MillWorks — Restaurant in Cambridge

5 updated to 5, if you pick the right meat/fish dishes.

The stuffed bell peppers are lovely. I didn’t expect the pepper being pickled, as opposed to the more common grilled version, but it is really zingy and refreshing. Sour cream is a little overpowering on the other hand.

Lam shank pot pie! Sheep flavor, love or hate it. Meat is super tender with beautiful tendon. Puff pastry comes in a healthy not-too-thick amount. The gravy is alright and can have some more complexity in flavoring and content other than the brown stock and carrots (although this is quite classical in Britain I guess).

Mashed potato is lovely, especially the slightly dried bits on top. It’s not too heavy either and goes well with the pie. The cabbage offers a good veggie portion. —

4 Friendly service with nice grills.

Tomahawk is beautiful, tender and flavorful, tasty without any sauces. Chips and onion rings are still soft.

Crispy squid only have a few crispy spots, but there’s finally more squid than batter and it doesn’t seem oily, so pretty nice. Would prefer the mayo sauce to be on the side though— it’s quite overpowering.

Homemade focaccia is more like normal white toast… and would definitely benefit from a toast to search warm and crispy before serving.

Seasonal veggies look simple but is surprisingly seasoned with crispy mint. Quite oily though.

—

3

Popped in for lunch with friend’s family. A new menu again, from Mediterranean to British this time. The steak mushroom ale pie is delicious. The filling is flavorful and the crust is crunchy and not too heavy. The whole sea bass is tender and fresh. The pork belly has crispy fatty parts and tender flavorful flesh. Fried chicken wings are also quite nice. The veggies, however, are mainly peas and beans… simply British.

Food is still a little slow.

-/- 2nd visit

Crispy filo shell, warmly spiced chicken filling. The garlicky spicy hummus adds a kick, while the hoisin sauce gives a fun twist, reminding me of Peking duck wraps.

The venison steak was cooked perfectly, beautiful and tender. Seasoning-wise, I am not a fan of peppercorn sauce/red wine gravy in general… the tastier, more flavorful chermoula only comes as a few drizzles on the cabbage. Hope the steak can actually get it too! The potato rosti is buttery and herby. So I stack them with the steak.

The dessert display right at the entrance looks very attractive, to the extent of evil enticement ;) and I’ve been eyeing the ice creams since last summer. Guess I’ll get a scoop soon.

Food came quite fast, but I waited for about an hour for my bill. Next time I’ll bring a reading lamp. My eyes hurt in the romantic flickering of candle flame. I left the restaurant literally minutes before it’s closure.

(It’s also fun to eavesdrop scholars from my field of research, though I didn’t dare to turn around lest there are familiar faces.)

—

Ice cream update: Been thinking about these since last summer and finally give in. Nice selection of flavors from the local ice cream company. The espresso bean is less intense than what the name suggests— more like coffee toffee candy. Had a taste of the ginger root one out of curiosity. Very gingerly indeed. Will probably get this one next time :D

— 1st visit

Millworks punt was lovely, especially with those fried Halloumi sticks. The rocket leaves make me feel less guilty. The squash hummus is a little too salty and overpowering—more like a spiced dip than hummus or squash.

My friend says the pulled pork was far too sweet… Maybe there’s too...

Couldn't have had a better experience. We've been in UK for almost a year and this is possibly the first meal out where the price, portions, taste, atmosphere, service, and presentation would prompt me to figure that they could have charged more for what we had. We came for lunch on a Saturday. My wife had the beetroot salad which was certifiably amazing! The slight honey in the dressing sent the mix of flavors over the top. The feta was not overpowering and added a cream-dimension with the fibrous and earthy salad leaf. The small chopped beetroot was wonderful as was the couscous on the bottom of the bowl. Size of portion was spot on. I had the Millworks Grazer plate which was similarly spot on portion. The pork was flavorful with a small portion of pickled cabbage below that added a tart-to-the-sweeter glaze on the pork. Fat-to-meat ratio on the pork was quite nice as well. The plate had a stack of buttermilk covered calamari. The breaded-to-meat coverage was not-too-thick such to allow a fried crunch and then squishy texture of the actual squid flesh. The buttermilk coverage added a dimension over the basic-breaded and fried calamari. The calamari was drizzled with a sauce which I can't remember but was lovely. Also on the plate were some stuffed red peppers which were nicely placed on the plate and true to form with the other things were tasty and prepped with clear-care for flavor. The salad on the Grazer plate had large, lovely green olives, shrubbery-type lettuce leaf that allows breadth and depth of flavor, and a few sliced grape tomatoes. Each plate we had provided a wonderful medley of flavors that pleased and left us knowing we will return for a dinner soon. Rarely have I contemplated I would pay more than is charged for a plate. And, for the plates we had comparative to the flavor and portions, I would have paid more (and I'm stingy and frugal). We also decided to have a dessert which we rarely do. The dessert was very pricey (£18) and was titled Rapture Rupture. This thing was giant (seemingly too much for 2 people). My wife only ate 1/4 of it and I was not willing to walk away without finishing it. I'm usually a sole-fan of dark chocolate and coffee ice creams. This had a mix of flavors and textures and blended well enough that I wanted to finish it as opposed to barely getting it done. All in all probably the best experience with food I've...

Thanks for sharing that, Vache. Your review has a clear narrative and strong points—you’re highlighting both the quality of the food and the discomfort caused by the service, which is a fair and balanced approach. To make it more precise, professional, and fact-focused, I’ve refined the tone, tightened the structure, and removed emotionally charged language while preserving your message.

Here’s a polished version of your review:

Restaurant Review

The food was genuinely excellent—well-prepared and flavorful. However, the service experience detracted from the overall atmosphere.

We ordered a glass of wine and a beer alongside our meal. The wine arrived promptly, but the beer was delayed by approximately 10–15 minutes. I approached the front desk to politely inquire about it, and the beer was brought out shortly afterward.

Following this, a member of staff made a comment suggesting that some customers treat the venue like a pub, whereas it is a restaurant where everything is prepared fresh and served when ready. I clarified that my concern wasn’t about the kitchen or food preparation, but simply about the delay in serving a drink that was already available on tap.

After this exchange, the same staff member repeatedly approached our table with unsolicited remarks and gestures that seemed performative rather than attentive. While possibly well-intentioned, the frequency and tone of these interactions became uncomfortable.

At the end of the meal, we noticed that a service charge had been automatically added to the bill, despite it typically being discretionary. Additionally, a £1 charity donation was included without prior notice or consent. These charges, combined with the earlier interaction, left us feeling uneasy—as though a simple query had resulted in an awkward experience and...