You may be struggling to find some light amidst this long, final stretch of winter. But there are pockets of romanticism within the doom and gloom of Britain’s tempestuous drizzles.
There’s no fighting February – we must therefore continue December traditions of eating, drinking, and playing merry (albeit without the tinsel). That being said, every Londoner should escape for at least a few nights during this period. It’s medicinal. The Hobson Cambridge by Adina is a fairytale retreat.
A New Arrival: The Hobson Cambridge
This new opening in the heart of Cambridge merges cosmopolitan practicalities with ethereal structures. Although we all enjoy the concept of luxurious mansion stays, our financial grasp of London life means fictitious whims of Byronic pleasures remain far out of reach. The Hobson Cambridge takes a more realistic approach, offering studios that are more akin to suites than hotel rooms.
The rooms are spacious, light, and most importantly, affordable. The trick with The Hobson is that you can stay in a Grade II listed sandstone building, replete with stained glass windows, winding staircases, and a steel-framed dining room that wouldn’t look out of place in Mayfair. The grand exoskeleton of The Hobson gives a feel of exclusivity, but its material is very much for anyone who wants an affordable trip out of London. With a Queen Suite starting at £180 a night, The Hobson offers an experience that doesn’t exhaust the bank account but still offers luxury.
Why Cambridge in Winter?
It is worth asking the question of why visit Cambridge in the Winter? In the summer, it is an Austen-worthy pontoon-filled picture book of straw-hatted lovers bobbing around in barge boats, sprawled over lawns, devouring Wordsworth like you or I might devour a fillet mignon.
In the bleak mid-Winter? Dark academia casts itself over the town. Yet this too carries the allure of romance. And, when the days are short, the choice for activity remains limited. Rambles in the countryside feel less sexy when you’re up to your knees in freezing-cold mud. Gothic city breaks are a friendlier territory, but you still want a destination with a bit of nighttime buzz to it.
Dipping in and out of Cambridge’s swathe of museums, ambling around the architecture, and over-caffeinating on one too many flat whites is the stuff of simple pleasures, not simply because it tickles the desire to present as an astute academic. Yes, I know you’re not really interested in Captain Scott’s diaries, but it’s nice to feel that degree didn’t go to complete waste.
Besides, by night you’ll have ample time to glitz into the sensuality of dirty martinis and small plates. Museums are great, but I know what you’re really hungering for.
Oz & Isle
The Hobson is a new addition to Cambridge’s food and drink scene. Its restaurant, Oz & Isle, takes inspiration from Australian flavours, using British ingredients. It’s almost easy to miss the restaurant – the building itself blends naturally in with the rest of the grand, 20th-century buildings typical of Cambridge.
Some may feel an Australian-inspired restaurant is a blot on tradition: a heritage building should breed heritage food. Yet this hotel isn’t trying to blend into the fuddy-duddy theme of gastro-pubs or British fine dining. It wants to be cool, sexy: this is a place you go to for a glam evening, where you can sit at the bar and flirt with the idea of having ‘just one more.’
The Building
The history of the building is fascinating: whilst you may have already had your fill of culturally significant architecture, there is some worth in understanding the backbone of The Hobson. Originally, the site of the hotel was a spinning house, more commonly known as a workhouse. The poor, unfortunate souls sent there included women who were found fraternising with students after dark, with suspicion of prostitution and untoward behaviour lingering over their heads. Although the original infrastructure of the workhouse has been long demolished, The Hobson still has a flair of Victorian industrialism to it.
If the exterior and main entrance of the building is remnant of Hogwarts, then the main dining area nods to the steel cut frames of Platform 9 ¾. There is a blend of quasi-Kings Cross-Mayfair luxury going on here: with its high ceilings, red-bricked walls, and Soho-house style furnishings, Oz & Isle hits the romantic nail on the head. Plus, it’s always healthy for the serotonin level to be amongst plants – ferns and rubber plants are aplenty here. I wouldn’t quite say it’s entirely tropical, but there is an escapist feel to The Hobson. You’re eating in both the old and the new.
The Bar
As The Hobson is still relatively new, their cocktail menu is small. As neither a whiskey or midori drinker, I couldn’t quite bring myself to try the two signatures, so opted for a martini instead. This, perhaps, wasn’t the most sensible choice to open a dinner with, considering Oz & Isle boasts an inviting wine menu, but then again, free will exists to be yielded.
The Menu
The menu, although simple, ticks a lot of boxes with regard to the right food to eat alongside a boozy evening. Dishes ordered included cured salmon, roasted beetroot and goats cheese, saffron & lemon arancini, smoked haddock croquette, sirloin steak and buttered celeriac. Two rounds of the cheese and cold meat boards were also ordered.
First came the boards. This was a little jolting: I would have assumed the cheeses would come after the small plates. Yet it did inspire a conversation around the table about whether cheese does have a place as a starter. Small cuts of Manchego are a perfectly acceptable amuse-bouche in London, and I’ve had many a Camembert at the start of the night in French brasseries. Considering this was a whopper of a board, I would have to conclude that it held its own right amongst the savoury section of the table. An excellent Baron Bigod, loaded with honeycomb, and fresh figs smothered with a tangy Barkham blue is a good enough way to begin an evening as any. Besides, it’s nice to enjoy cheese right at the start, rather than cramming it in at the end when you’re close to bursting. The meat board pairing was also a rather lovely selection of bresaola, mortadella, and game terrine.
The Food
The small plates trickled in shortly after. Gin and dill-cured salmon was fatty, soft, and nicely balanced with a splash of parsley oil. The standout small plate was, surprisingly, the beetroot. Yellow and pink heritage beetroots, in all their sweet, fresh juiciness, tasted seasonal and locally sourced. The pairing of maple-roasted pecans and goat’s cheese isn’t revolutionary, but it did hit the spot. Sometimes, you want familiar flavours, done well.
Fried bits were required in equal measures: the arancini was subtly perfumed with the golden breath of saffron, whilst the coastal coquette came fattened with flaky bits of haddock, sat upon a peppery watercress sauce. No complaints over the chips, either. If you can’t tell whether a restaurant is worth it or not, judge it by its chips. Ours were seasoned with truffle and given a hefty dusting of parmesan.
The celeriac steak was (unsurprisingly) the most divisive dish at the table. Whilst I prefer my steak on the meatier side, a moment should be spared for the truffled wild mushrooms that came with the dish.
Desserts
For desserts, I eyeballed a sticky toffee pudding, but I listened to the guttural red flags – as a food journalist, it’s important to understand you do not have an invincible elastic band of space around your stomach. Trouser tightness is also a good indicator of when you’re nearing peak fullness. That being said, I was still burdened with the need to satisfy my desire for a sweet treat. The orange isle – similar to a heavy-set panna cotta was light, fresh, and the perfect palette cleanser. The salted caramel, strawberry, and clotted cream ice cream was also ordered. You can never have too much ice cream.
Overall
After a few more glasses of wine, the suites upstairs await you. And, should you crave a midnight snack, your kitchenette is fully equipped to deal with cravings.
Hobson at the Adina was a fab central Cambridge stay for those looking to escape the city. Affordable opulence is not easy to come by – with Hobson at the Adina, you’re coming in pretty close.
For more information, please visit: thehobsoncambridge.com
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All images courtesy of The Hobson Cambridge.