Cafe Du Pays – Number 45

I think this was the coldest night of the year (approx. 2 Fahrenheit and windy) and we decided to walk to Cafe Du Pays, which involved going over Longfellow Bridge (brrrr) and into Cambridge.  It was about a 30 minute walk all in all, and I can tell you, we could not feel our legs at the end of it (I know, crazy Brits).  I was very pleased when we arrived and there was a space at the very cosy bar (it would be rude not to have a pre-dinner cocktail) AND they had ‘Tourtière Spiced Caribou’, a hot wine and cognac cocktail; perfect to warm up with.

Food – French bistro style menu.  The menu is not overly obvious and probably needs a little more clarification at the start.  The items on the left of the menu are pretty much the starters, except there are two items which are not starters in the true sense; the Sourdough bread (not served unless you order it) and the Mushroom Oreilles de Crisse, which are basically like really tasty rice crackers – (more a snack than a starter).  Unfortunately the couple next to us thought they had been diddled when our Crisse arrived, thinking this was a table snack that everyone got, and not in fact something we had ordered.  The fact that we raved about them did not defuse the situation. The Tourtiere starter (venison and pork meat pie) was amazing as well as the Foie terrine, which was velvety smooth.  The Trout main was served with a fantastic celery remoulade (basically thinly sliced celeriac in a mayonnaise, herb and spice dressing) – delicious and a great accompaniment to fish.

Atmosphere – Cafe Du Pays felt very welcoming as soon as we walked in, with two separate dining areas and a bar area, making it feel cosy and intimate.  There’s a lot of wood and green plants giving it a very relaxed feel.  Our host, Nina, was fantastic and even gave us hints for other great restaurants nearer home and beer fests that were coming up.