**Please note: Amelie invited me in, and paid for our food and drink. This in no way impacted my opinion. I was not obliged to write a positive review, and Amelie didn’t see this review before I published it.**
From a converted Citroën H van at Cambridge’s Grafton Centre to a purpose-built restaurant at Ben’s Yard in Ely, French restaurant Amelie is bringing flammekueche to the masses. It’s a dish that father-and-son duo, Regis and Alex Crepy, ate regularly in the Alsace region of France: an ultra-thin flatbread spread with crème fraîche and laden with boldly flavoured toppings, before being cooked for a short time at a high heat until crisp.
Flammekueche remains the star of the show at Amelie at Ben’s Yard, alongside both small plates and larger dishes with equally bold flavours.
Since opening just over a year ago, Amelie has won a variety of accolades and awards. In addition to its 2 AA Rosettes, it won Little Gem in the Good Food Guide; Regional Restaurant Winner in the Muddy Stilettos Suffolk & Cambs Awards 2025; and finalist in the Restaurant category in Velvet’s Food & Drink Awards 2025 for Cambridge.
We arrived early and had a wander round the independent retail village of Ben’s Yard: a strange place. While there are some fantastic businesses on-site (and an incredible kids’ playground, resembling Ely Cathedral), there are also several empty units and the feeling that the place could become much more of a destination with a little work.
Inside Amelie itself, it’s clear how much the team has worked to make the place shine. It’s a beautifully elegant and airy space with rich colours, carefully curated lighting and plenty of greenery, combining to create a seriously stylish dining area.
We decided to share a Parma ham flammekueche (£21.50) and three small plates (it’s 2 for £17.50, or 3 for £24) between the three of us to get a good feel for the menu.
The flammekueche itself was sizeable: wonderfully thin and crispy, served with a pizza cutter for easy slicing. With a thin smear of crème fraîche on the base, it starred soft sliced onions, crispy capers, Parma ham, smoked bacon lardons, cherry tomatoes, grated Parmesan and rocket. Generous with the toppings, it packed in bold, salty flavours that made it feel like a really decadent treat.
Of the small plates, the cheese cushions were the biggest hit. These light, airy bites of deep-fried fondue (the crispy coating just a touch too dark) were paired with a homemade mayo that was impressively creamy and seriously tangy.
We loved the flavour of the creamy lemon and dill sauce in the fish pie – and the generous filling of salmon, haddock and cod. The mash – made from Stuntney Estate potatoes – was smooth and buttery, though the herb crust was slightly overpowering: there was simply too much of it.
Crispy gnocchi seems to be bang on trend at the moment, and Amelie’s version came with tender grilled courgette slices (I’d have liked a couple more), plenty of grated Parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, plus a deliciously subtle saffron aioli. A fantastic combination of flavours, I just felt like the gnocchi could have been crispier.
For dessert, we shared a slice of carrot cake (£8.50), served with maple syrup and ice cream. Those additions elevated the cake from a snack to a full-blown dessert: a rich, dense slab of deliciousness with a silky-smooth frosting – and a generous dusting of cinnamon sugar across the plate for extra indulgence.
Overall, the food at Amelie at Ben’s Yard was enjoyable, with a few small niggles here and there. The real let-down, unfortunately, was the service. The restaurant wasn’t particularly full but dishes and drinks were slow to arrive, and ordering dessert took longer than expected. When it finally came, no napkins were provided: a small detail, but a noticeable one.
Amelie is worth a visit for its flammekueche and stylish setting alone, but a little more polish in the service would truly help the food shine.