Tag Archives: Cambridge

foodPark NIGHT MARKET on 9 May, 2015 – Cambridge (UK)

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Cambridge is fortunate to have foodPark, a collective of top quality local street food traders. The brainchild of Heidi White, foodPark has a solid presence in Cambridge for its regular lunchtime markets. Occasionally pop-up events are organised, such as the foodPark NIGHT MARKET, where the best of Cambridge street food and drink is the main attraction. Heidi has embraced the street food movement and works to remain true to its ethos of sourcing traders who provide high quality, artisan food and care about provenance. It’s not about flogging mass-produced food with cheap ingredients.

“foodPark is a collective of street food traders, formed and operated as a not-primarily-for-profit organisation which promotes local, independent street food in Cambridge. We select traders based on strict quality criteria. foodPark was founded and is organised by Heidi White – just one local person with a huge passion for street food and experience in business, events, and marketing”. (Official Website)

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Therefore, it’s no wonder foodPark NIGHT MARKET has been increasing in popularity. The last one took place on Valentine’s night at Burwash Manor and proved to be massively popular. (I raved all about it here). The much-anticipated second instalment of this pop-up night market was held on 9 May, 2015 at Gravel Hill Farm at the North West Cambridge Development, as part of Eat Cambridge’s fringe events. The venue was spacious and could accommodate a greater number of people.

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The event was very well organised. Based on the popularity of the previous night market, this time it was a ticket-only event to ensure everyone could get in. It sold out very quickly so I was glad I got my ticket nice and early! People arrived in droves by foot, bus, taxi, bicycles and cars (we found parking on nearby streets and those cycling in had lots of space to store their bikes on site). The queue started before the opening time of 5pm. The anticipation was building!

foodPark queue

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Menu Tasting at The Cock – Hemingford Grey, Cambridgeshire (UK)

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The Cock in the beautiful village of Hemingford Grey is one of the fabulous Cambridgeshire restaurants operated by Cambscuisine. I’m already a huge fan of one of their places – SmokeWorks, which I raved about here and here. I have been meaning to try out their other restaurants so I was delighted when Jessica Hope, who’s in charge of marketing and people development at Cambscuisine, invited me to a sneak peek of The Cock’s new à la carte starters and mains menu, which launches on 14 May, 2015. I was impressed, not only by the delicious 20 or so dishes served, but by the very well organised, professional and hardworking team. It was also great to meet one of the owners, Oliver Thain, as well as head chef Wil Findlay who designed the new menu. I was joined by fellow blogger Miss Sue Flay, who made a rather neat video of the tasting session. You can view it here.

Tasting table

The Cock’s ethos is to provide high end casual dining and they’ve definitely hit the mark with their menu and decor. The food is guided by the seasons and there is an emphasis on sourcing fresh, local ingredients. It’s no wonder The Cock has been named the 2015 Cambridgeshire Dining Pub of the Year in the Good Pub Guide.

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It’s worth noting that the new à la carte starters and mains menu is mostly gluten free, which will please coeliacs, allergy sufferers and those with dietary preferences. There are plenty of meat-free options too, such as risotto, polenta, truffle gnocchi and smoked camembert.

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Twelve at Espresso Library – Cambridge (UK)

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Espresso Library is a brand new addition to the list of Cambridge independent cafés. Well, it’s more than just a café (see my blog post). Apart from their amazing coffee (sourced by The Coffee Officina), rotating art exhibitions (Loukas Morley is currently the featured artist) and bright, functional space complete with Cycloc bike storage… their delicious breakfast and lunch menus are developed in collaboration with Stella Pereira, a very talented lady who approaches cooking and baking with an artist’s eye. Stella has hosted supper clubs and her culinary creations are a feast for the eyes and palate. I was lucky enough to attend her À Mesa Supper Club last year, which you can read about here.

Photo courtesy of Espresso Library

Photo courtesy of Espresso Library

Espresso Library was the perfect venue for Stella’s “Twelve at EL” brunch this past Sunday. Paulo and I were thrilled to be two of the twelve people included in this very first one. It was nice to reconnect with some of the other food bloggers, namely Bone White China’s Alex and Sian, as well as Nazima and Pierre of Franglais Kitchen (with their two adorable kids in tow). I also got to meet Alan, the man behind the voice at Flavour (Cambridge 105’s radio show dedicated to Cambridge food and drink) and his lovely wife Helen. There were other great people there too, all of whom are fans of Stella’s creations, just like me! Some of the dishes included in her four-course brunch menu had a Portuguese twist and all featured tasty seasonal ingredients.

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Japas – Cambridge (UK)

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There is definitely a demand for good sushi in Cambridge so when Japas opened its doors back in September 2010, it was a welcome sight. Located on Saxon Street, it’s slightly further afield from the hustle and bustle of the town centre but still walkable. Japas was once the Cross Keys pub and when it first started trading, it was known as Japas Bento Box.

Japas Outside

I’ve been going to Japas for my sushi fix on a regular basis. I find that the fish is always fresh and the servings are substantial. Food comes out fast, but not rushed, and I always leave with a happy and full belly.

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foodPark NIGHT MARKET on 14 February, 2015 – Barton, Cambridge (UK)

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foodPark NIGHT MARKET, a pop-up night market featuring the best of Cambridge street food, was held on 14 February, 2015 at Burwash Manor. It was part of Burwash Food Hall‘s Love Food festival. With so much love in the air, it was only fitting to have foodPark’s very first NIGHT MARKET on Valentine’s night.

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The evening’s focus was LOVE… mainly love for street food, all freshly prepared by the carefully-selected traders that form part of the foodPark collective, founded by Heidi White who has been instrumental in promoting street food in Cambridge.

