XXXXXXXX
The Taste of Succes s CHARLOTTE GRIFFITHS MEETS THE TALENTED TEAM THAT BREATHED NEW LIFE INTO CHESTERTON'S RESTAURANT 22 WORDS & PHOTOS BY CHARLOTTE GRIFFITHS
N ew, independent eateries are rare beasts in our city, and exceptional ones are rarer still. So when Restaurant 22 burst back onto the scene in March 2018 with new owners, a stylish monochrome look and an ambitious menu to match, foodies fell over themselves to flock to its tables, crossing their fingers that this might be the fine dining experience the city had been longing for – and were not disappointed. Exquisite plates of clever, completely delicious cooking, perfectly judged service, discreetly elegant interiors: R22 is a total dream of a restaurant, which has attracted rave reviews from diners and critics alike, and is fast becoming the worst-kept secret in Cambridge – deservedly so. As with most good things, R22 has been a while in the making: co-owners Alexandra Olivier and chef Samuel Carter had lived in Cambridge for four years prior to moving upstairs on Chesterton Road, but their dream of someday owning their very own restaurant had been around since the couple first met. “I was working in London and Alex was in Peterborough, and we’d never been to Cambridge,” Sam says. “We looked at a map and wondered where we could live between the two. So, we booked a house viewing, wandered into town and went to a tearoom on Kings Parade, and just really liked it.” “I was still training to be a solicitor at that point,” restaurant manager Alex adds, “and then qualified and worked for a couple of years, but Sam was still working down in London. It had always been the plan to have a restaurant at some point, but I just wanted to qualify and get a bit of experience under my belt. So then, at the time we became ready [for our restaurant], we were in Cambridge, and in love with the city.” As Cambridge residents, the couple had encountered the same challenge most of us have wrestled with, at one time or
another: where do you go for dinner in town? Despite being enamoured with the city, its rather challenging property market had caused the couple a lot of headaches and heartache, and Restaurant 22’s current incarnation very nearly didn’t happen. “We were looking properly for about five to six months,” says Alex, “at a few pubs outside the city, at Mill Road and in Petersfield – it’s such a nice area, we lived there before we moved here and just loved it. We were starting to think about looking in other cities when Restaurant 22 came up. But we said that if it fell through, then we’d look elsewhere.” Luckily, it all went smoothly and Alex and Sam moved in at the start of last year. “We got the keys mid-January 2018 and closed to do the refurbishment – that was full on,” Alex says. “My parents moved in with us and we were all here all day, every day, working. We ripped the carpet out; Sam spent three days straight sanding this,” she nods downwards, at the dining room’s beautifully finished wooden floorboards, “and then my mum varnished it – it was a proper family effort, but it was hard. I remember painting the front as it was snowing outside – it was so cold.” “It was brutal,” Sam adds. “And we were still painting on the day we opened: I was watching people thinking ‘please don’t lean on that wall, please don’t lean on that wall’! Alex's mum was still hanging curtains as people were arriving.” That hurried makeover clearly did the trick, transforming the space into a ‘discreetly elegant and comfortable’ ( AA Restaurant Guide ) interior that’s always mentioned positively in R22’s growing number of write-ups. And just a few months after they opened, the critics came calling: The Independent ’s Ibrahim Salha dropped a triple five-star review in June, describing the restaurant (correctly) as a place which immediately makes you feel at home, and then The
Telegraph ’s Michael Deacon added a second glowing review barely a week later. “ The Independent review was huge,” Alex says. “Before that, we were always busy at weekends, but our weekdays were quite quiet. Then that happened, and it made such a difference. The phone went nuts for five days straight.” The couple are also quick to state how much they and the team appreciate hearing good reviews. “People taking the time to leave positive reviews is just so encouraging,” Alex says. “All the team look as well; it means so much – if you are
u
46
J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 9
C A M B S E D I T I O N . C O . U K
Powered by FlippingBook