Food Diary - Midsummer House, Cambridge

During our Cambridge day trip, Hubby took me to Midsummer House for our anniversary dinner. 

Chef Daniel Clifford's 10-course tasting menu started off with 3 amuse bouche - first, a Bloody Mary foam and celery sorbet; second, lemon puff and cheese foam eclair.

Salmon three-ways: crispy salmon skin, salmon and salmon mousse

The third amuse bouche was salmon done three ways: smoked, in a mousse and crispy salmon skin.

Cornish crab, Italian tomato, sea herbs, crab butter - Midsummer House, Cambridge.

This was sooo good! I'd gladly have 2 huge bowls of the Cornish crab soup!

Beetroot baked on open coals, quinoa, goats' cheese, mizuna - Midsummer House, Cambridge.

Very much enjoyed this dish - the beetroot was baked over coals for hours until soft but still holding its shape. The soft but slightly resistant texture of the beetroot was beautifully matched with other contrasting textures of the fried quinoa and steamed quinoa, the crunchy pickled baby beetroots, and the al dente of the steamed beetroots. The flavours of the baked beetroot was mellowed, but contrasted with the tart flavour of the pickled baby beetroot and the goats' cheese.

Confit jowl of pork, turnip, buttermilk, Iberico - Midsummer House, Cambridge.

Loved the pillow-soft pork jowl and the contrast with the steamed and thinly sliced turnips, the milkiness of the pork jowl with the salty Iberico slices, and the soft sweet-sour of the buttermilk and apple puree.

I think it's hard to go wrong with sauteed scallop, julienne green apple and shaved Italian black truffle. And the texture of the scallop with the little apple jelly squares!

Roast quail, shallot puree, grapes, celery and sour dough - Midsummer House, Cambridge

A dish of quail done several ways - roasted quail breast with shaved radishes and green grapes with a smooth shallot puree; quail pate with sauteed radish and celery slices on sour dough; and hay-smoked Parmesan-wrapped quail egg (still with a runny centre).

Probably our favourite dish was the butter roast Norfolk lobster, mango, burnt orange and nasturium (left).

Hubby also enjoyed the roast Cumbrian lamb, barbecued lamb shoulder, piquillo pepper, broad beans and Olde York cheese (right). I less so. Possibly because I was stuffed by then?

The pousse cafe (left) was a layered dessert-drink, starting with a maple syrup-based concoction at the bottom, an egg yolk concoction in the centre, and a foamy creamy concotion at the top. Flavour-wise, it was also from mild to super sweet from top to bottom. I can't definitively say I enjoyed the pousse-cafe however.

The lemon posset, blueberries and lemon espuma (middle) and compressed strawberry with elderflower sponge, creme fraiche and sorrel (right) were delicious desserts - light and refreshing too. I think if we had been served a rich or heavy dessert, I would've just keeled over and died or thrown up, so totally stuffed!

It was unfortunate that we had to rush through the last 3 courses in order to make sure we could catch the train back to London and then Oxford on time. (In the end, we managed to catch the LAST train from London to Oxford.)

I love Midsummer House. Would I say it's worthy of its 2 Michelin stars? YES.

I would've liked to take my time with the desserts and finished off with coffee though. Oh well. Another time. If ever there is one.


An English Summer with Danbo:
I. London
- Food Diaries #1: Dinner by Heston
- Food Diaries #2: Jamie Oliver's Fifteen
- Food Diaries #3: Zucca, London
- Food Diaries #4: Pearl Liang, London
II. Windsor
III. Oxford
- Food Diaries #5: Browns Brasserie & Bar, Oxford
- Food Diaries #6: Quod Restaurant & Bar, Oxford
- Food Diaries #7: Al Andalus, Oxford
IV. Cambridge
- Food Diaries #8: Midsummer House, Cambridge