Foodie Film Friday - The Hundred-Foot Journey

This week's foodie film Friday is actually about a film I went to see only last week and is still on in cinemas.  After seeing a trailer for 'The Hundred-Foot Journey' I decided that it was definitely a film for me.  Just a warning that this review does contain some spoilers.

While it is a very enjoyable film, featuring some great food, I wouldn't go with high expectations as it is fundamentally a romance film with a rather predictable plot.

The film is based on an Indian family who set up a typical indian restaurant in a provincial French town right opposite a Michelin-starred restaurant.  This leads to some fierce competition and a Romeo and Juliet-esque relationship.  The cliché romance and poor French accents aside, I really loved this film for the food, from the sea urchins at the Indian market in the initial scene to the French markets later on, with their stalls piled high with fish and mushrooms, including my personal favourite - chanterelles.

My favourite scene in this film has to be the one in which Hassan and Madame Mallory make an omelette with an Indian twist.  I love how something as simple as an omelette can be made into a tasty delight by adding a few carefully selected ingredients.  It's one of my go-to dishes when I'm hungry and want something quick to make and is a great way of using up leftovers.

You should definitely eat before going to see this film, as even on a full stomach you will find some of the scenes make your mouth water.  It's a shame about the predictability of the storyline, but what the film lacks in plot it more than makes up for in food and beautiful scenery.

I would give this film an overall rating of 3/5 - it was a lovely, light-hearted film
As for how serious the film was I'd give it a 3/5 (where 1 is serious and 5 is lighthearted) - although it was fundamentally a rom com there were some more serious elements highlighting the importance of keeping in touch with reality and your roots, an important message in my opinion.
This film scores a 3/5 for food content as it features a lot, but is not always the main focus of the film.

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.

Aromi - Review

It's time for another review and today it's Aromi's turn.  Aromi is a lovely Sicilian cafe right in the heart of Cambridge and has been open for about a year now.  I've been there a lot this year and it has never disappointed, whether you go there for coffee with a friend,W or to grab a bite to eat on your way home.

When they say they offer a slice of Sicilian life they really do mean it.  All of their food from their bread to their desserts are home-made in the traditional Sicilian style and all their authentic ingredients are imported from Sicily where they have a sister cafe!

As you enter you are greeted by a counter containing their wonderful array of focaccias, arancini and pastries.  Every day their window display is piled high with freshly made paninis and you can even watch them make their fantastic pizzas.

Aromi tends to get very busy around 12  during the lunch rush which means finding a seat can be tricky.  However, if you're planning on eating in I recommend doing what we did and going at 11:30 when most of their lunch stuff is out and there are still free seats!

As we walked in we were greeted by their friendly staff who quickly took our order (a double macchiato, latte, ham focaccia, schiacciatella cipriani and a mushroom arancini).  We then headed downstairs to sit down.

Macchiato

The food and drinks arrived quickly and everything looked so tempting I didn't know where to start.  As I'd never tried one of their arancini before I decided to start there.

Focaccia, Schiacciatella and Arancini

The mushroom arancini was delicious, with a crisp outer coating which revealed the cheesy rice and mushrooms when you cut into it.  The texture was creamy and the cheese wasn't overpowering, meaning you could still taste the mushrooms.

Mushroom Arancini

We then moved on to the ham focaccia.  I've had their focaccias before as they are perfect to take-away on those busy days.  This one was as good as ever - warm but not dry thanks to the tomatoes.

Ham Focaccia

The schiacciatella cipriani is one of my favourite things to get at aromi.  It's a flatbread containing smoked provola cheese, caramelized onions, mushrooms and parsley and I would definitely recommend getting it toasted (you don't want to miss out on the melted cheese).

Schiacciatella Cipriani

Aromi is a great place to go if you're vegetarian as they've got lots of different veggie options to choose from, from pizzas to focaccias.

Of course no visit to a Sicilian cafe would be complete without trying their cannoli, which are traditional Sicilian pastry desserts.  Aromi always have lots of these with a variety of different fillings arranged enticingly on their counter.  I had previously tried a pistachio one, so today I was excited to try a couple of different flavours - one was chocolate and the other was ricotta with chocolate chips.

Ricotta and Chocolate Cannoli

Of the two the ricotta and chocolate chip was my favourite but the chocolate was also delicious.  This rich dessert will definitely leave you wanting more.  If you're going for coffee then cannoli would make an excellent accompaniment!

I will leave you with the exciting news that Aromi will soon be serving gelato from a new shop just around the corner which should open come the summer!

If you want to find out more about Aromi then you can visit their website, follow them on Twitter or like them on Facebook.

If you want to visit them you'll find them at: 1 Benet Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB2 3QN
They're open from 09:00 until 17:00 from Monday to Thursday and from 09:00 until 20:00 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.