To really appreciate what Cambridge has to offer, you need to venture out of the bubble and onto Mill Road. This bustling street is vibrant with the best offerings from all over the world. If you haven’t yet made it, now is the time. A twenty-minute walk from the centre of town (dependent, of course, on how far you want to go down the road) or for those braver than me, a short cycle, it is championed by its residents and locals alike.

Little Petra is a café on the closer side of Mill Road. From the outside, what’s most striking is undoubtedly its décor: beautiful ceiling-strung lights and a copper colour scheme evoke the pink sandstone cliffs that give Jordan’s ‘Rose City’ its name. Even the cutlery is copper, demonstrating an intricate attention to detail that my inner interior designer can only aspire to.

“Mill Road is vibrant with the best offerings from all over the world”

Walking in, you are greeted by an inviting array of coffees, teas, desserts, and dishes for takeaway options. That’s just the beginning. Little Petra has the warmth of a café, but the full menu boasts the variation of a restaurant. Vegans will be pleased to hear that plant-based options form the basis of the menu and are celebrated as dishes in their own right, although there’s always the option of adding lamb or chicken as well.

There were so many starters that I wanted to try, but for £10.50, a mezze plate offered a variety all at once. Whilst an individual plate is typically £5-£7, the mezze platter was easily enough baba ganoush, falafel, hummus, warak enab, tabbouleh and flatbread for two people. If we had been aiming to go all-out on mains too, it would have been sufficient for three. The plate was beautiful, each component garnished with pomegranate, herbs, spices and oils. The taste, somehow, was even better, offering so much variety and depth. Matched with the casual ambiance, the ample possibilities for sharing make Little Petra the perfect post-supervision outing, mid-week celebration or catch-up spot.

“The ample possibilities for sharing make Little Petra the perfect post-supervision outing, mid-week celebration or catch-up spot”

Following the mezze, I had moussaka, which is in the Middle Eastern style of a tomato-based aubergine stew served with herbed rice and flatbread. The balance of spices made the dish unbelievably warming. My friend chose the hummus and grilled chicken plate, and to finish, we opted for a selection of bitesize sweets from the counter. Little Petra offers a mix and match of five desserts, including buttery biscuits filled with either walnut, pistachio or dates, as well as traditional baklava. For us, this was the perfect sweet conclusion to the meal.

Looking back on this delicious taste of Jordan, I have so many reasons to return. Little Petra offers their signature marinated lamb as well as daily specials, lentil soup, salad selections, wraps, burgers and an impressive array of drinks. For those of you willing to go the extra mile from central Cambridge, Little Petra is well worth the walk — and for those of you that aren’t, don’t worry, they Deliveroo, too.