Home sweet... Cambridge?

So, I have been in Cambridge for 4 days now, but it feels like much longer. It also feels like I could stay here for a while, which is good, since I am staying here for a while, but it's also good in a sense that I feel comfortable and safe here which doesn't often happen in a foreign city. Having said that, I do realize that in grander scheme of things, the UK is really not that different from Canada, and that likely has a part in the way I feel. However, what really evokes these feelings are the people and the food, and the combination of the people with the food, that I have experienced in these few days. And if that is any indication as to how these next two years will progress, than I am in for a treat!

I will start by introducing you to the 3 people who have really made me feel at home, Rocio, Andres and Alex, my new housemates. Really fantastic group! I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to be dropped into. They're all very friendly and sociable, they like to go out, and we've had some really great conversations already. On Friday, my first full day here, we all went out for dinner to a Japanese place called "Teri-aki", not to be confused with it's neighboring restaurant, "Aki-teri". No Joke. Those are the names. It was a very simple lively place with the staple sushi and noodle/rice bowls that you would imagine. I had yaki udon, which just means pan fried udon noodles, with seafood and vegetables, a dish that I used to order in Hamilton quite frequently. While the flavor was as good as it was in Canada, the seafood in the dish really made up for it. There was a ton, and it was all cooked to an exactness that you don't often find with a mixed seafood dish, or in something pan fried. I'm talking scallops, shrimp, calamari and different kinds of fish all at the right consistency. I was really impressed, and wish I knew how they accomplished it! The next night, we all went out to a movie together, and then met up with some of their other friends for dinner/drinks. We all went to a pub, which was quite nice. Really cool atmosphere, laid back yet fancy and calm yet vibrant at the same time. We sat next to a nice little fire place, which added to my enjoyment as I have not been the warmest I should be lately. I was really hungry when we arrived, because it was about 9:30pm, but I resisted my urge to order a full meal since it was late in the evening. Instead, I had a salad, which worked out better in the end anyway. Now, Salad and I have a love hate relationship. The love comes from the fact it's healthy and I can basically make any combination under the sun. The hate comes from the fact that there are many other more pleasurable foods out there that I'd rather be eating. So, it's not that I hate salad per se, it's that I generally wish I was eating something else. However, this was not the case on Saturday night. I didn't want my salad to end (although my bowels were likely glad that it did). When I read it on the menu, it seemed fairly standard, and something I would normally gravitate to, a) because it has goat cheese in it, and b) because it came with a balsamic reduction. The other main ingredients were roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, mixed greens and some other stuff that I forget. I forgot what else was in it because one of the above listed ingredients was so good that I could care less about what else was going on. Even the goat cheese was second to this, and if you know anything about me, goat cheese is one of my all time favorite foods. So what was it? It was the sundried tomatoes. Normally, not a big fan. I'll eat them, but I wouldn't request them. I never really found them all that appetizing. But now, I think it was just the way they were prepared, because THESE sundried tomatoes were AH-MAZING! They were those shitty little soggy slivers drenched in oil either. They were quartered small tomatoes (a bit larger than cherry tomatoes, but not a full sized tomato) and they were actually "dried" and not soggy. They had the most brilliant sweet and natural flavour that a tomato should have with a hint of simple seasoning, and they were dried right to a state of hydration that was near perfection. Combine those with goat cheese and you've basically made my night. Meanwhile, this salad was making it very difficult for me to focus on the three new people I had met and was having dinner with. Two guys from Germany, and (another) woman from Spain. Again, like the others, really great people! It's such a pleasure to be surrounded by like minded easy going people. How fortunate am I to have all of this already after only 4 days? VERY.

On Sunday I had the day to myself, not because my housemates weren't here, but because I went off exploring the city a little more. Originally I went out to purchase somethings for my room (which I succeeded in doing), but I ended up going into a health food store, and also stopping to read menus at a variety of restaurants on the street. First, the health food store was great! I went in looking for raw cacao beans, but they had none, instead, I left with an organic fair trade dark chocolate bar infused with Arabica coffee and some tamari and garlic flavoured organic rice cakes (which are less like cakes and more like square crisps). I knew the chocolate would be good, but wasn't sure about the rice cakes. They were either going to be really really good, or really really bad. They're really really good. The perfect snack I would say. They're hard to describe because I have seen anything like them, so I can't compare them to anything. They are good to eat on their own, but I think I have come up with a few other uses for them as well. Second, the restaurant menus. In one area of the street, there are 3 french restaurants in a row; Cote Brasserie, Cafe Rouge, and Brasserie Gerard. I had walked by them several times in the past few days since they are in between my house and my office, but never really paid much attention. Well, I can tell you, after I read the menu, they had my full attention. So much so, that today, when my best friend Ishna came to visit from London, we went to one of them for lunch.

Cote Brasserie. The restaurant had a very nice atmosphere, simple decor and lovely lunch time music. What was really amazing, aside from the food which I'll get to, was that they offered a 3 course lunch menu for only 11 pounds! WTF? I couldn't believe my eyes. There were 3 options in each section; the appetizer, entree and dessert. We each ordered something different from each section, except for dessert, where we both ordered creme caramel, because lets face it, why would you want to eat anything else? Except maybe creme brulee, but that wasn't on the list. Also, each got a glass of red wine.

For starters, we had crispy whitebaite with lemon and tartar sauce and cauliflower, potato and leek soup. All very delish. For the entree, I will show you what we had, and let you drool....

It was divine.