Dinner at The Cambridge Mill
I recently had a lovely dinner out on a Friday evening at the newly renovated The Cambridge Mill. The décor and atmosphere created is absolutely breathtaking and so warm and inviting. From the front foyer where you can see into the wood fired oven, to the twinkle of ambiance lights in the various dining areas, all surrounded by floor to ceiling windows and the rushing Grand River below...makes for a relaxing and memorable evening.
The service was courteous, timely and overall surpassed my expectations for dinner service in this area.
For dinner we ordered the Wild Rocket Salad (a must try!) which is arugula tossed with lemon preserve, honey, walnuts and parmesean cheese. It was crispy, light and packed with spicy flavour from the wild rocket (arugula) and the sweet notes of lemon and honey.
Then we split vegetarian dumplings that were stuffed with vegetables and tofu, finished with black garlic, sliced chilies, sesame seeds and a sweet and sour sauce. They were crisp, spicy and the filling was tasty. My only critique was that there was too much sauce and it overpowered the dumplings. Maybe ask for it on the side?
The main dish was a huge quinoa burger with avocado, house made tomato relish and smoked aged cheddar (my own addition), although flavourful the burger was too dry and was missing some TLC (I.e. shaved onions, tomatoes, fresh herbs, smothered in sauce etc.), also the relish was too sweet and complimented the cheese I added more than the burger. The side dish however was fantastic I ordered a side of kale, one of my favourite leafy green super foods, and it was flash fried in butter, garlic, chilies and lemon -- so maybe it's a little less healthy to eat kale this way, but it sure will make anyone eat and enjoy their greens!
My dinner date enjoyed their handmade pasta with Mediterranean veggies and added the Arctic Char. The flavours were pretty standard: garlic, sun dried tomatoes, spinach and black olives. The oil-based sauce left about a quarter of a cup of extra oil behind and overall he was underwhelmed. The handmade cavatelli was definitely the star it was light and pillowey in your mouth, the Artic Char was cooked beautifully but under-seasoned and more finesse should have gone into the sauce.
For dessert we split a warm apple fritter with candied walnuts, honey and Mapleton’s organic vanilla ice cream. The fritter was dry and had very little apple. The best part of this dessert was definitely the Organic Ice Cream, it was rich creamy and perfectly delicious. Perhaps growing up in this area with the famous Farmer's Market apple fritters so close I've been spoiled, but I would say save yourself the $10 and hold out for the market where you can get a dozen for the same price.
Overall an "A" for ambiance, service and the quality of homemade, local foods. But there is always room for improvement.
The service was courteous, timely and overall surpassed my expectations for dinner service in this area.
For dinner we ordered the Wild Rocket Salad (a must try!) which is arugula tossed with lemon preserve, honey, walnuts and parmesean cheese. It was crispy, light and packed with spicy flavour from the wild rocket (arugula) and the sweet notes of lemon and honey.
Then we split vegetarian dumplings that were stuffed with vegetables and tofu, finished with black garlic, sliced chilies, sesame seeds and a sweet and sour sauce. They were crisp, spicy and the filling was tasty. My only critique was that there was too much sauce and it overpowered the dumplings. Maybe ask for it on the side?
The main dish was a huge quinoa burger with avocado, house made tomato relish and smoked aged cheddar (my own addition), although flavourful the burger was too dry and was missing some TLC (I.e. shaved onions, tomatoes, fresh herbs, smothered in sauce etc.), also the relish was too sweet and complimented the cheese I added more than the burger. The side dish however was fantastic I ordered a side of kale, one of my favourite leafy green super foods, and it was flash fried in butter, garlic, chilies and lemon -- so maybe it's a little less healthy to eat kale this way, but it sure will make anyone eat and enjoy their greens!
My dinner date enjoyed their handmade pasta with Mediterranean veggies and added the Arctic Char. The flavours were pretty standard: garlic, sun dried tomatoes, spinach and black olives. The oil-based sauce left about a quarter of a cup of extra oil behind and overall he was underwhelmed. The handmade cavatelli was definitely the star it was light and pillowey in your mouth, the Artic Char was cooked beautifully but under-seasoned and more finesse should have gone into the sauce.
For dessert we split a warm apple fritter with candied walnuts, honey and Mapleton’s organic vanilla ice cream. The fritter was dry and had very little apple. The best part of this dessert was definitely the Organic Ice Cream, it was rich creamy and perfectly delicious. Perhaps growing up in this area with the famous Farmer's Market apple fritters so close I've been spoiled, but I would say save yourself the $10 and hold out for the market where you can get a dozen for the same price.
Overall an "A" for ambiance, service and the quality of homemade, local foods. But there is always room for improvement.
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