Delicious food perfect for sharing
When was the last time you visited the Orator in Cambridge? Or is it still on your bucket list? Some people draw a blank when I mention the Orator. They either never have heard of it or don’t know where it is. I must admit that the Orator can be a hard find as this impressive bar and restaurant is tucked away behind the Round Church on Bridge Street. Not many locals know that there is a restaurant on the site of the Cambridge Union Society and assume as it is part of Cambridge University, that it is not open to the general public. Well, it is, and you should visit the Orator and its secluded garden, it’s an unique experience. A place where many famous people sipped a cocktail after their talk at the Cambridge Union Society.
The history of the Orator
How it started: the Orator used to be the Cambridge Union Bar with scruffy chairs serving not-so-good coffee, but it had a great vibe! In May 2021, the Orator opened its doors, and the large blue dance hall became the restaurant with the bar next door. They did a fantastic job with the refurbishment, preserving the original features. The set up of a separate restaurant and bar didn’t quite work so they mixed it all up.
How is it going? The Orator opened their secluded garden two years ago, and it is a small haven in the bustling city centre away from the crowds. Both areas of the Orator function as a bar and restaurant and are perfect places to meet up with friends, family or colleagues for a bite to eat or drink. The aim after rebranding the old student bar as the Orator was to offer a casual menu in line with the venue. For the record; the Orator are good neighbours of the Cambridge Union Society, but completely independent.
Launch of the Orator’s new menu
Two weeks ago, the Orator launched an exciting new menu, including even more options for sharing, but you don’t need to share as these tasty dishes are also perfect as stand-alone plates. The flexibility of this menu is perfect for those who love sharing and enjoy tapas style food. It’s a dining style I enjoy a lot so I can have a wider variety of food.
Garlic tiger prawns oozing with flavour
Choosing two sharing plates for our starters proved to be a bit of a challenge. They all looked pretty appealing. So we decided to have the Garlic Tiger Prawns and the Korean Chicken BBQ Skewers this time. The chicken was succulent and had a nice kick, but the Tiger Prawns with Nduja Pil Pil, sourdough and herbs were the star of the show. As soon as the prawns arrived at the table the spicy garlic butter started melting covering not only the prawns but filling up the plate. That’s where the bread kicks in, as you don’t want to waste this delicious spicy garlic butter, you want to mop it up and enjoy it.
There are quite a few sharing plates perfect for a tapas-style dinner. My favourites are the crispy gnocchi with King Peter Ham, Sriracha mayo and tomato salt with or the whitebait & calamari lemon aioli and Lime or the quinoa and goat cheese salad with roasted sweet potato, rocket, Dijon dressing and za’atar. Add a salad or vegetables to create a main.
Like many restaurants in Cambridge, they serve premium wine by the glass, and the perfect food pairings for this are beef and horseradish croquettas, a charcuterie and cheese board, mushroom pate or sausages. Not your ordinary ones, though: Pigs in blankets!
Focus on timeless classics and plant based
Scrolling down the menu for the mains, you’ll first spot the timeless classics referring to their signature dishes, which include Bavette steak, Ribeye and Beef short rib. I was delighted that they included sage and fennel Porchetta and Chicken Schnitzel as meat options. The last one proved to be very popular during the launch event.
The menu also includes their popular Union Smash Burger, Monkfish and three plant-based options. A nice touch is the option of adding prawns or chicken to the Pasta Arrabbiata and swapping the aubergine in the aubergine Katsu for chicken.
Our meaty feast
Give my husband the option for a burger, and he’ll have it; unlike me, I am not a fan, although the Union Smash Burger looked pretty tasty. The feedback was that it was delicious, a great burger and melted in the mouth. Clearly, my husband was a happy man.
I am not a big meat eater, but I have a soft spot for slow-cooked beef ribs, especially if they slap on Gochujang marinade. This spicy paste is one of my favourite ingredients to cook with. You can make it as spicy as you want to, but it shouldn’t be the dominant flavour. You want to achieve a delicious, warm and spicy seasoning.
My ribs were very tasty, and the meat fell off the bone as it should be. Perfect for filling the steamed buns. The crunchy, refreshing Asian-style cucumber salad was just what you needed for these Korean-style ribs. I ordered this as a main, but they also offer a double portion to share. It is an excellent option for sharing, and guests might want to order this as a sharer for 4 and add another few mains to share. The more flavours, the better!
Excellent sweet endings
On this occasion, we made sure that we still had room for dessert. The dessert menu includes some old time favourites such as a giant profiterole, sticky toffee pudding, creme brulee and cheesecake.
The salted caramel chocolate marquise and the creme brulee were the perfect end to our dinner. Light, not too sweat and crunchy. Just what we needed to cleanse our palette.
Get a taster of the menu
Keen to find out what the Orator serves up? Click on the link below. The prices for the mains range from £ 18 to £ 29 and for the small plates from £ 7.50 to £ 12 per person.
Cambridge Union dish of the day
New to the table is the President’s Special, which is a bespoke meal created for the Cambridge Union Society members and served every Thursday before their debates. A great way to get a taste of the Cambridge Union Society. This special is only available on Friday and Saturday.
Sunday Roasts at the Orator
At the end of January, the Orator launched their Sunday Roast, and I was delighted to be invited. Head Chef Nathan joined the team a while ago and is at the helm of the latest addition to their menu, Sunday Roasts.
Gerla
