The Snug Summer Menu

The Snug at the Grafton is a much-loved bar and restaurant of mine. Recently they launched a new menu for summer which got my ears pricked and my taste buds awake so I had to go investigate! The new lunch menu and mains include superfood leaves to Flat Iron Steak, juicy homemade burgers, new sharing platters and more. The Snug's fabulous cocktail menu also had some fabulous summer drinks on offer and with over ten years of experience, they know what they're talking about! Chris and I opted for the Hendrick's Summer Garden to kick things off with. I've become a true gin drinker since attending a gin masterclass at the snug last year (which you can read here) and this cocktail certainly didn't disappoint. The refreshing flavours of elderflower, cucumber, cranberry, mint and apple tasted like summer in a glass.

So onto the food...This season the team at The Snug have pulled together a new range of dishes which take inspiration from across the Atlantic with American style dishes, as well as a range of more unique offerings. Chris and I went for dinner and were soon swooning over the six different signature burgers to choose from. The new Devil Burger features Bloody Mary Salsa, Red Chillis, Jalapenos, Red Onion and chilli sauce. Meanwhile the Texan Ranger features BBQ sauce, Monterey Jack Cheese, Black Bean and Onion Rings and these were the two we picked.

Meanwhile we were enjoying our cocktails which are 2 for 1 during happy hour - result! Our next round had to be another gin cocktail and our waiter recommended the Cucumber & Elderflower Gin-Jito...

This cocktail was awesome! I mean firstly the glass is just awesome but more importantly it was incredibly refreshing and delicious to drink - perfect for a summers day. Whilst we waited for our food to be prepared we had a chance to relax and take in our surroundings.

The vibe of The Snug at the Grafton is similar to that of the Lensfield Road venue with its stylish eclectic decor and calming blue tones that make you feel right at home. It's a great venue for a date night, girls night, drinks with friends or a spot of lunch when you're mid shopping spree or in between lectures. It caters for everyone from the student, to businessman, office workers to busy mums.

Not all the cocktails are alcoholic too. You can indulge in a mocktail which I can assure you are just as much of a treat and you won't feel like you're missing out whatsoever! 

Anyway back to the summer menu. When our burgers arrived, they were huge! Each burger was packed to the brim with ingredients to give you a taste sensation.

Chris chose the Devil Burger, being a huge lover of hot food. The bloody Mary salsa knocked his socks off, it really is a scorcher but equally was delicious too.

My Texan Ranger burger was missing the black bean element as they'd run out but was substituted with pulled pork which certainly wasn't a disappointment. The burger had a real texan flavour and tasted just like it had been barbecued to perfection. For a side I went for the triple cooked chips and they were so naughty but sooo nice! I loved the presentation too with the cup to serve my chips. Yum yum!

After feeling thoroughly stuffed and satisfied, we decided on another round of cocktails because - why not? It's date night after all! Plus we needed something to wash down our incredibly filling food.

To our delight we realised we'd come on quiz night and decided to stay on and take part, even calling a couple of friends to join us. Named Lets Get Quizzical, we really got into it and actually ended up winning! We were all so shocked but equally delighted and have put a date in the diary to return and spend our winnings on many a cocktail. Yippee!!

I really enjoyed reviewing The Snug's summer menu and would definitely recommend checking it out before it changes. We would have tried dessert as they sounded heavenly but we were just so full! I can see us conquering those on our next visit.

Have you been to The Snug?

A Ginteresting evening at The Snug...

Last month I got the chance to dabble with gin at The Snug in Cambridge.

The Snug has changed a little since my last visit back in April, with a lick of paint and this pretty awesome chalk drawing at the back (which I was later told was hand drawn and took hours!) The place didn't look bad before but the makeover has given it some freshness and interest for the eye.

Now onto the main event that was the gin master class!

We started off by trying some gin cocktails. I was rather partial to The Snug's original cocktail known as "Ginspecter Morse" (love that name!), consisting of Beefeater gin, triple sec and lemons churned up with apple juice and raspberry jam. The jam was a great element to add and tasted delicious. 

I can't say I've ever drunk that much gin in the past so this was the perfect way to get introduced to the different types of gin out there, as well as finding out their background and the history of gin. Our host whose name escapes me so I shall call her... Ginny, was ever so knowledgeable not to mention passionate about gin so I found it really interesting.

We tried a mix of gins, ranging from perfumed and floral tastes to more citrus flavours adding only a touch of water to our glasses to ensure we got the real taste of each gin. Before now I had no idea that different types of gin could taste so...different! I particularly liked the Hendricks and Adnams gin, who I did't realise made gin as well as ale. I learnt a lot people!

To finish off the master class we tucked into some chicken which was gratefully received and smelt incredible. The menu has also had a bit of a re-vamp with several varieties of chicken wings from Lemon & Pepper, Sailor Jerry's sauce and Dante's inferno which blew my head off! Sailor Jerry's was by far my favourite- nom nom nom!

Yet again I had another brilliant evening at The Snug and can say that I'm now a gin drinker! Roll on the next visit as I'm seriously craving that chicken just now!

Have you been to The Snug?