Cambridge Smokeworks - review

I'd seen lots of announcements that the Smokeworks was going to open and was delighted that it happened to be while I was briefly back in Cambridge, so on opening night D and I went along to give it a try.

From the outside the Smokeworks looks modern and inviting.  Once inside we were shown downstairs which had a cool industrial feel to it.  With good use of mirrors to make the area feel more spacious and a couple of cute alcoves with seating, the downstairs area was a lovely place to sit and eat.

And if you don't have time to eat in (although with the speed of the service this really isn't an issue) then almost all of the food is available to take away.

We were quickly seated and presented with a small, yet appetising menu.  With just 12 dishes on the menu to choose from and the promise that anything we ordered would be delivered to the table at the same time it actually took us longer to decide on drinks than food.  Smokeworks has a great range of beer and bourbons to choose from, with milkshakes for those with a sweeter tooth.

D decided to try a 'piston head kustom lager' (a Swedish beer) along with a shot of whiskey, although not being a fan myself I can't remember which one!  I did however try and thoroughly enjoy the beer and would definitely recommend it.

They certainly delivered on their promise of slow cooked food, delivered quickly to your table.  My bbq pork spare ribs and D's smoked pulled pork bun were delivered to our table in under 10 minutes along with the sides of beef dripping mash and herb seasoned fries.  It was all delicious! The smokiness came through nicely, but wasn't overpowering and the meat itself was lovely and juicy.  You also don't have to wait for someone to come round, if you need anything you can simply twist one of the big red switches on the wall to get their attention.  I thought this was a great idea, especially as their seating was divided between the two floors.

bbq pork spare ribs with herb seasoned fries

I also decided to try out their interesting range of condiments. While the BBQ sauce was delicious and the chipotle sauce was good for a bit of spice my favourite by far was the sweet, hot mustard, a great combination which left me wanting more!

The condiments

I should probably add that there is a very tasty sounding vegetarian option on the menu, a halloumi, mushroom, lettuce and tomato bun (as well as the sides of slaw, fries and pickles).

My only criticism was the lack of a side salad option as I felt it would be nice to have something a little greener on the menu.  Otherwise the Smokeworks delivered both on the quality of the food, the speed of the service and the price.  With main dishes ranging from £5 to £14 and the option of a £20 platter at the top end and sides from £2 to £4.50 the meal really was good value for money.  I would highly recommend visiting the Smokeworks as soon as you get the chance!

If you want to find out more about them you can go to their website or follow them on twitter.  You can't book so just pop along to 2 Free School Lane, Cambridge, CB2 3QA if you want to give them a try, they're open from 11:45 - 22:30 from Sunday through to Thursday and 11:45 - 23:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

On the road again

With term over I decided I needed a few days away to chill out and forget about work.  I've really missed Germany so I decided to go back to Bamberg for a few days, revisit some of my favourite places and soak up some German culture - mainly in the form of beer and Brezen (soft pretzels).

We (my boyfriend and I) stayed at the Alt Ringlein Hotel.  It's located in the very centre of Bamberg opposite the Schlenkerla Brewery which is famous for its smoked beer.  As we were tired from travelling we ate in the hotel on the first evening where I had Schäuferla (a roasted shoulder of pork) with pureed savoy cabbage and a potato dumpling.  I washed all this down with a Mahr's 'U' - the U stands for Ungespundetes which means the beer is unfiltered.

After the meal we headed over to Stilbruch a great restaurant/bar (if you're looking for the best burgers in town head here for their hearty Börgers which come with a large portion of salad and are great value, they also do really good pizzas which are similarly good value).  I opted for my usual, a strawberry wine.

On Saturday we had a lazy day but did leave the hotel to go and stock up on essentials from the supermarket.  By essentials I mean the German things I love that just can't be found easily in England.  My top priority were the bars of RitterSport chocolate - not the best chocolate you will ever have but tasty nonetheless - however I did also pick up a local bottle of wine (Silvaner) an Apfelschorle (a fizzy apple drink) and some chocolate-orange Leibniz biscuits along the way.  As you can see the wine comes in a bottle which is a different shape to your traditional bottle.  It's called a Bocksbeutel and is very traditional for the Franconian region.

In the evening we had dinner at Klosterbräu, my favourite restaurant in Bamberg.  If you ever visit then you absolutely have to try the Haxe - pork knuckle - which comes with Sauerkraut and Kloß - pickled cabbage (it's so much tastier than it sounds) and potato dumplings.  On this occasion I went for the Pils, however, I highly recommend all of their different beers.  Aside from the food, the atmosphere in Klosterbräu is great, with its wood-panelled dining room and friendly staff.

We left Klosterbräu and headed to a bar called Lewinsky's.  There's nothing that special about this bar in itself, however I love it because of all the wonderful memories I have of it, from my time spent in there with the other Erasmus students every Thursday.  That and the bar serves my favourite beer, Zwergla, from the Fässla brewery.

