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Finding a good roast dinner is the ultimate question on the Cambridge Foodies. It is an almost impossible question to answer, as even though there are many great roast dinners out there, a Sunday roast means something different to everyone and opinions are entirely subjective. To make things harder, people are very protective about their roasts, with the slightest deviation from what people consider a good one to be blasphemy to their sacred dish.

I was invited back to one of my favourite restaurants, Mina Steakhouse, located by the Cambridge train station.

For regular readers of the blog, you’ll be fully aware of Mina Steakhouse (click here for my previous review). The restaurant prides itself on offering an experience, as well as a quality meal. I was fascinated to try their interpretation of the iconic Sunday roast, as I knew that they would bring their own unique style and execute it to a high standard.

Milkshake

I was joined by my son. I, quite sensibly, ordered a diet coke, in a vain attempt to mitigate the up and coming feast. My son however, had a more cavalier approach and decided to opt for their Oreo Forever Milkshake.

This was his first time at Mina and wasn’t aware of their extravagant reputation and excessive nature. You don’t just get a milkshake here, oh no, but an entire dessert…big enough to share between two.

This absolute monster is made from Oreo cookie milkshake and topped with an entire waffle, and mixed with Oreo cookies, Oreo crunch, whipped cream and a chocolate sauce. He couldn’t believe his eyes and I think it may have been the first time I have ever seen him defeated by a dessert.

Welcome to Mina Steakhouse, my son! 😂

Steak sandwich

Next, we were presented with one of their steak sandwiches. All the beef on their menu is grass-fed and 30 day dry-aged. The sandwich was a beast and beautifully garnished with a salad and placed on artisan bread.

My initial worry was that a whole steak in a sandwich was going to be chewy and therefore difficult to eat. All fears were firmly put to bed once I took my first bite as the steak was so tender. There was a generously slathered portion of mozzarella and creamy cheese, adding a gooey texture of cheesy goodness. I loved how the juices from the steak soaked up into the bread too. Gorgeous!

Mushroom Bruschetta

We were given the chance to try a vegetarian dish called the Mushroom Bruschetta. This is a dish made with mushrooms which are sautéed in sauce, infused with garlic and herbs, then layered on organic sourdough bread. This is all topped off with sprinkles of parmesan cheese and a poached egg on top.

This is a dish that I would never usually order but I found myself coming back again and again to pick at throughout my dining experience. The poached egg was perfectly cooked and exploded all over my dish in thick gooey egginess.

I highly recommend giving this a go!

Roast dinners

And now, what you have all been waiting for, the roast dinners!

Now, I’ll be honest. I was getting a little full by this point but I decided to selflessly soldier on for the sake of you readers (you’re welcome! 😂).

The roast dinner menu is small with only two options available – chicken or roast beef.

The idea is to serve a classic Sunday roast with Mina’s unique stylish twist. We were presented with both a chicken and a roast beef, that both come with seasoned herbs and spices. This is served with roasted new potatoes, seasonal vegetables, a rich gravy, and Yorkshire puddings.

The roast beef was served in thick cuts, almost like a steak. The dish came with carrots, parsnips, and potatoes all placed inside the yorkies. This made the plate look more streamlined and less loaded but it also lost that wholesome loaded plate we all love to see from a roast dinner.

The beef itself was not overly tender but had a nice meaty strength to it that really reminded you that you were eating beef without being tough. It had a juicy succulence that I credit to the marinate it came with. The gravy was rich and served in a generously sized pot that was enough to cover the plate and fill up each Yorkshire pudding.

The roast chicken was also served with the vegetables inside the yorkies. Interestingly, the roast chicken is served as half a chicken, with garlic and onions cooked inside that are proudly on display as you turn it around.

It was a nice touch and exactly the sort of thing I would expect from Mina Steakhouse. The skin was nice and crispy without being too dry and a half chicken was a good size, with plenty of meat. The roast chicken was probably my favourite of the two options.

Conclusion

Mina Steakhouse offers the classic roast dinner with its own unique contemporary style that you will struggle to find anywhere else in Cambridge. If you are looking for a wholesome Sunday roast in an old country pub, then this isn’t for you but if you want something a little different, this is a good option, as everything is well executed.

The question is, are you willing to come out of your roast dinner comfort zone to try it?

Thanks for reading