Spied Out: The Best Brownies

Brownies take priority over the Saturday papers in The Black Cat.

Are you a connoisseur of a cakey crumb, or a fan of the fiendishly fudgy? Warmed with a dollop of ice cream, or as chilled and dense as a black dwarf star? Knobbled with nuts, chock full of chocolate chunks, or as pure and smooth as a baby nun's bottom? The search for the perfect brownie is a knotty and divisive issue. There is a fine line between a chocolate cake, a brownie and a big truffle, and it must be trodden with care, for you tread upon a million chocolate-drenched dreams. However, so that this quick survey of the best brownies to be found in Cambridge does not turn into a several-volume magnum opus, a quick straw poll of fellow spies suggests a popular leaning towards a fudgy texture with a chewy crust, studded with chocolate chunks and without nuts. So, bowing to the prevailing wisdom bestowed by such a scientifically selected sample, The Cambridge Spy now turns its attention to the best on the local market. This investigation has uncovered a titanic struggle between three behemoths of the brownie world, happily all to be found in some of the best independent cafes around.  

1. The Cambridge Spy prostrates itself humbly before the altar of The Black Cat Cafe on Mill Road, the epitome of everything that it holds dear. Despite the fact that seating is limited, foods can run out and service tends to be a little erratic at the weekends, any cafe whose cake recipes come from old medieval cookbooks, South African favourites and family culinary traditions is a corker by any standards. And the brownies are the cocoa-covered jewel in their crown: moist and crackly on top with big chunks of chocolate and an enigmatic vein of chewy caramel that runs throughout the piece, gathering in crispy pools at the bottom. This final element can neither be fathomed nor replicated by The Spy, and it doesn’t look as if the mystery is going to be solved any time soon, for although the cafe brought out a cookery book based on their recipes, the brownies were conspicuous by their absence. They can be warmed up (so the chunks melt) and served with a dollop of cream in the cafe, or taken away and eaten cold; both ways are equally good. The coffee is also excellent, should you so wish to break off a piece of brownie, place it on a teaspoon and dunk the chocolatey nubble so that it melts tantalisingly at the edges...

Black Cat brownie on a day out, unaware of the fate that awaits him.

2. Origin8 on St Andrew’s Street is home to a denser, darker beast, sitting in jars on the counter and calling to customers with their fudgy siren song. The truffly texture and various flavours of the brownies give them the edge, with varieties containing chunks of milk chocolate, orange chocolate, white chocolate or brandy-soaked cherries. The Spy was once given unfettered access to these beauties at a party at which Origin8 were the caterers, and as the red mist of gluttony descended, The Spy proceeded to stuff them by the fistful into pockets, bags and even a couple of empty wine glasses. By all means, enjoy on the premises with a cup of coffee, but beware what will henceforth be known as the ‘Satan’s spoons’ provided by this worthily eco-friendly establishment: wooden monstrosities that soak up any liquid that they come into contact with and puff up into giant, unwieldy mushrooms.

Other Origin8 goodies pilfered from the party. The brownies had mysteriously disappeared.

3. The final contender in this formidable cocoa trinity is something of an unlikely hero, and hails from the deceptively low-profile Cambridge Coffee Company on Hills Road. The sofas are squishy, newspapers are stacked on the side for your perusal, and there are crisp bacon butties and thick nutella milkshakes to be had by all. Yet in an unassuming plastic tray above the sandwich spreads sit these chewy triangles of joy, with a perfect inner-fudgey-goo-to-outer-crackling-crust ratio and glorious discs of milk chocolate lining their little gooey bottoms. On one particularly magical day, The Spy discovered that the discs had been so generously bestowed upon the mixture that they had SPREAD OUT OVER THE ENTIRE BOTTOM OF THE BROWNIE LIKE A SOLID SHEET. Joy. Their coffee even comes with metal spoons. Double joy.

Cambridge Coffee Company brownie, top view. 

Same brownie, view from the bottom thus revealing chocolate discs. 100% spy commitment.

4. Finally, a special mention must go to the Cambridge brownie that comes with the most bells, whistles and nipple tassels, for the creations at The Kingston Arms (just off Mill Road) are worth a mention if only for effort alone. The end results are debatable: The Spy has limited and easily confused mental faculties, and to be confronted by an enormous cakey slab, stuffed fit to burst with enough dried fruit and nuts to pass as a bracing Swiss breakfast, was simply too much for it to bear. The Spy had to go lie down in a darkened room with a cold compress pressed against its forehead for quite some time until the flashing lights and hedgehog hallucinations had receded. However, it readily acknowledges that the creative impulse that produces such an edifice is also responsible for the rest of the fabulous food in the Kingston Arms, a Cambridge gem in its own right that doubtless will be returned to in future posts.

