Mercado Central — Restaurant in Cambridge

Four of us for the dinner. We knowingly went in that it is not going to be cheap and a little pricey. The staff were very professional and welcoming. We were seated upstairs, which seemed a little cramped for the area we were in. But, we were keen and took in the atmosphere. Seemed a little out of my league as it was very quiet on the other tables (think maybe we were the louder bunch at times).

On to the food: Our starters were excellent (except my friend who had the skate, complained about the bones, too many). Mine was just on the money with myself having the cured beef with cheese type topping, and it was very good. My wife had something or the other, can't remember.? My wife and I shared the tomahawk steak. It was very good, but to be honest, I don't think it was worth the £120.00 (£10/100g). Especially that we were not eating 'the bone' and taking that bone weight in was a little pricey. The cheese cake desert was recommended by the waiter, which was a good choice and thoroughly enjoyed it. My wife had another desert but can't remember what that was either (i know, bad husband!. But then again she chose it), but she said it was okay forwhateverr she had. The bill was just under £500 for the four of us. Essentially, overall, we pay for 4x starters, 3x mains, and 3x deserts (wines and beers, in between as well).

The big question is, would I go back? Food was good, and to be honest, I probably would not go back for a while because of the overall cost. That is the factor when I am a middle-class person and not living in the 'higher class' of Cambridge. Don't get me wrong, It was enjoyable, but maybe I may do this again in about 2-3years time. To me, it does not seem to attract your everyday person (which is not a wrong thing), but I like a good meal at a fair price for what people can afford (yes, I know! Piss off down to a Weathersppon or Toby Carvery down the road if you want cheap!)

Honestly, good meal, excellent staff. (Me personally, I just can't afford to eat there two or three a year).

Hats off to what they bring to the table....

Underwhelming food at idiotic prices and a seriously inconsiderate situation with staff left this as a very unfortunate experience.

The restaurant seems content to float by on the dedication to sourcing authentic Spanish ingredients which not only must be terrible for their carbon footprint but also allows them to serve expensive and disappointing plates.

Without much additional thought beyond the imported produce, the kitchen appeared disastrous in navigating our table who declined much of the starters offered.

Having been served a plate of ruby red meat and breadsticks (alright, nothing exciting), we then had a forty minute wait for mains as the kitchen struggled with an endless outpouring of small sharing plates for other tables.

No apologies, no explanation. Just a long wait.

Mains arrived and lacked enough of a wallop to justify the price tags or delay, again justifying themselves with the ingredients apparently used (iberico pork, locally source fresh fish...) rather than the way in which the kitchen uses them.

Mains were undeniably underseasoned, unless you like olive oil and lots of it.

Staff were friendly enough until a final reveal of their lame selves, perhaps the end of the lunch rush was getting to them.

Professional tip however: if you're going to make an unjustifiable jibe about any customer/s, do it out of the eyeline or earshot of any other patrons, it was embarrassing and only served to make you look bad.

Floor space is tiny, acoustics awful, so anyone prone to anxiety or headaches will have a mare here. Frankly, it's a hugely avoidable place that seems destined only as a repeat visit for those who link good food with a high price tag alone.

Pay more and get proper grub at Restaurant Twenty-Two. Pay less and get a grand feast at Zonghua Traditional. Pay little and get honest grub at Shelley and Sarah's.

Left a lacklustre taste in the mouth in more...

Sharply executed Spanish food, served in a bright modern restaurant.

I ate here with my other half for an early lunch at noon on a Saturday. We were first in through the door, but the place quickly filled out.

We had a sangria and a lemon & mint soda - both were very good.

To start we shared the tomatoes, croquetas and some sourdough - these were all delicious, especially the croquetas - which were light and pleasingly savoury with jamon.

We followed this with a bavette steak (which was tender, beefy and served with crispy shoestring fries & a pleasingly spicy mojo rojo sauce, albeit the accompanying chimichurri was a little lost in it's company) and a hake special from the fish counter. The latter was comparitively delicate, served in a light broth with a weg of braised fennel, peas and scattered parsley. This was nice and well cooked, but lacked something to make it sparkle.

To finish we had a chocolate ganache (rich, smooth chocolate countered effectively with a sprinkle of flaked salt, but jarring slightly against the pool of fruity olive oil that it was sat in) and a Basque cheesecake (all kinds of rich deliciousness served with some macerated strawberries and their syrup). The buttery biscuit base is undoubtedly my favourite part of a cheesecake, but this makes a great case for it being an unnecessary embellishment.

Service was was friendly and attentive, albeit we did start to notice the gap between the starters and the mains. The open kitchen was a nice touch of theatre.

The price felt just about fair, if a bit on the rich side. £100 for 3 courses for 2 people with only 1 alcoholic drink is a bit much, however the food was very good. I would definitely...