Langdon Hall Dining Room - Cambridge

Luxury done wrong- sommelier a bit gaucheLangdon Hall is an “ old English-Stately” type setting that is looking tired and run down. Langdon hall is a member of the prestigious Relais Chateaux association, I found the property did not live up to its luxury label. My first bad impression started in the bathroom. They seem to be having plumbing issues: toilet didn’t flush all the way and the sink didn’t drain completely. In the dining room, our table felt as though the top would tip off its base if enough weight was placed on the edge. The service was underwhelming. The waitress was polite and friendly but lacked the finesse an establishment with the only five-diamond award wining restaurant in Ontario would have. The real disappointment happened when the sommelier came to our table and immediately gave off an air of pretentiousness, drilling us on our overall knowledge of wine. The sommelier gave us two different whites to try but we didn’t like them. The whole wine choosing experience was so unpleasant that we almost rushed into choosing anything so the sommelier would lay off. Fortunately, unfortunately, the sommelier suggested a delicious white from the Burrowing Owl winery- quoting a price we were comfortable spending. We were later surprised to find a price much higher than the price quoted by the sommelier on the final bill. We brought this to the attention of the waitress and then we were directed to speak to the manager Katie. Katie was very understanding and was prepared to honour the price we said we were quoted. The sommelier joined the conversation and began to play semantics in order to attempt to persuade his manager into believing he had not incorrectly quoted the price of the bottle of wine. The conversation went from cordial to confrontational within seconds of the sommelier joining the discussion. The manager was quick to end the conflict and arranged for the final bill to be corrected. Perhaps the sommelier was having a bad day but not a 5 star experience. Redeeming feature is the food quality. The Ling Cod was possibly the best Cod dish I’ve ever had.

Very unique and elegant experience. Service is high quality. Flavours are very unique and delicate. I was prepared for elevated experience and price but portions were insanely small. A salmon dinner for $60 barely had two nuggets of salmon and minimal side vegetables. Done dinner in four bites. Unsatisfied and hungry. Desert was lovely and shareable. Langdon can do better with some increase to portion. Would love to go back but just couldn’t, if portion size had been reasonable it would have been home run and 5 star.

Rating a little harder based on reputation and high pricing, so expectations are high. Atmosphere and reception was very nice. Service started out exceptionally, but deteriorated drastically by late in the meal. Tenderloin was a little undercooked to what was requested and tough compared to top steakhouses. Appetiser portions are minuscule. Wine cellar is incredible.(pricing is about $40/bottle higher than other restaurants). A good restaurant, but nowhere near the lofty standards advertised.

I had heard this place was one of Canada'a Top Restaurants and after checking it out I can see why. The Estate itself is huge and very elegant. A lot of history is in the building itself. When you go for food on a warm day, you are given the option to sit indoors in their upscale dining room or outside on their quaint patio. We chose the patio. We were greeted by our lovely waitress, Maddy, who got us settled and once learning we were interested in wine she offered to bring one of the two sommeliers over to help us. We were very grateful given their wine list was at least 20 pages long. Faye, one of the sommeliers, came over and got us settled with a very lovely bottle of wine and we very impressed with her choice. It paired perfectly with our choice of food. We got the lobster appetizer with cavier, the braised lamb and the green garden risotto. All of the meals beautifully presented and had impressive flavours. The lobster and lamb were cooked to perfection, with them both being some of the most tender we have ever had. We finished dinner with the Mille Fuille and Ice Wine, all of which were fantastic was well. I was celebrating a birthday and Maddy even hand wrote a birthday card for me, which was such a sweet touch! All in all, I would say if you are looking for a place that has fantastic food, upscale service (Maddy and Faye were particularly kind and helpful) and are not afraid of spending the money, definitely check this place out! It's worth the price.

We had a wonderful experience dining at Langdon hall. Our server Cody was amazing! Very friendly staff. We appreciated having a vegetarian menu to choose from instead of just a couple of options. :