We perused both menus; both the set menu and the a la carte menu. To be honest, there was so much that I liked the sound of that it took quite a while to decide what to have, I pondered a good while. In the end I decided to order from the set menu as this is the one I would be looking at if I popped in for lunch spontaneously. At £20 for two courses and £24 for three, you know exactly where you stand and the choices are excellent.
It had never crossed my mind that dining in the midst of the city could be such a relaxing experience. Where can you eat in Cambridge city centre with a view of the river Cam? I don't know o anywhere else. The chairs were so comfy and equally practical for sitting at to dine formally. The tables were laid out immaculately, almost a shame to move anything, with crisp white napkins (the kind I always feel are too nice to get dirty!). There was plenty of space too, so it felt private.
We were offered wine, but instead we fancied something refreshing and non-alcoholic. So I asked if there was something soft that came recommended. An elderflower fizz was proposed and we both immediately asked for one. Elderflower is always a real treat! The drinks were wonderful, refreshing and perfect to sip as we mused the difference between a kayak and a canoe as both bobbed by outside.
Starters were pleasing. C ordered the smoked salmon with celeraic remoulade and brown bread. The first thing to say is that the plate was huge and there was a generous amount of smoked salmon, more than expected so it kept him going a while. My chicken liver pate and melba toast looked lovely. Proper melba toast too, crisp but study enough to take the pate. A good quantity of both so there wasn't an excess of one thing left over at the end. A great start to the meal.
Earlier in the day we had wandered across the bridge up the path by the river. It was such a blue sky, such a gorgeous area! We couldn't help but fall in love with it a little more. The restaurant is just across the river so I'd have been able to see myself from the table we dined at.
Mains arrived and took us by surprise. C's large plate was colourful and pretty. He had the roast chicken breast with carrot puree, dauphinoise potato and wild mushroom sauce. As quite a particular diner, C was revelling in the best piece of chicken he's eaten for a very long time. Moist and full of flavour, he was impressed. The potato was beautiful and the whole dish was one he relished, the only thing which seemed unusual was that the chicken skin was not crispy. He ordered a side of garlic mushrooms which he loved. The sides came in adorably cute little coppery saucepans to avoid them cluttering the plate which was a good idea.
My main arrived on a beautiful long polished piece of wood to hold the three parts of the dish; spinach and ricotta cannelloni, garlic bread and salad. I think I win the booby prize for most inappropriate side order: creamed cabbage and bacon - which was utterly divine. I could have eaten a plate of it. The cannelloni was served on a fairly flat plate, contrary to the more bowl-like dishes before but this way didn't keep it molten hot for hours so was much better. I ate all the pasta, salad and almost all the garlic bread too. It was delicious and a great size portion. Plenty to eat and excellent food.


C was feeling more pragmatic and passed up more food, instead opting for coffee (which I then wanted as well). The a la carte dessert menu was rather exciting and if I hadn't eaten a starter I could have easily been swayed by the knickerbocker glory. And I suspect C would have been tucking into cheeses.

Wowsers, my pudding was delicious. Light, sweet and pretty with fabulous custard as well. I made a good choice. A pudding to leave room for, that's for certain.

We were given a lovely basket of bread and water for the table before our starters. The chilli and garlic prawns were C's choice and he enjoyed both the taste and quantity, saying they were some of the best he's eaten out which is high praise from him. My choice was the pork cheek croquettes which had a delightful salad and relish. They did look filling but weren't too much so. Just right if you ask me.

A couple of weeks ago we dined out somewhere new to us: Creake Abbey café. It was a lovely sunny, warm evening for a drive out towards the coast so that made for a great start to the evening. I wasn't sure what to expect really as C had arranged the booking so it was lovely to arrive somewhere I'd not seen before and take it all in. The building itself was intriguing and worth a nice look around. The entrance is through the foodhall which has a fabulous array of produce, like a deli, butchers, farm shop all rolled into one. It wasn't open in the evening so I breezed through but will definitely be returning to explore thoroughly.

Firstly, I was slightly confused by the name. 'Café' conjured up thoughts of a nice mug of coffee and a pastry but my mind was put at ease upon seeing the menu. I really liked the format of the menu which was clear, straightforward and concise. There are dishes which are always available plus a choice of specials so it's not always the same choice on offer and this pleases me greatly, a chef making the best use of seasonal produce is rewarding as a diner. There were three starters and desserts and four mains to choose from of the specials. As I'm open minded when it comes to culinary experiences I'm more than happy, nay keen, to try new dishes especially when in the capable hands of a talented chef.

