Mee and I – Cambridge (UK)

Posted on 03/02/2016 by One Two Culinary Stew

UPDATE: This restaurant is now closed.

Those of you who loved Dojo as much as I did will be pleased to learn that they made good on their promise to relocate after they were forced to close to make room for postgraduate accommodations on Cambridge’s Mill Lane. This promise comes in the form of Mee and I, located in Castle Hill, and whilst it’s not another Dojo, their former staff and head chef are part of the Mee and I team.

The menu isn’t exactly the same as Dojo’s but it’s still extensive. It includes a large selection of sharing plates / starters, bao (Taiwanese steamed buns with a choice of three fillings), salad, rice, noodles (wok tossed or in soups) and curries. Also, the place is way bigger than Dojo was and there is even another floor where the space can be hired out for celebrations and large gatherings.

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Fired Up at No.77 – Caxton, Cambridgeshire (UK)

Posted on 10/01/2016 by One Two Culinary Stew

UPDATE: This restaurant is now closed.

Pizza lovers rejoice! Fired Up, run by Nancy and Rory Laffan, make some of the tastiest pizzas and have taken over the kitchen at No.77 for the whole month of January 2016. No.77, located in the village of Caxton just 13 miles from Cambridge, usually serve Thai food but their chefs are taking a break in Thailand this month. This is where Fired Up come in! With their handcrafted mobile pizza oven in tow, they are delighting customers with their authentic wood fired pizzas prepared with homemade dough and topped with fresh ingredients.

The official launch of Fired Up at No.77 was held on Saturday, 9 January 2016. Nibbles and fizz were on hand for the celebration but Paulo and I booked a table for dinner. We were delighted to run into Kelly Molson of Grub Club Cambridge / Rubber Cheese and her fiancé Lee Allison so we shared a table. Good company and good food… what else could you ask for?

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Yippee Noodle Bar – Cambridge (UK)

Posted on 05/12/2015 by One Two Culinary Stew

Yippee Noodle Bar has been part of Cambridge for over 15 years. Tucked away on quiet King Street, it’s practically a neighbourhood institution. I’ve been living in Cambridge for half those years, so why did it take me so long to pop into Yippee’s? Fortunately I remedied the situation and enjoyed a fantastic meal, packed with fresh, healthy ingredients and vibrant flavours.

The setting is casual, with minimalist décor. Long tables and benches fill up the open space and colourful artwork adorns the walls, but it’s all that’s really needed. The focus is the open kitchen and the food! The bright, cheerful ambience is enhanced by the friendly service. I spotted a variety of customers: solo diners, couples, students, families with young children, groups… even locals picking up their takeway.

The food and drink menus are just varied enough to be interesting but not overwhelming. Drinks include wine, beer, soft drinks, freshly-squeezed juices and tea (jasmine or green with free refills). The starters/sides feature fried favourites such as tempura, spring rolls and prawn toast, as well as many vegetarian options. Noodles are the main attraction and they are found in soups and wok-fried dishes, but there are rice dishes as well.

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Cambridge Artisan Launch – Cambridge (UK)

Posted on 23/11/2015 by One Two Culinary Stew

On 19 November 2015, I had the pleasure of attending a momentous occasion: the official launch of online gift box and hamper company Cambridge Artisan, held at the Bridge Street branch of Cambridge Wine Merchants. Cambridge Artisan is the brainchild of enterprising 15-year-old Amélise Burr who has been wanting to start her own business for years. Her goal is to not only earn money to fund her university education (she aims to be a naval architect), it’s also to showcase independent local produce right here at our doorstep in Cambridgeshire and East Anglia in general.

Photo courtesy of Cambridge Artisan

With the full support of her father Robert Burr, who runs the popular mobile street food trailer Churros Bar with his wife Charlotte, they set off to source the variety of excellent products from local artisan producers. The result? Some of the very best food and drink the region has to offer… all of it available in a one-stop online shop and delivered right to your door. There are 30 local producers gathered under Cambridge Artisan’s virtual roof and best of all, their products can be accessed even when the markets are closed. There is a choice of several themed gift hampers or boxes and you can also purchase particular products separately, thus ensuring you are stocking your cupboards and “keeping it local”.

