D'Arry's Wineshop, Cambridge, UK (6th June 2010)

Unfortunately I have not really got the time to blog nowadays but that does not mean I have not been feasting. Feasting for me, is a non-stop pursuit in life!
I was in Cambridge last weekend for a short visit, and when it comes to dinning in Cambridge, two places spring straight to my mind and instantly stimulate start my salivary glands - one is the 2 Michelin starred Midsummer Hse by Daniel Clifford, and the other is D'Array wineshop.

I would loved to go back to Midsummer hse given the last two feasts I had there were one of the best (or shall I say two of the bests?) I've had till date. But for this occasion, it was the more affordable D'Array's.

I have had a few visits to the restaurant while I was in Cambridge for a year, and it never disappoint. D'Array simply tops my list for the best steak in Cambridge. Some shout "Brown's!!" - but come on.. I won't even bother commenting....
Despite catering the best steak for me, the wines are pretty tasty. A nice mildly spicy Shiraz takes the juicy, bloody, perfectly grilled ribeye to the next level. Though I have not tried all the wines on the list, but the chardonnay I've had previously was pretty good for a summery afternoon.

One sad thing was that I was too hungry when the steak arrived and the amazing aroma of the steak made me jumped on it straight away. And before I realised that I forgot to take a snap of the blessed steak. I had only one mouthful left!
Luckily I have snaps of my previous visits so I will sneakily use them for this blog...Anyway, highly recommened if you are ever in Cambridge - the portion is generous, nice service and most importantly £15 for a great steak! why go for the "rocky", fallible traditional roast?!

Goodman (27th March 2010)

When asked about a decent steakhouse in London, people usually would say – “Gauchos”. Nevertheless, I haven’t really had a good experience with Gauchos as my previous visit to their Chancery Lane branch ended up in disappointment despite many of my friends’ high regard (some say the Piccadilly branch is the one that you should try). Anyway, I came across ‘Goodman’ which is located on Maddox Street near Oxford Circus after hearing its popularity from some friends and also how difficult a task it is to book the place on weekends (I managed to book for 4 at 6pm on Saturday).

The restaurant itself was pleasant and cosy, and feels just like upper-end steakhouses in America (not a criticism). Apart from the menu itself, there was a big blackboard on the wall indicating what is still available on the day – cuts, sizes etc.

The waiter kindly brought and explained to us the different cuts available on a large board. In order to sample the different cuts, the 4 of us all went for different choices – Porterhouse, ribeye on the bone, ribeye, and fillet; all were cooked to medium-rare. (I ordered the ribeye). Upon first inspection, the steak was finely char-grilled with hashes engraved on the surface. The delicious meaty smell was so delicious that I could have fed purely on the smell. If I was not in a proper restaurant, I would probably just stab it with a fork and consume it like a Barbarian.

Upon cutting it up in a civilised manner, I found my steak to be a bit more overdone than I would have liked – to be honest, I should I asked for rare given I like my steak juicy and the core of my steak still bloody. Having said that, the steak itself was very good, pink in the middle and tasted lovely (though not crispy enough on the outside). The other steaks that we’ve ordered were all cooked to the same quality, though the porterhouse was in my opinion the tastiest of the four. However, it is still far from the perfect steak that I am looking for in London. Having sampled so many steaks in restaurants being a meat lover myself, I tend to prefer my steak pan fried rather than grilled. Lastly, one thing to mention is that they do serve a cracking dessert – ‘Frozen caramel parfait with Maldon sea salt and milk chocolate’ (9/10), just the right balance in terms of sweetness, texture. Lovely.

Overall, I would rate the steak I had 6.5/10. Sadly, given that it cost almost £30 for a 400g ribeye, I would probably contemplate on the next visit – though if I had ordered rare, I might have a different conclusion.