d'Arry's, King Street, Cambridge

We were greeted at d'Arry's by a wonderfully friendly and accommodating waitress. The atmosphere was set perfectly by candlelight emanating from cleverly refurbished wine bottles. Wanting to choose our food and drink, the waitress left us peacefully as we made our decision, and offered superb advice on wine when we asked for it.

We started with bread and olives. The bread was perfectly toasted and the olives were delicious. D'Arry - whoever he is - was off to a good start!

Bread and Olives - A highlight

The mains menu is pretty limited to quite standard (but very good) restaurant dishes, but this is complemented by a good selection of specials. Natalie was seduced by the seafood elements of the risotto dish. Sea bass, crispy squid and a white wine and squid ink sauce - what more could a girl ask for?! The presentation certainly did not disappoint! A gigantic mound of glistening caviar grains of Arborio rice complete with buried squid treasure provided the base for three dainty seabass morels and lightly squid tempura rings.

And taste-wise, it was indeed something different. But it suffered from heavy handed seasoning and overall it was too rich for both our palates. This was a dish with all the right elements but a critical imbalance in proportions. The fashionable micro cress and the summer peas added welcome bursts of freshness but the dish needed more citrus, more lightness, more balance to truly sing. The waitress had recommended The Broken Fishplate to accompany the risotto, but having never come across a Sauvignon Blanc worth drinking, Natalie decided to plump for The Stump Jump. Delicate and floral, this Riesling was a delicious choice, though unfortunately thoroughly overpowered by the risotto.

The Squid Risotto - A little too rich and salty

I went for the pork belly (apparently not on the website, but it was on the main menu). The very generous portion was beautifully cooked and the Swiss chard was done to perfection. The only down side was the crackling - 2/3 of it were melt-in-mouth perfect. Unfortunately, the final third was a little soggy. But, all in all, a very impressive meal. The waitress' advice of The Love Grass - a Shiraz - was well placed and complemented the pork perfectly.

The Slow-Cooked Pork Belly - A highlight

Service: 9

Atmosphere: 8

Food: 7

Price: Bread, two mains, and two small glasses of wine came to £45

Overall: 7 - Because food is the most important thing!