Damasbridge

I was lucky enough to be able to swing by a Syrian joint on Mill Road for lunch today. Every time I go through Mill Road I see more and more venues that I do not recognise, so I was glad to be able to catch up on the new restaurants in Cambridge's essential food hub.

This cafe/restaurant is small but a very pleasant place to dine in. It's light, beautifully decorated, and the service was spot on. The chap serving and cooking for us was friendly, attentive, but also engaging. He took the time to talk and get to know us and by the end of the meal, we felt like he was almost a friend.

We only really intended to go in for a few sandwiches (which they also serve) but upon looking at the menu we couldn't resist the temptation of some of the other wonderful things on the menu.

The one thing which particularly stood out to me was the Damasbridge special. For £13 they served meatballs in a damascene stew with tomato, peppers and a side of rice. This was absolutely incredible. The mince used was incredibly fine and certainly a lot higher quality than I am used to. They fell to pieces on my fork and was incredibly filling even for a dish we shared!

We also chose their "selection dish" which lets you pick 5 things from their menu as a sharer. We ended up going for a beetroot salad, two types of hummus, halloumi salad, and something else which has escaped me.

Selection dish

Even though the meatballs for the mains were amazing, I think the selection dish was my favourite. I could have easily eaten two whole platters to myself. The hummus especially was fantastic and the pita bread was just perfect. The bread was thin enough for lunch (so it was not too bloating) but also strong enough to catch a lot of the hummus in without it collapsing everywhere.

This is my favourite part of the meal and I highly recommend everyone try it if they visit. It's a great way for someone who isn't sure about Syria cuisine to dip in their toe and sample several things at once.

We also had a coffee each which was thick and bursting with a deep earthy flavour. I'm no expert on coffee, so I'd love to know what others think if they visit. This is how I feel coffee should taste. Keep this in mind the next time you are going for coffee down Mill Road.

Baklava

Afterwards, we finished off with some Baklava. A Middle Eastern pastry dish with syrup and nuts, which, quite frankly, is one of my favourite foods! They absolutely smashed it too. I have to say that it was some of the best I've ever had. I think I could eat this all day without stopping.

Top marks all around!