'I tried Australian-themed sandwiches at new Cambridge lunch spot unlike any I've had before'


Cambridge has a wealth of different cuisines – Italian, Greek, Nigerian, Thai, Vietnamese, and many more. But I'd never come across Australian-themed food until I visited a new lunch spot that opened on Victoria Avenue at the end of July.

Ellimatta is a small, bright café serving salads and sandwiches, as well as hot and cold drinks. There is a cosy room at the back where you can browse through records on sale and listen to them on headphones to decide if you want to take them home.

The name comes from an Aboriginal word meaning 'my home' or 'our home', and I certainly felt at home as I walked through the door. I got a warm welcome before perusing the menu of sandwiches and salad bowls.

All the sandwich options are £10.20 to eat in and named after Australian suburbs – the 'Manly' is a roast beef, horseradish, and beetroot sandwich, while the 'Bronte' has tuna, olives, capers, roasted peppers, and spinach. All the sandwiches are made with ciabatta from Cambridge's award-nominated Stir Bakery and butter made right there at Ellimatta.

I decided to try the 'Newtown': cannellini bean spread, charred tenderstem broccoli, tomato, and a slaw with cabbage, corn, and carrot, which was a filling I hadn't seen before. Perhaps the meat-eaters among you will be thinking there's something missing, but the veggies were the perfect crisp and tasty combination to counterpoint the creamy cannellini spread and chewy ciabatta.

The café opened at the end of July
The café opened at the end of July -Credit:Cait Findlay/CambridgeshireLive

I also tried half a 'Campsie', which I wasn't expecting to like – the filling is eggs in curried mayonnaise with landcress and Bombay mix. Egg mayonnaise sandwiches always make me think of limp, soggy meal-deal offerings which are both bland and texturally challenging, but this was a pleasant surprise.

The curry powder added to the egg mayonnaise gave it a subtle but moreish taste that made me think egg mayonnaise may not be such a bad filling after all, provided it is given a bit of flavour. The ciabatta didn't disintegrate under the egg mayonnaise in the same way other bread might, and the Bombay mix meant there was a good crunch to it.

I also had a malty Milo chocolate drink, which warmed me up on a surprisingly chilly September day. The name Ellimatta sums up the experience I had at the café: feeling at home with simple food done well.