables.

We started with the dry aged rump cap with horseradish & cauliflower cream. This is presented with a carrot, potatoes, and a whopping great Yorkshire pudding.

The rump was clearly well sourced as the beef was incredibly tender. There was a nice pinking colour that showed it was cooked with precision and attention that led to an accompanying juicy succulence, that can often be hard to get right with beef (more often than not, it’s over done). I was impressed by the portion sizes of the rump, as it came with two reasonably sized strips. In fact, it was too much for my guest to finish by themselves, so I had to heroically intervene.

The potatoes and Yorkshire pudding were nice and crispy.

Similar to the mustard gel with the sausage roll, the horseradish was mild and subtle, this allowed it to work with the beef rather than dominate it (unlike conventional horseradish). As someone who doesn’t know the meaning of the word subtlety when it comes to cooking, I was getting a real lesson in the complexity of cuisine, as it really worked. Mild doesn’t always mean less flavour but a diverse blend of flavours, all working together with humility and modesty to satisfy your pallet. For many of you reading, this is likely very obvious but to a knuckle head like me who drowns their dishes in an entire jar of horseradish, this was a revelation!

I thought the gravy was quite thin but it worked surprisingly well and still had a distinctive flavour that complimented the plate. This may be down to personal preference.

The roasted pork belly with cracking was served in a stunning layered block that reminded me of strata. The crackling was FLAWLESS. It was thick, crispy, and not remotely chewy. The pork was nice and juicy with a serving of burnt apple sauce that tasted rich and sweet. Both my guest and I thought that the rump was the better value of the two. They were equally delicious but the beef was a significantly bigger portion (if anyone tries these dishes together, let me know what you think in the Cambridge Foodies!)

I felt like the dishes would have been improved with some greenery, as everything was a little beige. You do get an option to add ‘baby gem lettuce & salsa verde’ for £4.75 but this inevitably adds an extra fiver to your bill.

Otherwise, we couldn’t fault our roast dinners. My guest is already planning her next visit (and so am I!).

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Dessert

For dessert, we were given a Mango Mess. A sublime end to a satisfying meal that was also one of my favourite dishes of the day. The presentation is simple but practical with a block of cream with a treasure trove of meringue underneath. It had all the hallmarks of a brilliant dessert. It was creamy, crunchy, and dangerously morish…perfect for a hot sunny day 😎

And last but by no means least, we were treated to the vanilla panna cotta with strawberry gel and Biscotti. This was presented in a small glass which looked good but also made it easy to eat. 

It had a light and delicate flavour with a smooth texture that is interrupted by a delicious strawberry flavour that barges past with a confident sweetness. This all together makes a perfect dessert for a summer’s day.

Conclusion

You’ll be unsurprised to learn that I had a marvellous time at The Burleigh Arms. Everything from the historic style of the pub, to the warm friendly service from the staff, to the exquisite meal my guest and I had, added to the perfect Sunday afternoon experience.

The set menu price of 3 courses for £30 offers a surprising value, especially when you consider the quality of the ingredients.

It is also great to see Kareem back on the Cambridge food scene. It hasn’t been the same without him! I can’t wait to visit again and explore more of the menu.

Thanks for reading!