On Sunday we continued the foodie theme with a trip to Cafe Müller.  This is a lovely cafe in the heart of Bamberg where they serve everything from a Champagne breakfast to the traditional German Kaffee and Kuchen (cake and coffee).  We opted for the sauteed potatoes with spinach and a fried egg, a simple yet tasty lunch, followed by cake - I had a raspberry and cream slice while my boyfriend had a cream slice with egg liqueur and walnut-cake base.  Although the cafe does serve really good coffee I decided to have a warm milk with honey - my usual caffeine-free alternative.

On Monday morning we skipped breakfast in the hotel as we wanted to go to the Schlenkerla brewery opposite for a more traditional German breakfast of white sausage (traditionally made with veal but it can also contain pork), brezen (soft pretzel) and sweet mustard.  My boyfriend also had a glass of their smoked wheat beer, a speciality which he thinks is delicious but which I cannot stand, I really think that smoked beer is like Marmite, you either love it or you hate it.

Weißwurst, Brezen, Süßer Senf

The rest of our time in Bamberg was spent lazing around and enjoying yet more beer.  It was great to go back to a place I love so much, it really is like a home away from home and I can't wait to return - hopefully in the summer for the Sandkerwa beer festival with other friends from my year abroad.

Enough about my travels for now, with exam term coming up I will be staying in England for a while and will be back to posting about my cooking and local Cambridge eateries.

Bis bald Bamberg!  Ich vermisse dich schon.

Schnitzel and 'Slaw

I've been back in England for over 6 months now (where has the time gone?) and I really am missing Germany.  The good news is I've booked to go back to Bamberg for a few days next month, the bad news is that I'm not there now.  So to try and help me miss Germany a little bit less I decided to cook some German food.  As I don't have an oven I was unable to make my favourite German food Haxe (pork knuckle in English but the German makes it sound so much more appealing).  So instead I decided to cook Schnitzel and instead of Sauerkraut (much tastier than you think) I decided to try a couple of different recipes for coleslaw, one with red and one with white cabbage.

Schnitzel with two types of coleslaw and a soft pretzel

First thing's first, prepare the 'slaw.  I made rather too much but it didn't matter as it kept for a couple of days in the fridge and I ate it with a couple of other meals.

I started with the beetroot and red cabbage slaw, the recipe for which I found in my Fabulous Baker Brothers cookbook.  For those of you who haven't heard of them Tom Herbert is a baker and Henry Herbert is a butcher (you can read more about them on their website, they had a series on Channel 4 a couple of years ago and this is the recipe book from that series.  I haven't made much of it before (mainly owing to the lack of an oven) but this recipe looked delicious and required no actual cooking whatsoever.

I used half a red cabbage (finely chopped), one and a half beetroots (don't use ones preserved in vinegar - either raw or in their natural juice - grated), 1/2 red onion (diced), juice of 1/2 lemon, salt and pepper to season.  All you need to do is chop up those ingredients, mix them together in a large bowl and leave them to stand for about 30 minutes (the lemon will help to soften the cabbage).  Before serving stir in 25ml olive oil and some herbs - I used tarragon but the recipe also recommends parsley - fresh herbs are good but dried work just as well.

My second slaw recipe comes from a new recipe book which I bought just a couple of days ago.  It's called Food DIY and is written by Tim Hayward, the owner of Fitzbillies - one of my favourite bakeries/cafes in Cambridge.  I popped by the shop on Valentine's day to pick up some shortbread hearts and saw that they were selling signed copies of the book.  I've had my eye on it for a while now so I decided to go for it and I'm really glad I did.  It's an interesting book all about how to 'do it yourself' from curing and pickling to drying and smoking.  A lot of the recipes require a lot more time and effort than I can afford right now but this coleslaw recipe looked simple and different.

I used a quarter of a medium white cabbage (which even so was a little too much - thinly sliced), 1/2 red onion (thinly sliced), some fennel (don't put too much in otherwise - as I found out - the flavour can be a little overpowering, add a little to begin with then add more later if it's not enough) and 1 carrot (grated).  He also suggests using kohlrabi, a vegetable that is really easy to get hold of in Germany but not so common in England, it would make a good addition if you can get your hands on some.  Mix everything together in a large bowl, add some salt to season (he also suggests celery seed but as I couldn't find any I left this out) and the juice of half a lemon.  Just before serving add equal measures of plain yoghurt and mayonnaise (I used about a quarter of a cup of each but a little less would have been better).  Stir in the yoghurt and mayo and serve.

Now for the best bit, the Schnitzel!  Although I had never made Schnitzel before I have certainly eaten my share so I knew how it was meant to turn out.  You will need 1 pork escalope per person.  Before you start you will need to bash these a bit to thin them.  I keep an empty wine bottle in the kitchen which I use as a rolling pin so I simply used the base of that to bash out the pork.  The reason you need to thin the pork is to make sure it cooks all the way through before the outside burns, if the pork is too thick it will take too long to cook.  I then got out 2 plates and a bowl.  On one plate I sprinkled a couple of tablespoons of flour, on another some breadcrumbs (I made my own out of some left over sourdough bread from Valentine's day but shop bought will work just as well).  In the bowl I beat an egg.

