A Double Date Night at The Brampton Mill AD- Gifted

I'm back with another restaurant review and this week its none other than The Brampton Mill in Brampton Cambridgeshire! This is one of my favourite places to come for dinner, drinks and celebrating so when I was invited to bring three guests with me to see the newly re-furbished pub, I was mega excited! Being close to Valentine's Day it seemed like the perfect excuse to make the occasion a double date so I took Chris and my two best friends along to help me try the new menu and enjoy the decor.

I wasn't sure what to expect from the re-vamp but upon arrival the decor just blew my mind...

The first area that caught my eye was the bar. It's swanky polished marble top with black and gold wallpaper felt very Gatsby and fabulous and before long I was ordering one of the many gins the bar has to offer.

If you'd told me beforehand that the decor would have zebra patterned chairs, mixed with blues and greens, blacks and golds I'd have been sceptical but the designers clearly had a vision and it really works!

Some cosy touches of the bar area have been kept such as the crackling log fire so there's still an air of cosiness in the stylish new surroundings which are perfect for cold winter days.

My favourite part of the pub had to be this area- dubbed as "The Greenhouse" with its gorgeous leafy foliage and a beautiful view of the working mill. It was an incredibly inviting and pretty setting and here we had canapes and cocktail to begin our evening.

If you're a long time reader you'll know been fortunate enough to review The Brampton Mill before (read here) plus I've been many a time before so I can vouch that the food is phenomenal and this evening was no exception! Our canapes consisted of  duck liver & port parfait with a gooseberry and Prosecco compote on toasted ciabatta, deep fried brie in panko bread crumbs and some roasted lentil falafel. Everything tasted divine and was a great way to sample several of the new menu options too.

Soon we were ready to head to the more formal dining area and again we were greeted with fabulous decor.

Our table was set on the third floor which is probably my favourite of all the dining areas with the high beamed ceilings. Again the tasteful modern decor has revitalised the place but is also in keeping with the traditional features of the 500 year old pub. The low lighting in the room made for a lovely romantic setting and atmosphere for our date evening. 

Now onto the important stuff- the food! We truly were spoilt rotten with choice as everything sounded incredible. After much deliberation we went for  Thyme-Roasted Portobello muschrooms in Cropwell Bishop sauce with rustic toast, Salt & Szechuan pepper squid, Scallops of the day and the Lobster and King Prawn pot in Devon crab crème fraiche with toasted ciabatta bread.

I was assured by my other half and my dining chummies that their starters were delicious but I can comment most on the Lobster and King Prawn pot. It tasted incredible with a drizzling of lemon over the top and the chef didn't scrimp on the prawns either- they just kept on coming from the pot!

To accompany your food The Brampton Mill has an impressive drinks menu to choose from and on this occasion we opted for the Vieux Chevalier Chateau Neuf Du Pape which was delicious and full bodied.

For mains we dined on 9oz Rib-Eye Steak with twice-cooked chunky chips, crispy onions, grilled mushroom, confit tomato, baby kale and a side of lobster and garlic butter.

 
Seared salmon fillet on Chorizo mash, tenderstem broccoli and Bouillabaisse sauce.

Chicken, leek and creme fraiche pie topped with ham hock crumb, served with kale mashed potato and buttered green beans.

 

Again I was reliably informed by my friends and hubby that their mains were delicious and they tasted even more amazing than they looked. I had the chicken, leek and creme fraiche pie which was small but mighty! It's deceptive size was definitely filling and the ham hock crumb topping made a nice change to a traditional pastry topped pie. The mash was incredible and if I can re-create it I definitely will because it tasted amazing! The mash itself was incredibly creamy with kale embedded inside for an added crunch and interest in texture.

We were so full and two courses would have easily been enough but then we saw the desserts and our inner piggies persuaded us to have a final course. Well, all but one of us who opted for an Old Fashioned cocktail to finish the meal- a refreshing combination of smooth, rounded woodford reserve bourbon, a swirl of aromatic bitters, a hint of sugar and a twist of orange peel served over a perfect sphere of ice to create the quintessential sipping cocktail.

Meanwhile the other three of us were in chocolate and cheese heaven with Ice cream and home-baked triple chocolate cookie. 

The chocolate and raspberry pudding filled with a raspberry compote middle and served with Bourban vanilla ice cream. I had this and it was epic!

And finally the British cheese board which contained all the cheeses- Shepherd’s Purse Yorkshire Blue, Lubborn Somerset Camembert, Belton Farm Red Leicester, Isle of Man vintage Cheddar with a selection of Fudge’s nut & mixed seed biscuits, grapes, celery and chutney.

What a meal. We were all full to the brim by the end of it and slowly waddled our way down to the bar for a nightcap. 

I was thoroughly impressed with both the food and the service at The Brampton Mill and the re-vamp has definitely given the place a new lease of life. I'm already thinking of other occasions to go for dinner such as Mother's Day next month and with the friends we dined with that evening, we've organised a dog walk and stopping by for pizza and beers in the garden over the summer time! The Brampton Mill truly is a treat and I'd recommend it to everyone.

Have you been yet?

I was invited to the preview night at The Brampton Mill after its extensive refurbishment and received a complimentary three course meal for myself and three guests. I was under no obligation to write a review or promote the refurbishment but I enjoyed it so much I decided to do a blog post so that you guys could discover it and hopefully go and enjoy it too!