Bread and Rutter: Bould Brothers Coffee
An exquisite new coffee shop has just opened if you can find it. Violet food critic Emma Rutter gives her verdict
Cambridge’s latest addition to the speciality coffee scene, Bould Brothers Coffee, would be hard to find if you didn’t know where to look.
Tucked away on Round Church Street, just across the road from St John’s College, it could easily be mistaken for a butcher’s or a barber’s due to its blue and white striped awning and petite façade. Pleasingly, it has opted against the industrial look which is so popular amongst cafés nowadays, choosing instead to decorate its interior in a style which feels at once minimalist, yet warm and friendly.
As one of my friends remarked, it is so small that it feels like you were an ungainly giant in a dolls’ house, squeezing your way between tables and dodging the low-slung lamps (which, incidentally, look like upside-down flan tins). But when you sit down, it just seems cosy. We students are so used to living in small spaces anyway that it shouldn’t really be an issue.
You can choose to sit on the bar stools downstairs and watch people run past on their way to Midsummer Common, or you can head upstairs to find a more comfortable place to while away your afternoon. A kindly barista will bring your coffee up to you, saving you the perilous journey up the narrow stairs. Don’t forget to ask for extra milk, if you need it.
“The selection of food is small, but perfectly formed”
Coffee-wise, Bould Brothers hits the spot. The boys have over ten years of experience in the coffee business, and their expertise shows. My morning cappuccino was warm and milky, not tongue-scaldingly hot, with a subtle hint of sweet cinnamon. Their filter coffee, sampled later in the week, was one of the only times I have been able to detect a ‘note’ of something in a cup of coffee. This one reminded me of chocolate. (Am I a proper food critic yet?)
Just like the café itself, the selection of food is small, but perfectly formed. I chose a sticky pistachio and blueberry bun for my Saturday morning treat – a twist on the traditional Chelsea bun, and well worth it. They also serve slices of cake, toasted banana bread (of which I’ve heard nothing but praise), or, if you need to settle down for a longer study session, thick sandwiches stuffed with Serrano ham, brie and fig, or chicken, pork and chive. Did I mention that they come in (translucent) packages tied up with string? No croissants, though, which was a slight disappointment for a pastry fiend like me.
French pastries – or lack of them – aside, Bould Brothers should definitely be on your list of cafés to try. It’s a place to go to for a quick, high-quality pick-me-up, but it functions equally well as a hideaway for a lengthy gossip with a friend. Yes, it’s relatively expensive, but this is Cambridge, and the coffee is worth it. And really, if you compare it to the five pounds you’d pay for entry to Life on Sunday night… Well, I know which one I’d rather go for
