London street food bites 2014

Welsh Rarebit from The Little Welsh Rarebit,

Right-o, I’m well aware that it’s been a while since my last post on Jez Felwick’s new street food joint in Shoreditch in September. Someone the other day asked if I still wrote the blog. The cheek of it! Well, the short answer is: yes. The longer answer is: I was off work for a few weeks with vertigo and have slowly been recovering, and I’m glad to say that I’m pretty much back up to normal London street fooding strength. Phew.

But enough of that, I want to share a few recent – and not so recent – London street food recommendations, which I guess can act as a sort of pre-Christmas roundup of the year gone by. Enjoy…

First, very recent London street food:

1. Exceptionally good WELSH RAREBIT

Made using Caws Teifi Farmhouse cheese and toasted Bread Ahead sourdough, and dotted with little pickled gherkins. Service was a little slow but really this was just what the doctor ordered on a blustery day. (see pic above)

From: The Little Welsh Rarebit at The Real Food Festival on the Southbank last Sunday.

2. Finally, after about 18 months of saying I’d have one, a hugely UNDERRATED BURGER

Made with meat from Hophurst Farm (it’s coarsely ground so it doesn’t fall apart, is cooked medium not even fashionably medium rare), a little bit of rocket, topped with Joe Schneider’s gorgeous Stichelton cheese and bundled up inside a really light St John Bakery sesame bun spread with Dijon mustard. One of the best I’ve had, and as a bonus it also came with lovely chat from two bearded men behind the counter, one of whom had what I think was the World’s Best Tomato Ketchup Pouring Technique. This burger was a little bit rich, a little bit chewy, a little bit moist, and very good.  More info on where their meat comes from here, and more detail here on the burger itself.

From: Jacob’s Ladder, also at The Real Food Festival on the Southbank last Sunday.

Berry and peanut butter doughnut, Crosstown Doughnuts, Real Food Market

3. More great DOUGHNUTS (I tried them here at Wapping Market, too)

From the current kings of doughnuts (well, other than St John and Bread Ahead and You Doughnuts and 1235…) Crosstown Doughnuts. I liked gingerbread and lemon which was very bready and something I’d have again for breakfast quite happily. Nick loved (this is putting it lightly) the berry and peanut butter one (above pic).

From: Crosstown Doughnuts, also at The Real Food Festival on the Southbank last Sunday (you getting the hang of this?!)

And now, London street food from over the summer:

Buddha Bowl from Buddha Bowl truck

1. Brilliant BUDDHA BOWL

From the same-named truck situated in Alexandra Palace before an Alt-J gig. It’s basically a cardboard pot filled with plump brown rice, salty halloumi, slithery curly kale, huge chunks of hot sweet potato and soy- and maple-glazed tofu. A warm, satisfying treat on a cold day – and good value at around £6.  A nourishing gem, and lighter than a lot of the stuff you find among London’s existing street food stalls.

From: Budda Bowl, found at Whitecross street market, EC1Y; wholefoodheaven.co.uk

2. Unusual and delicious EGYPTIAN GRAINS

These little cardboard bowls filled with what looks like nondescript food are actually wonderful, wholesome street food nuggets. You can choose from a base such as lentils, rice and vermicelli, and have it topped with fresh and spicy tomato sauce, chickpeas and, the best, bit some exceptionally crispy caramelised onions. Koshari is an Egyptian street food classic, but only just catching on in London. Yum.

From: Koshari Street, also at the Real Food Market, but also Borough Market and the café on St Martin’s Lane; kosharistreet.com

Squid ink ravioloni, La Tua Pasta, Borough Market

3. Superb SQUID INK RAVIOLONI

I went hungry and, boy, did this fill the void. It was great served piping hot from the pan, with a teeny bit of virgin olive oil drizzled over the top. I also bought some wild boar tortellini to take home with me. If you’ve ever had shop-brought tortellini, this will blow that out of the frying pan. The boar is rich, the pasta thick but forgiving.

From: La Tua Pasta in Borough Market, also in Partridge’s Fine Food Market, SW3, Broadway Market, E8, Barnes Farmers Market and a shop in Ealing; latuapasta.com

Pork cheek burger at Pork Life

4. PORK CHEEK BUN

Pork cheek is not a cut I often eat – or not knowingly anyway. But this was tender and satisfying and the hot scorpion sauce on top from The Rib Man blew my head off.

From: one of my favourite butchers, Turner and George, in Islington; hot sauce from The Rib Man. Ages ago at #PorLife Street Feast in Dalston (but it rotates so check the website for more upcoming events)

Teas from Hot Box Brew

5. Refreshing MOROCCAN MINT TEAS

From Hot Box Brew. The Moroccan mint flavour (you can have all their teas hot or cold) was a soothing aid to a playful August hangover. These are new kids on the block, and the guy is a gem. Go for tea, tunes and awesome chat.

From: Hot Box Brew, Saturday at the new Sclater Street Food Market off Brick Lane, E1

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LSF