PRE-BIRTHDAY DAY TRIP TO CAMBRIDGE

Birthdays seem to come along so fast these days, it didn't seem that long ago since my last one - March, you seemed so far away, before you pounced on me from the shadows (!)
So here I am, turning a year older (at rather turn-ED a year older as of the 15th of March...), and being a bit of a last-minute planner, we decided to hop on a train to Cambridge for a day trip, because sometimes it's nice to travel local. 

The walk from the station to the town centre was a bit longer than we expected, which definitely worked up an appetite, so we stopped by at Stickybeaks on Hobson Street for some brunch, which seemed to be a popular spot. Set up in 2010, this local cafe takes its name from the Australian term 'to stickybeak' which means to have a bit of a nosey. They serve an all-day brunch menu on Sundays, from which we ordered a hearty potato hash with chorizo and egg, and a bacon and egg muffin.

We were later roped in to go on a punting tour along the River Cam, which I hadn't been on since a few years back on my last visit. Considering that the weather was sunny and it wasn't too crowded, we joined in at the promotional 'student price' of £15 (which I'm pretty sure they offer to mostly everyone...)
We sat on a larger 12-seater punt, which was more spacious than the 6-seater one I sat in last time (although my derriere was still slightly numb by the end of it), and the 'traffic' along the river was much less congested as opposed to the summer months, which can be quite manic. 
A smooth and relaxing ride, led by our knowledgeable chauffeur guide who had 6 years of experience in punting.

 We had a quick stopover at Fitzbillies on Trumpington Street for lunch, an old-school bakery and cafe, known to be famous for their sticky chelsea buns which have been made and sold on the premises since 1921. I tried their sausage roll which they have been making in-house to the original recipe since they opened, served with Baker's potatoes, their own fruit ketchup and green salad.
And of course I grabbed a couple of sticky chelsea buns and cake for the journey home.

It was definitely a fun day out, and a nice little escape from the city. I should probably start doing more local trips like this on the weekend...
Thank you Lili for making the effort and spending some quality time for me before my birthday - I look forward to our next mini-adventure!

The Cheekster, signing out x

BIRTHDAY AT THE CHEF'S TABLE, PARLOUR

Running two weeks behind, but better late than never!

After many little lunches at Parlour, I finally booked the Chef's Table at Parlour for my birthday lunch celebration.
I first had a taste of Chef Jesse's food back in 2013 during the collaboration with Urban Woot Four Fridays - time sure has flown by... 
Parlour has so far been my solo lunch spot, and I thought that it was time to bring along some friends to share the experience.

Chef Jesse did pre-warn us not to eat anything beforehand, so that we could 'prepare' our stomachs for the feast that lay ahead...
Viv and I did have an early breakfast before checking out at the Royal Horseguards Hotel, their complimentary breakfast buffet was too tempting to miss out on. 
Good thing that we Malaysians have big appetites!

We kicked off our lunch with a bottle of prosecco, opened with a machete, as you do.

One of Chef Jesse's many talents.

We also had wine and some specially made mocktails to go round the table.

First up was McTucky's popcorn chicken nuggets - which unlike KFC's version, this had actual popcorn in it!
The chestnut hummus was very much a favourite for many of us, served with rosemary pitta bread. A step-up from your regular chickpea hummus.
Another yummy dipping dish was the taramasalata, topped with black olives.

 

Then came the 'Back Door' Smoked Salmon with crispy salmon skin served on a wooden plank, and THAT soda bread, which is one of my favourite breads. Another favourite (of many favourites) amongst the table was the duck liver pate with cold toast aka. 'yesterday's bread'. I've only just recently started liking pate, and this was definitely up my street, topped with crunchy bits of duck scratchings. Apparently the first dish that he cooked for his wife, where she then decided that he was definitely a keeper.
Maybe that's where I've been going wrong with my dating life - I'm going to make sure that cooking becomes a mandatory requirement on their dating CV.

Ever wondered whether the chicken or egg came first? Well, it doesn't really matter in this case, because the chicken (legs/lollies) and the egg came together in this case, and yes they were both very tasty.
We kept them safe in our bellys so that they didn't have to 'walk the plank'. 
Oh, was that a bit too corny? Maybe you should spend more time in Neverland, I heard that it's good for the soul.

Another familiar dish was the Raw Vegetable 'Ravioli' with Goat's Cheese. A clever alternative if you happen to have missed out pasta on your shopping list. Unless of course you're about to serve a whole table of pasta lovers, then you're probably screwed.

If you love goat's cheese as much as me, then you will probably love this. And for the skinny gym bunnies, well, vegetables are healthy, so it pretty much balances out the calories of the cheese...right?

The pork croquettes had a nice, golden coating, and was really tender and juicy on the inside. I eyed the dish hoping to swipe another one after my first.

Actually, I MAY have had a second helping...I eat so fast, sometimes I don't remember what I put into my mouth...

Next up, was some stilton custard and hazelnut praline served in an egg shell with a pretzel stick on the side. Proper Clarence Court eggs, because Chef Jesse likes keeping things classy - it's how things work in the West.

Ran out of serving dishes? Well, as we all know, there's always an alternative...

Just don't turn the lever.

A lot of chefs are very much into Instagram these days, and that includes Chef Ryan, snapping those sexy duck legs.

And then it was eventually time for the main courses - each of us were served a different dish. And being the birthday girl, I was of course served the humungous Cow Pie. 

I was already quite stuffed by that time, and wanting to save space for dessert (I knew what was coming...), I had a few nibbles and passed the rest round the table. 

Andrew did the honours of polishing off the last bits - those situations when it's always good to have men at the table!

A good and hearty pie, though I'm still not quite convinced that it was better than Dandy's Cow Pie...

Maybe we need a battle of the Cow Pies.

There's my smiley face.

My grumpy face...

And then there's JESSE's face...

This is why bloggers should be more cautious when handing your cameras to chefs...

SELFIE!

And then it was time for the Grand Finale...everyone put on your headphones!
Because everyone needs a bit of Mary Poppins and Willy Wonka in their lives.

Chef Jesse rolled out his art canvas made from (errr) kitchen foil, and started assembling our platter of desserts before us.

Saves on the washing up - less water wastage, and saving the planet a day at a time...

Some special effects going on here - it looks like Jesse is 'AT ONE WITH THE MIST'...

Jesse does take his work very seriously...

And no dessert would be complete without a blowtorch, and a...drill? You can tell that I'm not much of a DIY person.

Did I mention that I LOVE blowing candles..?
I'm hoping that this will increase my chances of my wish(es) coming true.

The Aftermath...

Four hours...I don't think I've ever dined for this long before!
I would definitely recommend it to those of you looking for a fun, quirky dining experience.
Chef Jesse will be waiting for you. 
With his machete.

The Cheekster, a year older, and hopefully wiser, signing out x