So to Dalston on Friday evening for some street food. And what an enjoyable evening it was too (once we'd got over venturing such a long way out of our West London comfort zone. And in the interests of objectivity I feel obliged to report that scarily cool East End hipsters are actually just as friendly as anybody else I've ever met. Prejudices be damned!).
Street Feast London is a once-weekly, Friday night (5 - midnight) pop-up food market that changes destination every week. And blimey - last week's was popular. Has food really become the new rock'n'roll? We didn't stay late as we were with friends with an utterly adorable four-and-eleven-twelfths little boy, but by the time we left (8.30-ish) there were queues around the block to rival those of Fabric around 2 in the morning, circa 1999. Yup, I'm showing my age.
But what of the food? Well, we didn't try everything, but what we did was pretty bloody delicious. To start with, Andy and I shared mussels and beer from the Cornish Mussel Company:
Street Feast London is a once-weekly, Friday night (5 - midnight) pop-up food market that changes destination every week. And blimey - last week's was popular. Has food really become the new rock'n'roll? We didn't stay late as we were with friends with an utterly adorable four-and-eleven-twelfths little boy, but by the time we left (8.30-ish) there were queues around the block to rival those of Fabric around 2 in the morning, circa 1999. Yup, I'm showing my age.
But what of the food? Well, we didn't try everything, but what we did was pretty bloody delicious. To start with, Andy and I shared mussels and beer from the Cornish Mussel Company:
Ours were done Spanishly, and most yummy indeed, with all the flavours of paella (garlic, saffron, peppers etc) but crusty bread instead of rice as the essential juice-mopping carb. No pics as Andy had eaten half of them (bivalves, not photos - he's not actually a spy, much as he'd love to be) by the time I got back from the loo.
Andy opted for the Jamaican goat curry to follow, which was fantastic: robustly spiced, the tender, tasty meat falling away from the bone.
I went for one of the most popular stalls - the Lebanese one selling wraps with halloumi, chorizo and the most astounding array of salady accompaniments - from grated carrot to fresh mint to pomegranate seeds. It was a long wait but worth it, with the fresh little parcels of goodness packing a salty, sweet, hot, sour and umami punch in every mouthful.
Andy opted for the Jamaican goat curry to follow, which was fantastic: robustly spiced, the tender, tasty meat falling away from the bone.
I went for one of the most popular stalls - the Lebanese one selling wraps with halloumi, chorizo and the most astounding array of salady accompaniments - from grated carrot to fresh mint to pomegranate seeds. It was a long wait but worth it, with the fresh little parcels of goodness packing a salty, sweet, hot, sour and umami punch in every mouthful.
This Friday (ie tomorrow) Street Feast will be celebrating its first anniversary. The stalls all look mouthwateringly divine. If you happen to be somewhere near Merchant Yard, Dalston, I highly recommend you give it a whirl. Actually, I recommend it even if you're not. It's well worth a trip across town.