Walking into Gastrono-me on Cambridge’s Bridge Street, the eagle-eyed might spot the words printed on the window: ‘Tacos and tequila, mac and mimosas, pasta and pornstars’. With these words, the tone for your meal at Gastrono-Me is set. Bright, fresh, and exciting, you’re treated to an eclectic menu of fun, colourful plates.
As you sip on cocktails from the extensive selection on offer (insider tip: the glass of sangria is huge…), your first glance at the menu might have you torn over what to go for. You’ll find plenty of variations of pasta, tacos, burgers, bao buns, and loaded fries, a combination that might have you concerned that a place juggling so many cuisines would struggle to do them justice. These worries would be largely unfounded.
Excited to try a little bit of everything on offer, we opted to start with plant chilli nachos and loaded tater tots – a delicious decision, we soon found out. The nachos, intended as a sharer plate, were a colourful mix of all the elements you’d look for on a Mexican-inspired plate, equal parts fresh, spicy, creamy, and crunchy. The tater tots were a dark horse on Gastrono-me’s menu, a cheesy garlic dream of crispy potato balls topped with garlic butter and pecorino. They were creamy and indulgent, and incredibly moreish.
Not to be outdone by starters and sharers, the mains were equally generously portioned and indeed equally fun and flavoursome. Crispy beer-battered halloumi tacos were a delicious meat-free option, guaranteeing tasty pops of both spice and freshness in each mouthful. The ‘Korrito’, a kind of Korean-Mexican fusion burrito, was intriguing, bringing together BBQ beef and fried rice with the likes of fresh corn salsa and spicy mayo. The combination makes for an exciting twist, but wouldn’t necessarily convince the burrito purists out there.
We polish off the meal with a classic ice cream sundae, piled high with whipped cream and doused in sauce – the ultimate dessert to round off a delicious, comforting, and definitely filling dinner.