Spied Out: The Best Fish and Chips

An enthusiastic connoisseur of a fine establishment (Petrou Brothers, Ely).

January in Cambridge is a grim month. The wind cuts across the flat fens with nothing between us and the North Sea, and the slate grey clouds hang in the sky, stretching down across the flat fields to the horizon. The fogs and mists are no longer tinged with the warm, smoky smell of autumn fires, but are now thin and damp, cutting straight to the bone. In such weather, something crisp, salty and hot is called for, and fish and chips are just the ticket. In my quest to uncover the best of what this boggy corner of Britain has to offer, The Cambridge Spy uncovers three battered, vinegar-splattered gems.

1. The top dog (or indeed, dogs) with branches in Ely and Chatteris, The Petrou Brothers were justly recognised as Fish and Chip Shop of the Year in 2006 (finalists and regional winners in other years) and regularly appear in lists of top British chippies. The brothers credit their high-tech fryers for the crunchy, beautifully thick batter that coats the succulent flakes of fish (haddock particularly recommended), and for the true glutton-come-connoisseur, a scattering of batter ‘scrapings’ are an essential addition. The chips are of such high quality as to be almost too good for a chippie, but the unlikely heroes of the ensemble are the mushy peas, a salty goo made to an old recipe so addictive that it was apparently the reason that the brothers bought the business in the first place. Chatteris is takeaway only, but in Ely you can choose between sitting in the little cafe, or taking your spoils to sit on the grass in the shadow of Ely Cathedral in the next street. The only downsides are the early closing times, and the fact that they are shut on Sunday, but if you find yourself in Ely on that day and need a fix, Alan’s Fish Bar down the hill is a worthy (and cheaper) substitute.

Taken on a winter's night in a takeaway steamed-up car parked at in a field outside Chatteris. Note the glorious scrapings at the bottom right-hand corner of the box.

2. Until now, a lack of quality chippies in Cambridge itself has been bemoaned by more than one incomer to the region, but with the appearance of The Sea Tree on Mill Road on the scene, the dearth has been resoundingly filled. With a wooden tabled seating area at which to sit and eat, or newspapers to read as you line up for a takeaway, this is a well-thought-out business with gluten free batter available and an extensive fish menu so you don’t just have to settle for fish and chips. However, we’re here to discuss exactly those noble staples, so with a brief nod to the ice cream (their homemade lemon meringue and Christmas pudding flavours are divine), let’s get down to business. The fish batter is airy but substantial, sticking to the edges of the fish like a caramelised, chewy crust. The golden tower of chips have are proper, slightly stodgy variety that stick to your ribs as only 'chippie' chips can, and alongside the standard mushy pea offering is a mushy pea fritter; hitherto only seen by The Cambridge Spy north of the border. This mighty creation has the same light, crisp batter as the fish, and although maybe a touch more salt would bring it into line with the Petrou Brothers’ offering, let’s not split hairs.

The monster proportions and alien appearance of The Sea Tree pea fritter. Magnificent.

3. Another two-for-one deal, The Cambridge Spy introduces its wild card, The Fish and Chip Shop on the High Street in Aldeburgh, along with its sister shop (complete with cafe) a little further down the high street. Another regular on ‘top ten chippies’ lists, it may be a little further out from the base, but if commuters can make the daily drive to Cambridge (which they do), it’s worth an enthusiastic mention. The batter is the highlight, with a slightly lighter texture and flavour from others, perhaps due to the pure sunflower oil in which the fish is fried. This intrepid Cambridge Spy encountered this establishment having driven for two hours on the most blizzardly day of the January freeze, and during the course of the short walk between car and shop, took on the appearance of a walking snowman. At the sight of this shivering white blob, scrapings were shoveled pityingly onto the chips and sprinkled onto the mushy peas, thus proving once and for all that the sign of a quality establishment is the snowdrift of batter pushed up in the corner of the fish counter. Even better, you can work off the whole shebang on the beach, which is a minute’s walk away, else just decamp to the fabulous Ives Ice Cream Parlour down the road, with their glorious hot waffles and 30-odd flavours of delicious ice cream, all sourced by the knowledgeable owner from quality independent dairies.