Amélie, Cambridge – Flammekueche Central
Regis Crepy, one of East Anglia’s most respected chefs and restaurateurs, has opened Amélie in Cambridge. His new fast-casual restaurant is the first in the UK dedicated to serving the famous Alsace dish Flammekueche. Light and fresh, it is made with very thin bread dough, spread with crème fraiche, delicious topping combinations of the finest quality ingredients and cooked very quickly and crisply retaining all the fresh flavours.
Regis, who has owned three successful restaurants in Suffolk including the celebrated Great House in Lavenham for 32 years, is opening Amélie with his son Alex. “We are both so excited to be embarking on a new venture and bringing Flammekueche to this country,” says Regis. “There are some fantastic brands in Cambridge and we feel that this new eating experience of a relatively unknown dish will fit right in and appeal to a wide audience as it is great for sharing and can be eaten at any time of the day.”
Amélie’s menu is concise and Flammekueche-centric. A choice of tempting tapas-style starters includes half a cauliflower roasted in paprika served with spicy creamy cheese sauce, sardines with coriander and preserved lemon on sourdough. The Flammekueche for mains start at a very attractive £5.95 and include Salmon with avocado, capers, courgettes, tomatoes and dill; Pulled pork with smoked bacon, chilli and hoisin sauce; Parma ham with parmesan and rocket; and Beetroot, poached pear, spinach and goats cheese. Flammekueche makes scrummy desserts too – Mixed berries with meringue and chocolate sauce; Poached pear with chocolate, roasted almond, meringue and Ice cream or cinnamon apple compote with cream.
The 55-cover family-friendly restaurant is located in the £28 million newly renovated Grafton Centre by the Vue cinema. Modern, bright with a striking trellis, it features an open kitchen and has individual and communal seating. The eye-catching old yellow Citroen H Van stands as the bar stocking a carefully selected range of drinks - red, white, rosé and sparkling wines, soft drinks and beers including Amélie’s own golden ale from the local Nethergate Brewery. Amélie is open seven days a week, lunch and dinner.
(Photos: Lucinda Price)