Sam Owens, owner of drinks emporium Thirsty, shares his top tips for eating and drinking in Cambridge
What’s your favourite place to eat in Cambridge
I’m hoping it’s going to be Restaurant 22 once I’ve made my first visit this month. Owners Sam and Alex are top folk – and we need more people like them in Cambridge.
You’re having a night in: where are you calling for takeaway?
I used to be a fan of Inder’s Kitchen before they shut down. In her absence, I’d probably get off my backside and wander around the corner for takeaway from the counter at the back of Al-Amin on Mill Road. Great value for money.
Where do you like to shop for ingredients?
No surprise that I like to favour the indie businesses. I love Culinaris for cheese and cured meats. Maison Clement for fab bread and croissants. Mill Road Butchers for their unsurpassable Cumberland sausages. And huge bunches of coriander for 99p from any one of the shops along Mill Road…
What do you love about the Cambridge food scene?
The street food scene. It’s been great fun to get involved with all the guys and gals since we opened Thirsty in 2015. We are truly spoilt on this front in Cambridge.
What would you like to see more of?
More independent businesses. For a city as young, open-minded and cosmopolitan as Cambridge, I remain dismayed that so many of our food and drink businesses are chain or brewery-run. Despite progress in recent years, the scene really should be so much better. Come on, Cambridge!
