Restaurant Alimentum

Cambridge dons would of course know that Alimentum is Latin for food, but they wouldn't necessarily go looking for it in a sleek new building hard by the city's new leisure park. The rewards are ample when you make the short trip out of the venerable centre: once inside, the venue is a real looker, with smoked glass, black-lacquered surfaces and blood-red seating adding up to an eye-catching contemporary décor, while staff walk a fine balance between a fashionably casual approach without letting professional standards slip. When it comes to sourcing raw materials, Alimentum pays more than mere lip service to responsibility and ethical considerations, so you can be sure that attention to food miles and animal welfare are prime considerations. And then there's the food. Chef-patron Mark Poynton defected from Midsummer House (see entry) in 2009 and continues to lead his team along a path of well-considered innovation, fusing well-honed classical technique with a repertoire of fashionable contemporary treatments. Expect a steady stream of invention throughout the meal, as dishes are conceived to thrill and beguile with razor-sharp flavours and textural contrasts. The modishly tight-lipped menu could open with a multi-cut presentation of duck, teaming liver, breast and leg with hazelnuts, capers and raisins, while main-course stuffed saddle and pressed leg of rabbit might share a plate with carrot, mustard and tarragon. Desserts keep the good ideas coming with the likes of spiced ginger cake, white chocolate, and lemon and soy sorbet.