Newmarket Road

Corner House, Newmarket Road, Cambridge

iknoweno , , , ,

Emerging from the newly opened sterile budget hotel blocks in a strange town you might be very pleased and surprised to find traditional furniture shop J.H. Cooper and a pub like the Corner House on your doorstep.

There are loads of gigs at the Corner House, according to local music folklore all bands play the venue twice, once on the way up and once on the way down…… If you are lucky you can catch some excellent musical nights, though in my experience it can be difficult to track down exactly what is on and when. Not a problem last Saturday, it was free entry to see two highly regarded Cambridge bands (Psychic Lemon and The British IBM)

The stage is at one end of the pub, a bit like the knocked-through front rooms in seventies semis. There is also a smaller public bar with pool table and large TV, not usually on. Outside there are ‘two beer gardens’, these comprise a covered back area and then a more exposed decking section.

It is not an obvious real ale pub but at the front of the cluttered bar there are some delights, Robinson’s Brewery ‘Dizzy Blonde’, a 3.8% amber ale was a very drinkable choice. It was £3.70, not cheap but more than compensated for by the quality of the free music. Books on the mantlepiece, an armchair just inside the back door, all nice touches that add to the comfortable feel.

It always seems a very casual and laid-back place, with a core of locals and a varying cast of band members and their supporters passing through. Long may it continue!

 

The Wrestlers, Newmarket Road, Cambridge

iknoweno , , , , ,

As you leave Cambridge city centre along Newmarket Road you encounter a strange mix: a stretch of wide tree lined boulevard, surrounded by bland retail outlets, recently built giant budget hotels, bus lanes, endless traffic lights and a giant Tescos. In amongst this unattractive background there are a few gems: the Leper Chapel (reputably the oldest building in Cambridge), Cambridge United’s Abbey Stadium (almost as old?) and in an area where pubs have been demolished and converted there is still the Corner House (musical oasis) and dating from 1897, The Wrestlers.

The future of The Wrestlers seems ensured, it has carved a niche as a supreme provider of Thai food, and every time I venture in there are plenty of customers. It deserves its reputation, the food is excellent (try the king prawns..), reasonably priced and efficiently served. Your order is freshly prepared, so if the wait is longer in busy periods the staff will give you an accurate timescale for this.

In the meantime, the beer is always worth sampling, although it is on the expensive side, even for Cambridge (around £4 a pint). Try a pint of  delicious Hook Norton ‘Lion’, a bronze (golden-ish) 4% beer, along with five other guest ales and the house beer, the powerful Adnam’s Broadside. There are plenty of lagers and a ‘craft beer’ too (a subject I will return to…). The staff seem keen to encourage the traditional pub aspect of the Wrestlers, I was offered a taste of the beer while deciding, always a good sign.

It is mainly a pub for passing through to eat, the lights are a bit too bright and tables can be booked out long in advance so you may end up standing at the bar rather than a comfortable collapse into an armchair, but I assure you that once you have eaten there you will definitely go back….

 

http://www.thewrestlerscambridge.co.uk/