New independent cafe Ma Cherie in Abingdon, which morphs into a wine bar by night, has been attracting lots of attention, reports of its popularity filtering through, which is no doubt why it’s fully booked at weekends and hard to get a look in.
So we popped in for brunch instead on a wet windy Tuesday to see what all the fuss was about. Run by Suni Rasim, who thought Abingdon needed something a bit different in terms of its hospitality offering, Ma Cherie has been open for over a year now, its quirky cafe an immediate hit.
Think overnight oats with unusual toppings and ingredients, unusual brioche featuring goats cheese and plum, or fig and blue cheese, American pancakes, small bites, sourdough toast toppers, salads and an extensive cheese and charcuterie board option.
applause must got to Suni for reinventing the wine bar concept, while ensuring that Ma Cherie is busy day and night, a big problem for many eateries
The boards are enormously popular during the wine bar evenings, accompanied by jazz and a great vibe, but by day we zoomed straight in on the brunch offerings.
Kicking off with some sterling lattes; strong, swift and piping hot (the latter rarely a given) accompanied by some delicious amaretto biscuits, rich with almonds, and an iced vanilla latte which hit the spot.
Then the overnight oats – hard to choose between the cherry cheesecake, tiramisu or pistachio, but we finally settled on the ‘chocolate banana’ with oat milk, chocolate cream, mascarpone and banana (£7),
The oats were surprisingly unstodgy, smoother than expected and packed with tiny cubes of milk chocolate, slices of ripe banana, and creamy with mascarpone and chocolate. We devoured the lot.
Then a stack of pancakes doused in maple syrup, interspersed with rashers of crispy bacon in every layer, and topped with blueberries.
Often American pancakes are too thick, the extra toppings used up way before the last mouthful. But here they were light and fluffy, the fruit, bacon and syrup more than ample to ensure the last forkful of pancake had everything it needed.
The raspberry and white chocolate variety was totally different, again the expectation being that they’d be overtly sweet and sickly, yet the tart raspberries and berry compote offset the sweetness, the scattering of sprinkled pistachios giving it a crunch, the plate pretty as a picture.
To give us an idea of the more nocturnal nature of Ma Cherie’s foodie selection we threw in the Pecorino Toscana, a more pared down version of the evenings delicacies where the meat and cheeses are piled high.
This was a more Spartan manifestation, the quarters of toasted sourdough served with truffle honey, beautifully splayed fresh pear, and walnuts (£8), again with ample cheese.
All the cheese is supplied by The Oxford Cheese Company, the wine by Oxford Wine Company, local produce here being the name of the game.
If only it had been accompanied by a glass of Pinot Noir, but at 11am that was a stretch too far. But we get the attraction, not just of the cheese board but of Ma Cherie itself.
So applause must got to Suni for reinventing the wine bar concept, while ensuring that Ma Cherie is busy day and night, (a big problem for many eateries) and indeed in bringing a new concept to Abingdon, albeit in a bijou premises. Either way, it’s a great place for brunch!
Ma Cherie is open everyday, on Sunday until 4pm, Monday and Tuesdays until 5pm, Wednesdays and Thursdays until 9.30pm and Fridays and Saturdays until 10.30pm.
Ma Cherie is at 15 Market Place Abingdon OX14 3HA
