Neighbourhood restaurant Buren ticks all the boxes
A few weeks ago, Buren opened its doors on Mill Road. After many teasers on their Instagram, it was finally time to visit them last week. They wanted to create a cosy place for locals to meet over a craft beer, a good glass of wine or local gin, tucking into comfy food.
Many Dutch people popped their heads through the door whilst passing by as they wondered if it was a Dutch restaurant, but it is not! The name Buren is Dutch and means neighbours.
Excellent addition to Mill Road
Buren is a welcome addition to Cambridge as, just like so many city centres in the UK, chains are now dominant in Cambridge’s city centre, but Mill Road is quite different. It is the place where locals like to hang out in local indies. Mill Road is known as the most vibrant road in Cambridge.
Dutch inspired snacks
One of the first things I order when I get back to the Netherlands is bitterballen; they are similar to croquettes. I was chuffed to find out that Buren would serve Dutch snacks in their restaurant. The Dutch love their snacks. You can find cheese, salami and bitterballen on the menu at every cafe in the Netherlands. A drink here is nothing without a savoury snack, which are available till very late at night! Of course we had the Dutch inspired snacks at Buren to start and they were delicious, the fennel salami was a nice change to the regular ones.
Comfort food at its best
Steaming bowls of meatballs, Aubergine Parm, burgers, and steak hachee with a creamy peppercorn sauce and backed hake with a herby crust are amongst the main dishes on the menu. My husband can’t resist meatballs, so that was his choice. They were served with crusty bread and tomato sauce and the meatballs had a lovely hint of fennel. When I eat out, I like to order food which I don’t often cook at home. Aubergine Parmigiana is one of these dishes. If you like this then the Aubergine Parm is a must have at Buren. It was absolutely delicious. Without going on about it too much, it was the best Parmigiani I have ever had! I often make vegan mushroom ragu at home and use a ‘secret’ ingredient and I suspect Leo used this too as it gives vegetarian dishes a great umami flavour.
The perfect finish to dinner
I don’t have a terribly sweet tooth, but I was chuffed to see that Buren serves their sweets from a sweet trolley. It’s a lovely touch, and their cakes look absolutely scrummy. I spotted a Dutch-style apple pie on their social media, which looked rather tempting. Unfortunately, we overindulged, so there was no room for dessert this time.
Fine wine by the glass
I love a good glass of wine and was pleased to see that the compact wine list had some interesting wines, including the Cambridge winery Gutter & Stars. I am so pleased that more restaurants are offering wine by the glass these days, just like Buren. No, I am not talking about a glass of house wine, but the more exclusive ones.
About the team
Who are the creative minds behind this new cosy neighbourhood cafe? Charley and Leo Riethof, the creators of the award-winning burger joints Steak & Honour on Wheeler Street and Northstowe, but they also operate street food vans all over Cambridgeshire. They were keen to open a restaurant where they wanted to eat themselves, and with Leo’s Dutch roots, they also decided to include Dutch food.
Home from home
I love the interior design! I know I am biased, as many years ago, I lived in a canal house in Gouda, and our ceiling was painted the same colour as the walls at Buren. The colour is called Chinese red, and I am still in love with it. Unfortunately, the colour would be too bold for our present house, so I just have to keep coming back to Buren instead. Not too difficult with their yummy Dutch snacks and the most incredible Aubergine Parm!
Gerla
