After months of anticipation my reservation at vegetarian Vanderlyle finally came round last week & I took Mother dearest with me to enjoy their signature 5 course tasting menu.

Vanderlyle opened its doors on Mill Road in Cambridge last year in April to rapturous reception. To the point where reservations are now required two months in advance. Even more unusual, diners have to pay in full for the £55 per person menu upon booking, all of which is completely non-refundable. This aspect was disappointing for me especially as I was unceremoniously dumped by my boyfriend in the meantime so had little choice but to get my mum off the subs bench to enjoy a romantic eve with her first born. Not ideal as I couldn’t even palm it off as a present since her birthday lies just beyond the one month birthday border, that even the most experienced birthday extenders would struggle to prolong.

Anyway there were perks to this parental accompaniment. I got door to door chauffeur service there & back from Daddy Coolest (who had a curry down the road whilst he waited!) & Mum picked up the drinks bill. Thank you Mother. I should also note she is a wonderful dining companion & gets full easily so I was on hand to hoover up her leftovers which was a bonus.

On arrival its got to be said the place looks less than impressive. Perhaps that somehow adds to the allure as there is no signage & the windows are completely fogged up, resembling a kind of seedy dive bar that you would easily pass by without noticing. Inside, the shabby chic improves & I actually really liked the contrast of the pale pink, comparatively opulent, suede-ish bench alongside the industrial flavour of the walls. The level of lighting was also nice & created a nice ambiance for you to stare lovingly across the table at your lover, sorry mother. The fairy lights were however attached to the ceiling very obviously with sticky tape & that for me let the place down a bit. I know its a small detail but when your expectations are already heightened by the wait & the price tag I think its important that these easily rectifiable aspects are on point.

We had a nice table by the ever so steamy window sandwiched between two couples, highlighting again my Friday night single status even more (am I bitter at all?) & couldn’t help myself from having a little titanic moment with the glass. Anyway I digress lets get down to the food.

First to arrive at the table was a puffed buckwheat dill flatbread with … Do you know what I’m just going to insert the menu here….

It tasted much like a poppadom & was nice but underwhelming especially as there was just one shard each to share, presented in inedible (course I checked!) uncooked rice. Seemed a lot of effort for what was immensely short-lived enjoyment but I guess with another two mini starters on the horizon followed by a further 4 courses I should have been happy to pace myself. I just had this foreboding feeling that I was going to be left hungry & disappointed.

This feeling was further compounded with the arrival of starter number 2 which looked like two one-week old chips dried up on a saucer TO SHARE. The flavour was good but the quantity most certainly was not. The whole experience was over in 2 mostly empty fibrous mouthfuls & left me looking longingly at the relatively generous ketchup bowl. Perhaps I should have had lunch I thought to myself at this juncture.

The final appetizer was ye olde traditional soup which was very tasty & whose warmth was gratefully received in my tummy. I believe I actually did use my finger to extract all the goodness possible. It was yum.

Next on the itinerary was a salad which I can’t say at this hungry stage of the game I was exceptionally excited about, but it came with a glorious side of warm, chewy sourdough & some oil to bathe it in. This was utterly divine & that definitely took the edge of my perceived fast. The salad too, whilst wasn’t much to look at in its presentation – a bunch

of assorted leaves on a plate had hidden depths & delights & actually concealed no less than TWENTY- SIX ingredients. Let me say that again TWENTY SIX! Rumour has it, in Summer this extraordinary number increases to beyond 35! Most of them I must admit I have never heard of so can not verify their presence fully but I must say the combination was delightful & the kohlrabi base with emulsion peppered with pomegranates was wonderful, as was the game of pounce I played with my mother as we both tried to nab the remaining favoured pieces, mainly the broccoli & crispy kale. I scavenged around the plate for all the choice morsels but despite my hunger I did leave some of the leaves. I leaved the leaves. There’s a fun play on words in there somewhere if I had more about me this Monday morning to do something with it but alas…

I had no idea what to expect from the next course, especially as it contained one of my least favourite culinary adversaries – the caper. I wince at the very thought ordinarily but on this occasion I was to be surprised. The creamy texture was utterly divine & again I found myself licking the bowl. This was the point, after quite enjoying the splendiferously OTT nature of the salad & this decadent creamy texture, that my stomach & my mind calmed down & I actually started to enjoy myself. Content that my £110 had not been completely ill spent.

I would have been even more overjoyed had the main entree been spot on but sadly the beetroot did just miss the mark. I love beetroot but this slab with extra pureed on the side was a little overkill. The separately presented dumpling however were very tasty especially when combined with the other flavours on the plate & I really enjoyed them. Stupidly though, they only gave us 3 of these so again my mum & I found ourselves negotiating who would have what.

The last two courses were sweet & I actually loved them both but I suppose because there was some slight disappointment with the beetroot I think I was still waiting for that pièce de résistance, & when I look back on the experience its peppered with good bits & bobs but no sort of savoury climax that I would enjoy reflecting on & telling my friends about. The desserts were great though, the textures somehow just really worked & my mouth really enjoyed the sensations so it was a truly wonderful finish. Topped off again with another sweet treat with the bill, a small cookie & truffle chocolate which looked super rich but as Goldilocks would say was actually just right.

So there you have it, a kind of mixed bag really. I can’t immediately decide if I loved it or not & whether I would go again. I certainly had a great evening. The staff are fantastic, super knowledgeable & friendly & available to take photos on request. I even got a snap

with owner chef Mr Rushmer who was a runner up on Masterchef in 2010, which was sweet. There is a nice warm vibe in there & perhaps one day when I am married & have a partner who is unable to jilt me at drop of a hat I will risk a two month wait for my yeast roasted cauliflower but for now I think I will leave it as a one off.

The menu is certainly a special occasion type place & I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it on that basis, it was über delicious, but I just guess the pared down environment creates a bit of a juxtaposition that would stop me from immediately putting it in that more luxurious bracket. It wouldn’t take more than a few tweaks to the interior, particularly the windows, to accomplish that though. Had the price been less than the psychologically high £50 barrier they might just be seeing me sooner also, though the wait & non refundable nature does still pose a problem.

The menus change every few weeks so would be really interested in hearing about other peoples experiences, drop me a comment below if you have been!

Vanderlyle
38-40 Mill Road
Cambridge
CB1 2AD

Open Wednesday – Saturday 6 – 11pm

Reservations: https://www.exploretock.com/vanderlyle