Orbis Stamford - Our First Anniversary
It was my first wedding anniversary at the weekend (yay us), so we decided to treat ourselves to a fancy meal. I had been eyeing up Orbis Stamford for a while, as they have these lovely-looking Sunday roast sharing boards.
Now, if you know me well, you know that I LOVE a Sunday roast. They mean more than just food, it’s a feeling, a memory, a family occasion. I just love a Sunday dinner. So adding a tomahawk steak on top of that? GAME CHANGER. I booked it very quickly after persuading my husband that it is the place to be. I also popped on the booking that it was for our anniversary, and it was really simple to do.
First Impressions
As soon as we walked in, we were greeted with a friendly hello and a “happy anniversary.” They took the time to have a proper conversation with us, asking how our day had been and about our wedding. It was such a warm welcome.
We got seated by the window, which came with a beautiful view of All Saints’ Church. It’s quite a dimly lit restaurant, which we don’t mind, but if that isn’t your vibe I would definitely suggest sitting by the window.
Downstairs is the main restaurant, but they also have a more laid-back upstairs area where you can sit, eat and drink, somewhere I would probably choose if I was catching up with friends. Then they have a rooftop terrace, I don’t think it is open all year round, but I can imagine it being such a good spot on a summer’s day.
Menus and Ordering
As soon as we sat down, the manager popped over to introduced himself, handed us menus, and explained a little bit about them and how everything works.
They do have limited numbers of tomahawks on a Sunday, so we let them know straight away that we wanted one. We actually got the last one that day, suckerssss ha. One thing to note is that it has about a 45 minute wait time, so definitely order it early and maybe get a starter if you are feeling hungry.
We then had a proper look through the menus. Their Sunday menu had five starters to choose from, Bang Bang Cauliflower, pork belly, tofu, prawns and cornflake chicken. The Bang Bang Cauliflower has apparently been on the menu for 7 years and has not changed once because it is loved that much, which pretty much sold it to us.
Drinks
Before the food, we ordered drinks and honestly, their drinks menu is top NOTCH.
I do not really drink alcohol, so I usually head straight to the soft drinks. But this was one of the best soft drink menus I have seen in a while. They had all the usual options, coke, lemonade, tonics and juices, but also around 9 to 10 mocktails with loads of refreshing flavours and not badly priced either.
I went for the “Garden of Eden” which was Everleaf Marine, elderflower cordial and apple juice, and it was so refreshing. Light, not too sweet, just really lovely.
If you do drink alcohol, the options are endless, vodkas, rums, whiskeys, liqueurs, wines, beers, ciders and gins. Exactly what you would expect from somewhere that does boozy brunches and has a rooftop terrace.
Joe went for a cocktail, and another great thing is their bespoke cocktail option. If they have the ingredients, they will make anything. He went for a Moscow Mule, which they happily made, even though it turned out it was the bartender’s first time making one. Joe said it tasted amazing, so that says it all really.
Starter
The Bang Bang Cauliflower came out very quickly. Number 1, great service. Number 2, ideal while waiting for the main.
The smell was incredible. I was honestly drooling just waiting to take a photo.
It was coated in a spicy peanut and black sesame sauce with corn salsa, sweet, slightly spicy, not ouch spicy, just a cute little kick, and full of flavour. Topped with corn and sesame seeds for crunch and texture. Joe was basically licking the plate clean, it was that good.
The plates were cleared quickly, more friendly chats with the staff, and then we just sat chatting while waiting for the main, which did not even feel like a long wait at all. It was actually the perfect amount of time to start feeling peckish again.
The Main Event
Now for the main event.
The plates came out hot, fresh cutlery was placed down, and finally room was made for the sharing board. As soon as it was placed down, we were both so impressed. The meat was dripping, the veg was steaming, it just looked like heaven on a plate.
We started by adding some veg onto our plates, then I lifted the steak while Joe moved the roasties from underneath (marriage is all about teamwork ha), placed it back down and it was time to carve. It comes with steak knives ready, so Joe took on the role of CCO (Chief Carving Officer).
Everything on the board was incredible.
The carrots were honey glazed, sweet and soft.
The broccoli, tenderstem, was cooked perfectly.
The red cabbage was earthy, tangy and slightly sweet.
The roasties were crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, with a rich flavour, I think cooked in beef fat??
The parsnip purée surprised me, it had a sweet, slightly cinnamon-ey flavour and I loved it.
The Yorkshire puddings were large, fluffy and delicious. You can’t go wrong with yorkies!
The piggies in blankets, one big sausage each wrapped in bacon, tasted fresh and local.. If that makes any sense? Like them cows tastes Lincolnshire/Rutland born and bred.
And then the steak.
Cooked medium to medium rare, it was hot, juicy, and had the most beautiful crust that added such a deep flavour. It melted in your mouth, I did not find a single chewy piece. Although Joe likes the fatty bits and I don’t, so he probably distributed it well, he must love me lots hehe.
Honestly, one of the best meals I have had in my 25 years. Everything individually was packed with flavour, and together it just elevated the whole meal.
We ate as much as we could, only leaving a few potatoes and the bone, after Joe had a munch on it. I may or may not have wrapped up a bit of steak and a roastie in a napkin for the dog, are you even a dog owner if you do not do this?
Dessert Surprise
They asked if we could manage dessert, but we were way too full, or so we thought.
They surprised us with a dessert to share, with “Happy Anniversary” written in white chocolate. I mean, come on. How nice is that.
It was an apple, basil and white chocolate cheesecake, and honestly, it was the most refreshing and light cheesecake I have ever had. All the flavours worked perfectly together. It was actually the ideal palate cleanser after such a heavy meal.
Final Thoughts
After that, we finished our drinks, paid the bill and left feeling happy, full and very content.
It didn’t feel too expensive either. For the service, location and food, we were really impressed. We had:
2 drinks each, 1 cocktail, 1 San Pellegrino and 2 mocktails
A bottle of water
A starter
The tomahawk sharing board
The total was £138 including service charge, we expected to spend way more.
I will definitely be going back to Orbis Stamford. Maybe next time for a boozy brunch with my sister and friends hehe. Having somewhere like this local to us is such a great thing.
