This post is dedicated to my almost 8 year old, blue-blooded nephew, Astro Boy, who is in training for a career as a food critic (and maths genius, and trumpet player, and electrician, and banker, and...).
Meet my posh English family. They're in the top pic above. What a good looking bunch they are! My sis, Chanel, married Geeko (a very nice English boy with a posh accent), and they produced the very clever Astro Boy, and way-too-cute Tickly Pickly and have lived happily ever after in London.
And I get the guestroom - OH YEAH BABY!!!
Last weekend it was time to pack our straw boaters (they're those funny hats the Grammar School kids wear to school), our blazers and our taste buds for a weekend on the Cam River in Cambridge punting and eating.
Now readers, I've never punted before, and I suspect others out there haven't either, so let me explain. Punting is just like what the gondoliers do in Venice, they stand at the back of a shallow wooden boat and use a pole, either wooden or aluminium, to push down into the bottom of the water to both steer and propel you forward. It's pretty cool stuff. And incredibly romantic - especially with the whole fam in the boat!!!
You can see in the second pic all the boats on the Cam River ready to be rented either to be pushed by your boyfriend/hubby/dad/girlfriend/or whoever, or you could pay someone to punt you. Luckily for us, ol' Geeko was an expert, you see, Geeko (and don't worry, he chose his own name) studied at Cambridge so knows his way around a bit of punting! So, he was our man. Chief Punter, as it were.
We actually spent Saturday arvo, post lunch, going up and down the scenic Cam River watching the beautiful old buildings of Cambridge go by...hand dipped lazily in the water as we were professionally manoeuvred between the other 4,218 boats on the River that afternoon - it was a surprisingly soothing experience, you can see there in the last few pics just how beautiful it was, and what a tough gig it is to be punted around on a river! Ah, such bliss.
We enjoyed ourselves so much we spent Sunday afternoon on a different part of the river, just swishing along the water, snacking on jelly beans, lazing back on the cushions...just a typical Sunday afternoon in Cambridge really. Sigh. In the words of 5 year old Tickly Pickly... "it was splendid".
Before I leave the punting, though, a special mention to my wonderful sis, Chanel, who unlike me (I was enjoying the decadence of sprawling out on the cushions too much), decided to give the punting a go. There she is in the final pic above, looking very cool I might add, getting stuck into it...well done Chanel!!
Now of course punting wasn't the only thing on the Cambridge agenda, no siree, there was other more serious work to be attacked. We were going to a 2 Michelin star restaurant.
After a morning of visiting some of the amazing Cambridge buildings such as Queens' Collegee (pic 4), and Geeko's own alma mater, Trinity College (pic 5 & 6), we headed off for a walk through Jesus Green (yep, you read right) to Midsummer House and the wonderful workings of Daniel Clifford.
Now, I'd like to reintroduce Astro Boy here. Astro Boy and I are going to give a brief critique of our own experience at this darling of a restaurant that sits right on the Cam in a gorgeous old house with the most amazing staff. I'll give you my menu and thoughts, then I'll type out his, we've tried to keep it succinct so as not to bore the non-foodies!!
My Menu
Amuse Bouche - Pea veloute with king prawns, and langoustine jelly cubes (pic 7)
Wonderful creamy pea veloute with wacky intense cubes of langoustine jelly which exploded in the mouth, then the light frothiness hides the perfectly cooked king prawns. The sprig of pea sprout added an intense-flavoured crunch of raw pea! Beautiful pearls of pea popped in the bottom. What a good start.
Entree - Pork terrine with black pudding and apple sorbet (pic 8)
Amazing artwork of terrine - chunks of beautifully cooked pork with earthy bloody sausage and sweet gluggy figs. AMAZING apple puree and a fresh tangy green apple sorbet - I love a sorbet served with savoury food.
Main - Pot roast guinea fowl, with peas, shallot and bacon, cep gnocchi and mushroom cream (pic 9)
The guinea fowl was tender, though not as tasty as I'd hoped. It was my first time for guinea fowl and it leans way more towards chicken than duck and I was hoping it would be more gamey. The veges so fresh and yum...the English know how to do their peas! The cep gnocchi was light but a bit wacky and the fresh mushrooms were delightfully tasty. The mushroom cream was more like a foam than a cream which kept the whole dish light and summery.
Dessert - Lemon flavours with meringue and redcurrant sorbet (pic 10)
The meringue, divine, the best meringue ever eaten, so light and crispy, but melted as soon as it hit the tongue. The lemon cream was good, but could have had more guts. The raspberry cubes were just AMAZING, concentrated flavour that matched perfectly with the lemon.
Astro Boy's Menu
Astro Boy has some allergies, so his menu was similar to mine but with a few changes.
Amuse Bouche - King prawns with peas
The prawns were very good - lots of flavour and very juicy. But I didn't like the smell.
Entree - Seared Scallops with julienne apples and apple sauce
The starter was good, the apple sauce was really good. First time I've had scallops and it's a sort of weird taste, then you have it again and it's YUM.
Main - Guinea Fowl with peas, beans and bacon
I liked the part of the guinea fowl where it was nice and juicy, but I was expecting much more flavour.
Dessert - Tarragon Dust with blueberries and redcurrant sorbet (pic 12)
The Tarragon Dust is absolutely... NO WAY! The blueberries were nice, but you couldn't taste much of them.
I would like to add that the Tarragon Dust for me is one of the most amazing things I've tasted this trip. It was so incredibly wacky. The chef used that new chemical gastronomy to produce incredibly light fluffy tarragon (tarragon has an aniseed flavour) flakes that were a cross between powder and snowflakes, but at room temperature, you can see it in the pic there above, it's that pale green mass. I'm so glad I was able to experience it.
So, there you have it. A wonderful meal. But it didn't stop there. Oh no, readers. The meal was followed by something I'd never seen before...a chocolate chest. Yep, after dessert the table was presented with a big wooden chest that opened to reveal hand made chocolates...NOW THIS IS MY KIND OF RESTAURANT! The Licorice Ganache in dark chocolate (the purpley shiny one) was divine, and I have it on good authority that the Cherry Liqueurs were out-of-this-world!
And just to ensure that we went away extra happy, coffee was served not only with the chocolates, but also a plate of Butreaux, which is a light french pastry, deep fried and smothered in sugar!
All of us loved our lunch, so much so Chanel asked if a few of us would be able to pop into the kitchen. I have to admit that I was dubious. I know chefs don't like tourists in their space, plus they have serious work to do. Chef Daniel Clifford is a man with serious style. Not only were Astro Boy, Tickly Pickly and I welcomed into his kitchen for a chat and a photo (pic 14), he also presented the upcoming food critic, Astro Boy, with a signed menu. I have to say, I've never felt more welcome in a posh restaurant before. Ever.
So, as you can see, a "splendid" weekend was had by all. Punting and good food are a great combination, and if you're lucky enough to share them both with family, then your life is a splendid one indeed.
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