offering the hungry public a wide selection of sandwiches, soups, savoury pies, baked goods and espresso drinks made fresh daily. It has been prospering ever since with Cambridge marking its 34th storefront and only the second outside the greater London area. Cutting to the chase with streamlined packaging fonts and bright but stark interiors, EAT makes its aesthetic point clear: the food is the focus of this operation. So we get the philosophy but do we taste the difference?

Grabbing several self-serve selections on the ground floor, we settled into the expansive upstairs dining area. Clean, white and devoid of decoration except for a few dangling lampshades reminiscent of 50's beauty parlour chic, it isn't the place that inspires poets and philosophers but it's spacious and sunny and a welcome respite from the crowd.

Sandwiches for the most part were reliable versions of the failsafe classics with a few inspired creations peppering the menu board. The tuna melt, although fresh-tasting, was somewhat lacklustre but adequately redeemed by its chewy ciabatta roll. The simple garden was just that, simple, the sharp snap of the dill mayo partnering well with the avocado and sweet malted bread. The wrap selection presented diners with more avant garde choices including the sweet-chilli crayfish salad with its subdued Thai flavours and tangy crème fraiche dressing as well as a Mediterranean inspired lamb and tabbuoleh duo.

Besides the thick cut Salty Dog crisps, which we consumed at an altogether alarming rate, the darling of the meal turned out to be the creamy smoked haddock chowder. Alluringly smoky and creamy but not overly so, each spoonful uncovered the depth of the soup's flavouring, offering up tender bits of fish and soft chunks of potato. This was the kind of fresh flavoured food we were hoping for and only wished we had ordered the pea and mint variety also available that day.

Finishing off our meal with a chocolate brownie, we weren't impressed with its overall fudge factor but happy with the chunks of chocolate we consistently crunched into mid-bite. Rather an appropriate ending to a meal that certainly had its fair share of plusses and minuses. Our feeling is that EAT's focus on freshness, central location and overall seating convenience will keep this establishment going long enough to work through some of its growing pains. So in the end, the battle has been won but the sandwich war rumbles on.