For starters I chose Bresola (I had to ask what it was). Delightful. It looked light and fresh, just what I needed to start the meal. C chose Gravlax and enjoyed it very much. We did eat some absolutely beautiful bread but in my butter-aided over excitement I appear to have neglected taking a picture, but know this: it was so good!

Unadventurously, C ordered steak, which was ordered as medium and arrived perfectly so. On the other hand I decided to try the lamb tagine with sweet potato mash. Let me tell you it was amazing, the best lamb dish in living memory.

The portion sizes were spot on; generous but not too much which meant that we felt that we could manage pudding sensibly (this turned out to be slightly wishful thinking as I then felt too full for coffee). My choice was an unusual one; vanilla and cinnamon rice pudding with local strawberries and it was, of course, the very best rice pudding. C ate the sticky toffee pudding (which would usually be my thing, if I had enough room), it looked good and I have to say I felt a tinge of envy as his arrived.

Creake Abbey Café is open daily from 8:30am for breakfasts, lunches and afternoon teas but only for dinners on Friday and Saturday evenings until October. (if in doubt, double check with them). If you are looking for somewhere to eat near Burnham on the North Norfolk coast then this is a must! The standard of food was high; great quality local produce prepared with care and skill, representing good value. I would sorely love to make it along for a cooked breakfast at some point, they sound great. Plus if we are heading out to the coast I'd happily drop by for lunch, I'm sure I read about a soup and sandwich deal. It' a really lovely place, an unusually light dining area with an impressive display of local artwork. The music was a subtle mix which made for a lovely atmosphere plus attentive and sincere service. I'd love to return sometime soon.

Sophie

Eating out; what a joy! It's always fun to have a meal out somewhere, especially trying out a new place. When Las Iguanas got in touch to ask if we'd like to sample their new spring menu I was pretty thrilled. Can you believe it's the first time I'd been to the Waterfront Retail Park area of Norwich (I'm such a country girl!!!) but it was surprisingly easy to get to and there was plenty of parking and only a short walk round the corner to the restaurant. For a Latin American restaurant it was everything I anticipated and a bit more. The music put me in the mind I was at times part of a Brazilian carnival, in a slinky salsa club and occasionally having a pop at karaoke... any chair dancing was met by disapproval from Chris which I suppose was for the best. Although I did love the soundtrack it was possibly a little loud for my elderly preference and dicky hearing but not distractingly so. The staff were very friendly, chatty and relaxed which made for a comfortably casual evening.

We'd had a peruse of the menu online (it's always great to know roughly what you might order) so I knew there was plenty that sounded appealing. The first dilemma was deciding on beverages; Chris had selflessly offered to drive so I would be free to drink if I wanted so in the spirit of being adventurous I asked for a vanilla and ginger mojito (having never knowingly drunk a cocktail before this was somewhat out of character) and it was so good. Chris had some soft ginger based punch drink as we recall which he loved very much too. Old habits die hard (and sensible ones too it seems) so we ensured that a large jug of tap water was on the table too... I like to stay hydrated these days.

For starters, after the inevitable dither, Chris chose Gambas (butterflied prawns) and I chose Pato Taquito (shredded duck fajita with spicy cranberry salsa). What a treat! While I shied away from the seafood C was tucking into, my own dish was a delight. Duck anything is hard to resist and the spicy relish was really rather scrummy.

Being new to Latin American food (I can't say that I've ate much of it before, somehow) I couldn't resist sampling a burrito for the very first time (shredded beef) and I was not disappointed! It was huge and scrumptious and moreish and I'm already dreaming of my next. Of all the dishes on the menu Chris went for a burger... talk about playing it safe! It was apparently delicious and one of the best he's ever had so that's an accolade. And then there's the sides.... we had Potatas Bravas (the most delicious thing ever, with the aioli dip) and Totopos

This is where we should have stopped, but no. This is where we looked at the dessert menu and buckled.

A Berry Mexican Mess proved to be irresistible, it was one of the most amazing desserts I've ever eaten...and I can never resist meringue. It was melon sorbet for him.

We waddled out feeling very full indeed!

Thank you heartily to Las Iguanas for treating us to such a mighty fine meal!

All content and opinions my own.

Sophie