A guide to Cambridge by Phway Su Aye

A Guide to Cambridge by Phway Su Aye, Founder of Gabar

Phway Su Aye is the founder and creative director of fragrance house Gabar. She shares her favourite places in Cambridge, a city that embodies the brand’s values of heritage and discovery.

Every city has a creative life of its own. You might find it behind an unassuming doorway, in a familiar meeting place or along a street you hadn’t planned to wander down. Getting to know a place means leaving room for the unexpected, and spending time with the people who see it in their own way.

The Creative Clubhouse, a series in collaboration with Wilde and Roadbook, introduces the artists, designers and makers whose lives and work are woven into their cities. Through their stories and favourite places, we discover what keeps them curious and how their surroundings influence what they create. Part local guide, part creative exchange, the series offers a more personal way into a city.

For the third instalment of The Creative Clubhouse, we head to Cambridge with Phway Su Aye, founder and creative director of fragrance house Gabar. Through her eyes, we explore the city’s creative character, discovering the places she gravitates towards and the everyday encounters that spark new ideas.

“Cambridge has always had a particular pull for me because it sits so beautifully between history and innovation. That dichotomy is also central to Gabar – we’re deeply rooted in Southeast Asian heritage and philosophy while always thinking about the future.

“This ancient city is synonymous with the soaring spires and weathered limestone of its hallowed university colleges, but Cambridge offers an amalgamation of academia and contemporary creativity that invites curiosity. Life moves more slowly than in most cities, with punts floating serenely on the River Cam and cows grazing on its open green spaces. For me, it offers the same sense of depth, purpose and spirit of storytelling that we hope to create at Gabar.”

Kettle’s Yard

Castle Street, Cambridge, CB3 0AQ

Set across four interconnecting cottages, Kettle’s Yard is the former home of Jim Ede, a curator at the Tate Gallery, and his wife Helen. As patrons of the arts and early promoters of the European avant-garde, the pair gathered a remarkable art collection during their lifetimes – including world-renowned names like Pablo Picasso, Ben Nicholson, Joan Miró and Constantin Brancusi – before donating it to the university and making it accessible to all. Works sit alongside furniture and gathered personal objects, without feeling overly curated or precious, creating an intimate atmosphere where art and everyday life coexist. It is incredibly soothing, and such a beautiful way to experience art.

G. David Bookseller

16 St Edward’s Passage, Cambridge CB2 3PJ

This bookshop feels like stumbling upon a secret, tucked down an atmospheric little passage. Inside, a trove of antiquarian and second-hand books awaits. Originating as a stall on the nearby market in 1896, the shop is still run by a descendant of its Parisian founder, Gustave David. You could spend hours in the antiquarian department, browsing first editions from the likes of Charles Darwin and wonderful original engravings and maps. Fuel your curiosity by picking up something unexpected to take back to your Wilde apartment.

Jack’s Gelato

6 Bene't Street, Cambridge CB2 3QN

An ice cream bar with a cult following, the menu at Jack’s Gelato changes daily with a line-up of playful and daring flavours. In keeping with the city’s more inventive side, sample experimental variations like wagyu, durian or pink grapefruit and mezcal, and a daily surprise flavour. Savour your scoop while wandering past the famous Corpus Clock, then watch the world go by from the wall along King’s Parade.

The Fitzwilliam Museum

Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1RB

Its grand Neoclassical facade may seem imposing but ‘the Fitz’, as it’s locally known, is accessible, free and a wonderful place to lose yourself among a collection of more than half a million objects spanning 4,000 years of art and antiquities. The entire collection is an opulent visual feast, from the Palladian hall to the Egyptian funerary relics in the basement and the Italian Renaissance upper galleries. Different periods, ideas and visual languages surround you all at once, and there’s a great cafe to boot.

Cambridge University Botanic Garden

1 Brookside Cambridge CB2 1JE

An oasis in the city centre, these lush gardens comprise a kaleidoscopic array of plants and flowers. As a centre for research and scholarship, they feel genuinely exploratory rather than purely decorative. Alongside wide open spaces, tree-lined walkways and spouting fountains, each greenhouse feels like entering a different climate, region and story. Step away from the thrum of the city for a tranquil spot to both wander and Wonder.

Florey Cafe

Harvey Court, West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DS

Head to this student hangout for a laidback but studious vibe, fuelled by great coffee, cakes and pastries. Natural light floods the space, which overlooks the gardens of Harvey Court. Part of Gonville & Caius College, its striking modernist architecture was designed as a post-war rejection of the idea that all Cambridge colleges had to look Medieval.

The Mathematical Bridge

Queens' College, Silver Street, Cambridge CB3 9ET

Spanning the River Cam between the old world and the new, this bridge symbolises how Cambridge melds science, imagination and innovation. The bridge was constructed by the civil engineer William Etheridge in 1749, and creates the illusion of a perfect arch despite only using straight planks of timber. A local legend persists that it was built without any nails, but cruise under it on a punt trip between the Quayside and the Mill Pond and you can clearly see the metal fastenings.

The Wren Library, Trinity College

Trinity Street, Cambridge CB2 1TQ

Built by Sir Christopher Wren in 1695 – the architect behind London’s St. Paul’s Cathedral – the Wren Library harbours masterpieces ranging from Shakespeare’s first folios to the original drawings for Winnie the Pooh by A.A Milne. Steeped in centuries of thought and a sacrosanct silence, it sits in the beautifully manicured grounds of Trinity College. You can tour the college with a guide, but circumvent the admission fee and visit the library for free during limited hours on weekday afternoons.

Buren

13-14 The Broadway, Mill Road, Cambridge, CB1 3AH

Join the locals down on happening Mill Road – an eclectic mile-long stretch of great cafes, charity shops, antique and plant stores – at this neighbourhood bistro. Meaning ‘neighbours’ in Dutch, Buren was founded by chef Leo Riethoff and his wife Charley, the duo behind Cambridge’s best burgers at Steak + Honour. Enjoy a simple, well-crafted menu (try the Bitterballen) and a sophisticated drinks list served to a great soundtrack from the turntable in the corner.

The Creative Clubhouse is a series by Wilde and Roadbook celebrating the people, places and ideas shaping Europe’s creative cities. Through gatherings, conversations and local guides, we invite artists, designers and makers to share what inspires them, offering a different way to experience a city, one rooted in curiosity, creativity and the everyday.