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Bridges – Cambridge (UK)

Posted on 21/11/2015 by One Two Culinary Stew

Bridges is located on Cambridge’s bustling Bridge Street at the corner of Portugal Place. With its throngs of pedestrians and cyclists, you may be forgiven for going right past, thinking this is just another café or sandwich shop. Far from it! Slow down and take a look at its striking heritage grey exterior, colourful front window display and lemon slice logo evoking freshness. This is precisely what Bridges is all about… fresh, healthy food and juices with ingredients from local suppliers.

Photo courtesy of Bridges

Founded in 1996 by Chan and Meggy Yip, Bridges has been going from strength to strength. It is very much a reflection of the Yips’ personal ethos of healthy eating. In fact, they were runner up in the Food & Drink Hero of the Year category of the Cambridge Food & Drink Awards 2015. Chan’s handmade sweet treats are always low in sugar so even these little indulgences are healthier options.

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Cambridge Cookery School’s La Journée Chocolaterie with Javier Cervantes – Cambridge (UK)

Posted on 10/11/2015 by One Two Culinary Stew

I was delighted to attend another one of the fabulous classes at the prestigious, award-winning Cambridge Cookery School (I wrote all about the Beginners’ Bread class here). This time it was a Chocolate Masterclass, titled La Journée Chocolaterie (loosely translated as “A Day of Chocolate”). I love chocolate so how could I resist? The class was taught by Pâtissier Javier Cervantes, a London-based, Spanish-born chef with an extensive culinary resumé that includes teaching experience.

I was a last minute replacement so the masterclass was a little out of my league as I don’t really bake. However, I have to say that in spite of my limited baking skills, Javier Cervantes had an excellent teaching technique. It was a real privilege to tap into the knowledge and expertise of such an accomplished pâtissier. Javier explained and showed us the various techniques. The class was interactive and Javier ensured that we had the opportunity to ask questions.

We were a group of ten people and worked in pairs at our own workstations. My teammate was the lovely Barbara who, thankfully, was very patient and understanding about my lack of baking knowledge. We learned to make Hazelnut & White Chocolate Mousse Torte and Mozart Cake, including all of the steps involved in assembling these desserts.

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The House – Cambridge (UK)

Posted on 05/11/2015 by One Two Culinary Stew

The House is the latest Thai restaurant to open in Cambridge. Described as an authentic Thai restaurant, this is The House’s second location, the first being in Norwich. Its location on Cambridge’s busy Regent Street is ideal and we popped in to check out the food for ourselves.

We arrived shortly after they opened for dinner at 5:30pm (they close between 3pm and 5:30pm) so we were able to get a table without having to wait. The place filled up quickly afterwards. We received a warm and friendly greeting and were shown to our table and given the food and drinks menu.

The restaurant is bright, cheerful and nicely decorated. The décor is inspired by the colours of bamboo, with simple but colourful paintings hanging on light grey walls. Off the main entrance there is another room with additional seating featuring light blue padded benches along the wall. I think this is a nicer area to be seated, especially for groups of 4 or more. However, that area wasn’t available at the time we arrived. We were seated in the main area by the bar at a table for 2 with a slightly odd layout as the chairs did not face each other. One of the chairs faced the wall but they made up for this with mirrors so it felt spacious. We soon got used to the odd seating and made ourselves comfortable.

Service was always with a big smile… and prompt too. We ordered our drinks: Chang beer for Paulo and a glass of Robinia Pinot Grigio for me, which was a good match for spicy food. I liked that wine could be ordered by the glass and in three different options – 125ml, 175ml and 250ml. Guess which size I ordered? That’s right, go large or go home!

