Nestled amidst the wide range of exciting and niche dining options on Mill Road, Spring Restaurant could easily be overlooked. However, don’t let its unassuming exterior fool you – every meal I have had there has been consistently delightful.

My last review was all the way back in 2017. I have visited a few times since then but failed to write a review. During this time, Spring Restaurant’s offering of traditional Chinese cuisine never failed to hit the mark and offers surprising value in an generally expensive part of town.

The Restaurant

The restaurant provides a straightforward and comfortable dining experience. Though small and intimate, the space is well-utilised, with additional seating in the rear. A large front window fills the restaurant with natural light and offers a pleasant view for people-watching along Mill Road.

Drink

I ordered myself a green iced tea drink which made a refreshing change which fitted in with the theme of the Chinese restaurant.

Beef Noodle Soup

I decided to make the most of my visit and ordered two lunches (a decision my future self might regret on the scales! 🤣). The lunch menu offered a tempting selection of noodle soups, various fried rice and noodle dishes, and a range of dumplings.

Although their lunch menu was more limited, I easily found something enticing. I decided on their pork dumplings and a comforting bowl of beef noodle soup.

The noodle soup was listed as “hot & sour Yermicelli in soup.” I suspect “Yermicelli” was a typo, as the noodles were clearly vermicelli – a thin, wiry pasta resembling very fine spaghetti.

The soup featured a thin broth with a real spicy kick and punchy flavour. I particularly enjoyed the inclusion of mushrooms and cabbage, which added an interesting mix of textures and flavour to the soup. Initially, the beef seemed scarce but a generous portion had settled at the bottom of the bowl, revealing itself as I continued. This beef was unbelievably soft and tender, suggesting a long and slow simmer while cooking.

This is exactly the kind of comforting noodle soup I adore!

Dumplings

The dumplings were some of the slippiest little buggers I have ever wrestled with! Honestly, keeping them on my chopsticks felt like an Olympic sport, culminating in a rather undignified stabbing just to get them dipped. Despite their rebellious nature, though, they were surprisingly delicate and soft, rewarding my efforts with a lovely little burst of pork with each bite.

Ticks all the boxes

Once again, Spring Restaurant proves to be a great example of a type of small independent Chinese restaurants Cambridge has to offer. It has been able to stay open long enough to watch other neighbouring restaurants come and go over the years by offering authentic Chinese cuisine for a competitive price in a comfortable no-thrills environment. A formula that is destined to survive the test of time.

Thanks for reading!