First coat your pork in flour, then cover it with egg then place it into the breadcrumbs - make sure they coat the pork but don't press them into the meat as it won't fry as nicely if you do.  Now get a frying pan that's big enough to hold your pork.  Pour in some vegetable oil (nothing fancy) - it will need to be about half a centimetre deep.  Heat the oil until it sizzles when you drop a couple of breadcrumbs in.  Carefully place your preprepared pork into the oil and fry it for 3-4 minutes on each side (until the breadcrumbs turn a lovely golden brown).  Serve with the coleslaw.

Fry the Schnitzel until it is golden brown

While out shopping I also picked up a couple of soft pretzels from M&S to really add to the German theme.  They're not as good as real German Brezen but they are the closest thing I've found since being back in England - if anyone knows of anywhere that sells better ones please let me know!  I finished off the meal with a German lager (Helles) from my favourite Munich brewery - Augustiner.  I got this beer from Bacchanalia the wine and beer shop on Mill Road (Cambridge) which I've mentioned previously.  I went back last week to stock up and although still lacking in beers from Bamberg they did have a fresh supply of Augustiner.

This meal was the perfect way of dealing with my cravings for German food and culture, but even so, I can't wait to be back there in just over a month!

Cambridge Brew House - Review

I've been to the Cambridge Brew House a couple of times before for dinner and really enjoyed it, the atmosphere is cosy and the food tasty.  However, this visit was a little different as I didn't just go to eat, I also went for a talk from the brewer, James, and to sample their beers.

Looking down the bar towards the dining area

We decided to have dinner first which was quite exciting as they're menu is seasonal and had therefore changed slightly since my last visit.  Previously I've had the sticky beef (which I highly recommend) and also their Sunday roast.  This time I decided to try a selection of the British Tapas which has been tempting me for a while.

Scotch egg

Lamb meatballs

Sweet potato falafel

I had the Scotch egg with smoked tomato chutney, the lamb and mint meatballs with Brew House ale gravy (with crusty bread on the side) and the butternut squash and smoked red pepper falafels.  The Scotch egg was delicious and the yolk still runny, while the chutney added a lovely sweetness.  I was a little disappointed by the meatballs which, although tasty, were also a little dry.  This was sort of made up for by the fact that they were served in a lot of very nice gravy.  The falafel were not what I expected, mainly because they weren't falafel - there were not chickpeas or fava beans involved.  However, they were listed under 'British Tapas' and I guess sweet potatoes are more British than chickpeas!  Despite my initial scepticism they tasted great, especially when dipped in a little aioli.

Others in our group tried:

• The 'Dirty burger' (a steak burger with melted Red Leicester, caramelised onions and fried egg served with chips and BBQ sauce) which was described as 'delicious and filling', especially the caramelised onions.  I tried a bite and would definitely order this another time.
• The veggie platter (advertised on the menu under 'Boards' as the 'Elinor Dashwood' - this looked tasty with a mix of goats cheese, the butternut squash falafels I mentioned above, cauliflower cheese, artichokes, olives, hummus and crusty bread.  I will add that although Brew House does have some excellent vegetarian options their menu is definitely more orientated towards meat-eaters.
• The Sausage Fest (literally a platter of local sausages infused with Brew House ale served with chutney, mustard and crusty bread) looked incredible and must have tasted as good as it looked given the speed with which it was devoured!

Now on to the brewery tour - I say tour the brewery is actually surprisingly small consisting of just a room at the back with glass walls so you can see the equipment.  James the brewer gave an interesting talk about the malt and hops he uses and how he brews the beer.  We also got to taste the different malts to compare the taste while he explained how that affected the beer.  As part of the tour we were given a (quite large) sample of their three beers.  They have a wider range but they can only brew 3 at a time.

The first beer was called 'Ivy League' and is an American Pale Ale.  I have to say that I wasn't that keen on this one as it was too hoppy for me.  However, things improved as I moved onto 'Misty River', this beer is also hoppy but not as much as Ivy League, making it my favourite of the three beers.  The last one I tried was 'King's Parade' - a bitter - which unusually for me I enjoyed but not as much as Misty River.  If you want to find out more about their beers then you can take a look at their website or even better just pop along for a pint one evening!

The three beers

I would thoroughly recommend the Brew House both for its beer and its food and will definitely be going back soon.

You can visit the Brew House's website here or follow them on Facebook or Twitter
If you want to find out a bit more about their beers and the brewer take a look at the Brewing Company's website or follow them on Twitter
Or just go and see for yourself, you'll find them at: 1King Street, Cambridge CB1 1LH