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The Chequers – Orwell, Cambridgeshire (UK)

Posted on 05/11/2015 by One Two Culinary Stew

I have been meaning to pop into The Chequers in Orwell for quite a while now as I don’t live too far away. Sometimes when places are practically at your doorstep you put them off thinking you’ll get to them eventually. I’m certainly guilty of doing just that, but fortunately I have remedied the oversight and will be a faithful customer from now on.

The Chequers is located in the beautiful village of Orwell. Don’t let the postal address deceive you. It’s listed as being in Hertfordshire but Orwell is really a South Cambridgeshire village, only 8 miles from the city of Cambridge. Actually, its location is ideal, practically of equal distance between Royston and Cambridge and very close to historic Wimpole Hall.

Owned by David and Tina Cheng, The Chequers is a village pub and restaurant with a nice, cosy bar but it also offers an astounding menu in its small dining room. David Cheng is a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef with an impressive culinary resumé, including a stint at Downing College in Cambridge. Paulo and I visited at dinnertime and the whole team, from the kitchen brigade to service staff, worked really well together. The food and service were flawless. I have to mention our excellent waiter Sean, who was friendly, professional and helpful.

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Cambridge Cookery School Beginners’ Bread Class – Cambridge (UK)

Posted on 20/10/2015 by One Two Culinary Stew

I love freshly baked bread and admit that I am overly reliant on my bread machine so when I had the opportunity to choose a class at the prestigious, award-winning Cambridge Cookery School, I signed up for Beginners’ Bread. The class took place at Cambridge Cookery School’s new location (on Harrison Drive, off Hills Road via Homerton College) in their stunning contemporary kitchen. The school was founded by Tine Roche and is run by Tine and business partner Liz Young, who was one of the excellent instructors at the bread making class.

I even got to have a preview of the new café/bakery, set to open on 2 November. We had our welcome tea/coffee/treats, as well as our break, in the beautifully decorated café. The Scandinavian inspired décor is functional too (I noticed power points for laptops and mobiles built into the seating). There is a rather large construction project nearby so the café/bakery will be having a very soft launch whilst they further develop their menu. However, the classes are running full speed ahead and even though I was there on a quiet Sunday, the class soon forgot about the building site outside the window and enjoyed the bright, cheery ambience.

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Hot Chip Official Launch in Cambridgeshire at Burwash Manor – Barton, Cambridge (UK)

Posted on 16/10/2015 by One Two Culinary Stew

Hot Chip was founded by Hugh Crossley (Lord Somerleyton) and Toby Marchant. Their combined business acumen and restaurant expertise led to the creation Hot Chip, purveyors of gourmet chips matched with intriguing sauces and toppings. Some of their combinations with the humble chip taking centre stage don’t readily spring to mind, but they work!

Hot Chip had a presence in Norwich for two years and built quite a following at their shop. In order to bring their delicious chips to a greater number of customers, they decided to embrace street food and go mobile… and so the eye-catching Hot Chip Land Rover was born.

They have already started taking East Anglia and London by storm but held their official launch in Cambridgeshire on 16 October at Burwash Manor. The fabulous launch was organised by Vhari Russell and Emma Bearpark of The Food Marketing Expert.

I was delighted to be invited to Hot Chip’s launch to sample some of their original menu items. Firstly, I was impressed by the chips themselves. Hot Chip definitely have the foundation right. It’s not a matter of heaping sauces and toppings to disguise an inferior chip. In fact, the chip is the focus and the other ingredients serve to enhance the dish.

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Tag Archives: Cambridge

Mee and I – Cambridge (UK)

Fired Up at No.77 – Caxton, Cambridgeshire (UK)

Yippee Noodle Bar – Cambridge (UK)

Cambridge Artisan Launch – Cambridge (UK)

Bridges – Cambridge (UK)

Cambridge Cookery School’s La Journée Chocolaterie with Javier Cervantes – Cambridge (UK)

The House – Cambridge (UK)

The Chequers – Orwell, Cambridgeshire (UK)

Cambridge Cookery School Beginners’ Bread Class – Cambridge (UK)

Hot Chip Official Launch in Cambridgeshire at Burwash Manor – Barton, Cambridge (UK)