High Tea at Fitzbilly

The other gastronomic highlight of our trip was a proper tea service at Fitzbilly, Another Cambridge institution.

After a walk down the collective memory lane with family and visits to the ancient and hallowed dinning halls of Peter house, where they read and an afternoon of punting in the river Cam, we were ready for a good tea. So headed to Fitzbilly as the generations before us did. I loved the "Chelsea buns" and the melt in your mouth scones and real not out of a bottle "clotted cream". What an end to a magical afternoon of visiting Cambridge's oldest college.

I will soon write another post on the tea rooms in Connecticut, USA.

The Eagle - Lunch and the discovery of DNA

Our trip to Cambridge began with lunch at the Eagle. A historic pub in the heart of the university town and most famous for being the place where Francis Crick announced t

hat they had discovered the "secret of life".

"The Eagle" was originally opened in 1667 and is the largest pub in Cambridge. The atmosphere was invigorating and like many university pubs the conversation ranged across a variety of topics. Lunch was typical publican fare with beer on tap and some very good cider.

We sat in the "RAF Bar" During World War II, American and British fighter pilots had made The Eagle their hangout and spent whilst waiting for the call-up to fly on a mission. The whole ceiling is covered with initials and squadron numbers of the pilots from the two "air forces" - the United States 8th air force and the RAF by candle, lighter and lipstick. The graffiti remains restored to this day and makes for another interesting step back into our recent history captured and preserved in this 600 year old watering hole.

Antwerp's food street

On a recent trip to Antwerp I was pleasantly surprised by how cosmopolitan the city is and how many cuisines are represented there. For such a small city with a well preserved and beautiful medieval city center, there are a great many international restaurants located close together. On Statiestraat to be specific. A two minute walk from the gorgeous Antwerpen Centraal Station brings one to what can be termed as "Antwerp's own food street" with a potpourri of world cuisine. Mexican, Chinese, Argentinian, Lebanese and Italian food to choose from, all within a minute from each other and lining a cobbled that also housed traditional Belgian fare.

We were warned about the neighborhood but found it absolutely safe and buzzing with activity. An impressive collection of restaurants right on the edge of the border between the old inhabitants of diamond center and the newer middle eastern immigrants.

Can you match the beer and the glass?

While in Belgium be careful to use the appropriate glass for each beer. They take it seriously and picking the wrong glass is a big mistake. Belgium produces a lot of variety of beer for such a small country - over 8000 varieties. Every beer has its own branded glass. The brewery usually selects a glass form to accentuate certain qualities of their beer. A goblet, for example, lets the drinker's nose inhale the beer's aroma at the same time the mouth is drinking in the liquid. A tulip glass, for example, is very good for foam retention. A wider glass is required for top fermented beers so that the taste and aroma is enjoyed to the fullest. A facet glass is best for white beer so that its cloudiness and freshness are highlighted.

As one walks along the street side cafe's in Antwerp one can see four people at a table, each with a different type of glass. I found that fascinating.

A bit of chowpathi in Southington

Finally a decent Indian restaurant this side of New Haven, CT. Namaste is Southington serves up a good ragada patti and decent bhel puri. Less than a month old with friendly wait staff and good cooks in the back, this place makes for a good local Indian restaurant. The silver lining is the emphasis on fresh produce and authenticity. Namaste India is located at 151 Queen Street Southington, CT.

Kanda and Nimbu in Jamaica Man?

Akbar's restaurant in Kingston, Jamaica was like any other balti house in any other part of the world - low lighting, generic instrumental bollywood music and CTM. There claim to fame being that they cater for the Indian cricket team. A week of eating local cuisine and we felt like some Indian. A rather disappointing experience, until the Jamaican waiter asked us - " would you like kanda and nimbu?" huh? "kanda and nimbu (onion and lime to accompany the vegetable course)?"...wow he speaks hindi and it comes from spending years working for an Indian restaurant. How cool is that, man?

Norman burger anyone?

We choose a quaint old creperie in the village of Saint Mere Eglise, right round the corner from the church. The thinking being when in Normandy eat galletes and drink cider. All of us did except our friend Doug who decided to order a burger - and he was served one Norman style:)