“Street food markets are for wandering around, taking in the sights and smells, for tasting, sharing, anticipating food cooked “just-so”, and experiencing something different from your usual idea of eating out. But please remember the NIGHT MARKET *is* different from a usual restaurant, pop-up dining experience, or supper club. It is a market, it is not somewhere where reservations are taken, and here at foodPark the food and drink is THE main attraction.” (Official Website)

foodPark NIGHT MARKET featured some of the best street food traders in Cambridge. I’ve tried each and every one of them at various foodPark locations and they are all amazing. Serving up tasty food and drink on the night were: Steak & Honour, Churros Bar, Fired Up Pizza, GoGo Gogi Gui, Buffalo Joe’s, Tin Kitchen, Warming Your Cockles Coffee Co. and Guerrilla Kitchen. Oh, and let’s not forget the foodPark Bar, operating from a stunning Airstream caravan!

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Doughnut Tasting at SmokeWorks – Cambridge (UK)

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“Time to make the donuts!”… anyone know the 80’s TV commercial for Dunkin’ Donuts where Fred the Baker woke up at some ungodly hour in the morning to make fresh doughnuts? (If you don’t, you’ll find it on YouTube). Dunkin’ Donuts no longer make doughnuts on site, but SmokeWorks do. They’re fresh, tasty and definitely NOT factory processed!

Back in August 2014, I posted a review of SmokeWorks (which you can find here) so I was asked to sample Head Chef Vladimir Hromek’s latest culinary adventure… the humble doughnut, with a twist. Vladimir has ‘zhuzhed up’ his doughnuts with a variety of sweet and savoury fillings, which at first may sound like an odd combination but they really work. I sampled all four of them and I can safely say Vladimir is an intrepid adventurer in the world of doughnuts! He has perfected the batter and has put his skills to the test by creating some innovative fillings.

Collage Smokeworks

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Bread & Meat – Cambridge (UK)

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Bread & Meat is located at what is now dubbed Cambridge’s “Meat Street” on Bene’t Street.

Bread and meat, two of my favourites foods. Bread? Good! Meat? Good!

So when Bread & Meat opened its doors in October, I definitely had my sights on this place. I have been hearing great things about their sandwiches ever since.

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Spurred by a failed attempt at making pork escalopes for dinner (hey, we have our moments too), we made a pact to try Bread & Meat’s lauded porchetta sandwiches the next day for lunch.

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We timed our visit perfectly and arrived at noon when they switched over from breakfast to lunch. The place isn’t very big but it’s well laid out and cosy. The menu items were clearly listed on a large blackboard. There were so many tempting meat sandwiches to choose from but we stood by our pork craving.

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The Architect – Cambridge (UK)

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UPDATE: The Architect changed hands in September 2017. It offers a “design your own meal” concept with sharing boards, fish & chips and pie & mash combos. I wrote an updated post so click on this link to read about The Architect’s new menu.

I’ve been following The Architect with interest and was pleased when they announced their first Sunday roast. They even called it “epic”… how could I resist? We were a group of 3, wanting something new for Sunday Lunch so we decided to give The Architect a try (well, one of us is an actual architect so our curiosity was piqued).

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The Architect has only recently opened, following an extensive refurbishment when they took over from the County Arms. I was immediately impressed by the exterior: mock-Tudor architecture with sleek signage and a clever compass logo.

The interior truly reflects this establishment’s name: the space has been beautifully designed, with its “industrial meets vintage” decor and juxtaposition of vibrant and muted colours. The lighting lends a cosy and inviting ambience to the place.

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The Architect describes itself as a pub and social dining room and it certainly delivers. There are two large communal tables at each side of the entrance near the bar. Made out of wooden wall panels covered in glass with metal tubular clamp fittings that serve as legs, the tables are absolutely stunning and can be used for large groups or as a gathering spot to socialise.

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À Mesa Supper Club: An Autumnal Gathering – Cambridge (UK)

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When I decided to start documenting my culinary experiences in this blog less than a year ago, I never expected that I would meet so many talented individuals with a real passion for food. Stella Pereira is one of those people. So when she announced that she would be hosting another one of her popular À Mesa Supper Clubs on 22 November, I jumped at the opportunity to attend. Titled “An Autumnal Gathering”, the menu included seasonal ingredients such as pumpkin, walnuts, chestnuts and pears. Stella’s table featured a modern take on traditional Portuguese flavours, served with a contemporary twist.

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I was a bit nervous about my first ever supper club experience but as soon as I saw the beautifully laid out table and heard the mellow sounds of Stella’s brothers playing guitar, I immediately relaxed and took in the cosy ambience.

I attended with Paulo but didn’t know anyone else there, except Adilia from the fabulous Norfolk Street Bakery where you can also find Stella on some days (that’s where I first met her). The beauty of supper clubs is that they are very much social occasions so it was a great way for me to meet like-minded people, some of whom I only knew in the virtual world.

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foodPark at The North Pole: VIP Launch – Cambridge (UK)

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I was honoured to be invited to the VIP Launch of foodPark Cambridge at The North Pole, which was held on 20 November, 2014. For the first time, foodPark was able to make Parker’s Piece its winter home… a bonus for this increasingly popular collective of street food traders as well as the many people celebrating the winter festivities at The North Pole. A brilliant collaboration in an enchanting city centre location!

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foodPark’s daily pop-up street food market and bar is running alongside The North Pole’s ice rink and funfair, which means you can access the foodPark during its trading hours, with no entrance fee.

However, in the midst of such a magical and festive winter setting it only makes sense to give the ice rink a whirl, or take the kids to the many rides and attractions The North Pole has to offer.

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