For a restaurant called "Graffiti", it's a nice irony that the wall decor is one of the best features.
If you want an object lesson in how to use colour and light to make a modern room elegant yet restful and welcoming, go and eat in the rear of their two dining areas. Earth tones and well chosen paintings adorn the walls, with ceiling spotlights artfully positioned to highlight selected
If you want an object lesson in how to use colour and light to make a modern room elegant yet restful and welcoming, go and eat in the rear of their two dining areas.
works as well as providing just the right amount of light to the dining tables.
The wooden tables provide cosy dining for two, or can be pushed together for larger groups. Oil lamps provide a practical alternative to candles, and the overall ambience oozes Good Taste.
Situated inside the Hotel Felix on Huntingdon Road, there is plenty of parking available. You'll find the restaurant down a couple of short corridors which also feature attractive works of art. The restaurant has two rooms which can seat up to 80, as well as a cosy bar area. In winter the wood burning fireplace makes the front dining room a popular choice. In summer there is also the opportunity of dining out on the pleasant garden terrace.
The food is high class, without reaching the heights of price seen in some comparable establishments. Counting the standard menu and the daily specials together, you can expect around ten options for each course. For starters we chose the two daily menu options. The tuna loin was - as it should be - sparingly cooked and together with the pak choi and citrus crème fraiche provided a medley of delicate flavours.
By contrast, the chicken confit terrine and red onion marmalade offered an excellent stronger tasting option. We should also mention the lovely warm bread rolls, which came in a choice of olive or wholemeal.
For the main course, the rump of lamb yielded three slices of splendidly lean meat cooked exactly as ordered (medium rare), and the caper mash and ratatouille proved to be a very well chosen accompaniment. The baked cod fillet was perfect in texture, and its light taste found a perfect compliment in the smoked pancetta that came with it.
We finished the meal by sharing homemade strawberry ice-cream, and an impressive cheese platter featuring some unusual goat and ewe milk offerings alongside double gloucester and cornish blue. In keeping with the surroundings, every dish of every course was elegantly presented.
The wine menu offers about 40 different wines and champagnes. Spoilt for choice we asked the waiter to select for us from the six whites and six reds available by the glass. The Pinot Blanc we started with was reasonable, but the red wines pleased our palettes more - an Argentian Malbec, and best of all a very smooth and flavoursome Rioja.
We appreciated the service, which was polite and attentive without being obtrusive. The time intervals between courses were well judged, and we had no difficulty obtaining extra bread, cheese biscuits, and even a jug of tap water.
Graffiti offers a fine dining experience, upmarket but affordable by Cambridge standards. And if you are interested in partaking in lunch instead of dinner, you can find 2 and 3 course fixed price menus offering excellent value.