The Old Bicycle Shop

The Old Bicycle Shop-Cambridge

In 1840, John Howes opened the door to 104 Regent street for the first time. Howes cycles, lauded as the oldest bicycle shop in the world, at its height
would stand proudly on the crossway between Regent Street and Hills Road, reportedly serving Isaac Newton. 140 years later his great, great, great grandson Michael Howes closed those same doors for the last time. When Closing the Howes Cycles, Michael Howes and his wife Pat said their plans were to “let the world do what it will to them”.

But what would the world do with Howes Cycles? Another city gastro pub of course, named in memoriam The Old Bicycle Shop.

Upon entry you are met with a bar area with a few window facing seats, for coffees and casual drinks. The bar serves approximately 12-15 covers in a bright open space. To the right, a sweeping bar breaks up the two zones of bar/restaurant. The whole room retains (now you’ll never have guessed this) a distinct “old bicycle shop” feel. Concrete flooring, wooden panelled walls and old steel girders are all brightly lit by a central skylight and warm, low hanging lighting. Serving around 40-50 covers. In the current gastro-industrial fashion, it is a comfortable but non-stuffy place for lunch.

Burratina, Turmeric and honey poached pear, crispy buckwheat, tarragon oil

To start we had Burratina paired with a honey poached pear slice. Pickled red onion lay underneath a creamy portion of Burratina which was topped by crispy buckwheat. The Burratina was creamy, smooth and rich with the other components of the dish providing contrasting textures and flavours that cut through the richness. The pairing of the honey poached pear and Burratina is wonderful; it’s just a shame there’s such a measly amount of pear.

The issue with this dish is that it lacks a foundation. There is a key component missing that provides a base for all the flavours and textures to exist, once you’ve gone through the pear which is quite sparse, you are left alone with the burratina, which on one its own doesn’t shine through to be the hero of its own dish. The tarragon oil wasn’t strong enough to punch through the other flavours so was completely forgotten until write up. All in all, pleasant for the first few bites, but without a foundation or enough contrasting textures, you are left with a boring second half of the dish.

About halfway through the starter, we realised there was absolutely no seasoning at all, and that it was left to the discretion of the customer with the salt and pepper shakers on the table. I can understand why, but personally I would rather the chef season the dish. At the end of the day, they should have a better understanding of when/what to season than the customer does.

Hake, roasted celeriac, burnt apple puree, garlic & ginger kale, candied beetroot crisp

The Hake in this dish suffered from the same pitfalls the Burratina did. It firstly failed to be the standout ingredient of its own dish and secondly did not provide enough of the other components designed to deliver contrast. The highlight for me was the burnt apple puree, delivering a wonderful warm, spiced element to an otherwise meekly flavoured dish. The Hake in conjunction with the kale and the puree was wonderful, but once you run out of puree, the dish falls flat. The hake has a good meaty texture, but failed to deliver in flavour. The candied beetroot crisps were stale to the point of folding, failing to deliver the intended crunch that you would expect from a crisp.

The kale was cooked nicely and provided a good bed for the Hake, buttery and crisp but not enough to elevate the dish alone. Once again, a dish that fails to highlight its primary component to any level passed existing. It was fine, but nothing more.

Pan fried spinach gnocchi, miso butter, bok choi, green beans, toasted sesame, crispy shallots

The gnocchi was the dish left unfinished with the most ease. Whilst I appreciate the plant based option of pan fried spinach gnocchi, that cannot be an excuse for a dish not cooked well. The most notable issue was the undercooking of the gnocchi. Throughout each parcel, there was a distinct taste of flour and a stodgy denseness that occurs when flour is not properly cooked out or there is too much of it in the mix.

The crispy shallots provided a good texture and a sweet kick, the bok choi was cooked well but didn’t add anything to the overall composition of the dish, nor did the beans. The fluffy, airy parcel of luxury that I expected died immediately on entry, leaving me with a chewy, deflated sigh of a dish.

Chocolate & salted caramel tart, caramel sauce

Desert was a mixed experience. We ordered sticky toffee pudding, which was unavailable, along with the majority of the puddings. We had two options, one of which was the Chocolate Tart.

The chocolate tart was actually the strongest dish of the day, marble glazed and rich with a good ratio between crumb, filling and glaze. A nice garnish of mint brings something new to the dish but, again, is used more for a visual addition. I would have liked more mint scattered over the rest of the tart rather than one leaf at the top. The salted caramel sauce didn’t pack much of a punch, but it was a pleasant end to a meal.

I suspect if the rest of the meal had been stronger overall, I would not be so complimentary of the tart as, again, it was simply nice and nothing more. However, with the company it holds on the menu, I have to praise it for simply being nice.

Wine

Glazebrook-Regional Reserve Sauvignon Blanc

Starting off with the Glazebrook, a really nice pairing with the Burratina. Very heavy on the grapefruit and citrus tones, surprisingly light on grass for a Marlborough region SB and with a bit more body too. Thyme and apple in the background. Super dry, super acidic, great to cut through the rich starter.

Susana Balbo Signature Malbec

What an excellent wine. As the first ever, and deservedly most accredited, female Argentinian wine maker, Susana Balbo continues to deliver excellence every single time. A masterclass in balance. Blackberrys, plums and blueberries blend with soft tannins and medium acid levels to deliver a standout Argentinian Malbec. Heaps of vanilla on the nose, oak too.

Concluding Thoughts

The Old Bicycle Shop didn't wow me. None of the dishes left me feeling satisfied, nor do I feel a desire to come back for dinner anytime soon. There is promise in each dish with flavour and texture balance. I can’t help but feel that someone other than the chef is dictating the overall composition of the dishes because there is clear delivery on flavour in small bursts but not enough of anything to create a consistently brilliant dish. The gnocchi is the standout failure. Advertised as a plant based alternative, I think the idea to throw some beans and bok choy onto the plate is done merely to get more health conscious people into the restaurant.

The best way to describe dining at the Old Bicycle Shop is “fine”. There is nothing catastrophically bad about it (apart from the Gnocchi), but I won’t be recommending it to anyone for a meal. I think its best service comes as a place for a drink or a coffee on a rainy afternoon.

The best thing I can say for it is it is well served by an excellent manager (whom I forgot to catch the name) and a selection of fantastic wines. The manager’s service lifted the overall experience significantly, whilst the rest of the servers were uninterested at the best of times and resentful at the worst. As someone who has worked front of house, I understand resentment, and I’m not asking for a beaming smile and a song and dance, but don’t let your dissatisfaction for serving people be so plain.

If The Old Bicycle Shop stands up to its predecessor and continues to open its doors for 140 years, I will apologise from the afterlife. Until then, I will not be opening its doors for some time.