Sibson Cafe: Adulting at its finest
Laying in bed with two empty Domino’s boxes from the night before has become a stable of university life, with little getting close to the satisfaction of knowing you have a few slices of pizza left, ready to be consumed whilst binging three seasons of New Girl in a single sitting. Here’s a photograph of myself on such a day.
Moments like this are to be cherished, on par with the day you get married, and the moment your first child finds its way into your arms. They are what make University so great: full, knowing ignorance of responsibilities tied with treating your body like its a shrine to the devil. The moment the delicious, artery-clogging fat drips down from that greasy mozzarella, and into your welcoming mouth the a synecdoche for a life of infinite pleasure and unadulterated satisfaction.
I get it, you want pizza now. But no! Swipe away that Domino’s app. You’re not going to be that person you were in first year. It’s time you grow up, and treat your body right. You’re better than this, I believe in you. We can do this together. I’ll be here, with you, every step of the way. What if I told you, there was a place on campus that did delicious, healthy, fresh food cheaper than the sh*t you usually put in your body? Introducing Sibson Cafe: the place you’ve never been to because it’s a bit of a walk away. Well, embrace the new you and make that walk – it’s worth it. Remember the new building Kent’s Facebook was going wild about? It’s beautiful.
And tucked away in the corner of it is this little treasure.
Sibson Cafe is the newest addition to Kent’s catering spaces, intending to attract the health-conscious and, frankly, the bourgeois among us. It’s in Kent Business School – what else do you expect? The vibe is sophisticated, with the chairs seemingly pulled from surrounding seminar rooms, endorsing a ‘eat and study’ dynamic. This is the place for the busy – those that worship their body, whilst also wanting to make something of themselves. This place is not for Nick Miller.
An amalgamation of healthy food, and food for the busy, usually yields a dish which is not that interesting, or tasty, since the objective is to pump nutrients into you. If that’s your sole goal in life, ditch food altogether and go for Huel. If you like how food tastes and want to eat well, however, make Sibson Cafe a weekly thing. Until last year, Dolce Vita was the pinnacle of spoiling-yourself cuisine on campus. The introduction of this gem has sadly made it lose that title. Whilst Dolce Vita seems like its collected a few dishes from town to serve on campus, Sibson Cafe doesn’t feel like its on campus at all; its a restaurant that just happens to be in a campus building. The food served really justifies this accolade.
The menu was truly refreshing, steering away from the greasy burgers and fries found elsewhere on campus and instead opting for balanced, macro-filling dishes like their penne, an tabbouleh-filled, jerk chicken concoction. You can add things like half an avocado, falafel, or halloumi to any dish: the only way it’d cater to the millennial more is if its menu was written entirely in memes.
We can’t continue without talking about the last item on the menu: mussels. A university campus doing mussels. Are you running over there yet?
For my visit, I went on a sweet potato overload. I’d been craving it for days, so it’s only fitting each part of my meal showed the component in its most beautiful forms.
Sweet potato soup, with a side of sweet potato wedges. See the sweet potato on the napkin? That’s because I couldn’t wait long enough to take the photograph first. I had to dive in as soon as it arrived, and I’m so glad I did – it was easily the best thing I’ve had on campus so far. The warmth of the paprika deepened the flavour of the sweet potato, the toasted bread adding texture to the whole ordeal; the wedges themselves reminding me how delicious sweet potatoes are in their slightly-more-natural form. I went back for more the next day, and trying the offerings of Sibson Cafe has become part of my weekly routine. What I love most about this place, besides the food, is its use of artisan bread, baked locally. Local produce is infinitely better; often tasting better, whilst also being better for the environment. With enterprise heading in a more sustainable direction, its only fitting that a restaurant within Kent Business School follows the same practice.
The only negative? It took far longer for the food to arrive compared to the other outlets. I’m glad it did. It reassured me of the food’s freshness. If you don’t mind eating among the staff based at Sibson, or have a lot of work to do and want to do it whilst taking care of yourself, head here now. You’ll see me at a table in the corner.
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