Review

The walk up the Fountain's rickety stairs to their new first floor bistro, spirits you away from a bustling city centre street and thriving student pub to reveal the high-ceilinged, elegant décor of a room that time seems to have forgotten.

Apparently little has changed since the St. Andrew's Street building was completely renovated by Scottish and Newcastle in the 1930's which included a mock-Tudor façade and a wood panelled interior representative of the decadence of the pre-war era. You almost expect Lois Armstrong to appear and launch into song, or Greta Garbo to walk in on the arm of a world champion heavyweight, or that the cricketer Sir Jack Hobbs would arrive smoking a Players cigarette after hitting a century on nearby Parker's Piece.

The food we are pleased to say would not disappoint in any decade. The menu was full of innovation and diversity and we noticed that the food (like the double decker buses outside) come in twos.

Bistro-dining at its best: a superbly contrasting menu, impeccably presented in surroundings that thrill and delight in equal measure.

Both starters and mains consisted of two options each of fish, meat and vegetarian dishes, with both the fish fanciers and veggies in the party commenting that it was nice to have a choice and not have to settle for the token menu entry.

The tables draped in bright white cloths were spaciously set out in a room with a huge mirror at one end and a futuristic red fibreglass bar (so hideously out of place that it kind of fits) at the other.

The food like the bar is nothing if not ultra-modern; from the seafood ravioli, smoked Haddock chowder and mozzarella filled falafel for starters. We chose the latter that also came with grilled Haloumi and mango, coriander, and chilli salsa, and also the ravioli which consisted of sea scallop, spider crab and wild salmon served on a bed of wilted spinach, and a lemon and chive butter sauce that didn't overpower the delightful taste of the seafood. The veggie completed our selections, with the falafel winning the vote over the crème du Barry cauliflower soup.

Each dish was immaculately presented, the hallmark of respected local chef Joseph Crowe who attained two AA Rosettes whilst at the respected Tickel Arms, and also contributed to the success of the Punter on Northampton Street. Crowe, who is returning to the kitchen after a short break to bring up his two children, puts the emphasis on local food and has been astounding guests with his inventions since November 2009 at the bistro which bears his name. The meat all comes from Shelford and is left to age for an additional week for extra taste. The vegetables are sourced from Royston and all seafood is caught the day before it's served.

We were pleasantly surprised to be offered an appetiser and spent the few minutes before the mains arrived with a tasty cup of roast butternut soup and toasted pumpkin seed, in a divine truffle oil that creates a 'meat-but-no-meat' taste.

Presentation came to the fore with the mains with all the meat, fish and veggie dishes looking almost too good to eat. The trio of Porcini, Forest and Field mushroom was a taste sensation, and the pan-fried gilt edged Bream's superb aromas were matched by the flavours, made even more intense by saffron fondant potatoes and a Tapenade sauce.

The only disappointment was the wine. Here the range could do with being improved in both depth and variety. Perhaps unwisely we first selected a German red (more out of curiosity than any hunch) but things were brought back on track when we moved onto a robust Rioja.

As we left the downstairs pub was already bustling thanks to its wide selection of real ales and continental beers and, of course, the legendary pies.

This is bistro-dining at its best: a superbly contrasting menu, impeccably presented in a place that will thrill and delight in equal measure.