BOROUGH MARKET

London, UK

Borough Market is arguably the most famous food market in London, with people from all over town flocking there on Saturdays, to an area of the city they otherwise might not visit much. It is not a live fashion show like Broadway Market, as the crowd is more touristic or family oriented. It's usually crowded and a bit stressful, so I wouldn't go for the atmosphere, only for the food. For the early birds, there is a wholesale market from 2am to 8am on Saturdays, which I hear is cheap and good, but I've yet to get up that early to check it out. Instead, I've arrived around lunch hour, when the market is packed and the queue for the cash machine stretches far. I would not only advice to get cash in advance, but to get quite a lot of it. It's not a cheap market, and the costs start to add up if you want to have a drink, a few lunches, ice cream, and some snacks to take home. As with all markets, the best strategy is to share so you can try as many things as possible. There is also an array of free tasters to grab on the way, like paella and turkish delights.

One of my favourite meals at Borough isn't technically a market stall, but a temporary BBQ grill set up outside of Applebee's fishmongers. They serve grilled garlic prawn wraps from noon onwards, perfect for a late Saturday breakfast. The prawns are served with only a bit of lettuce, garlic and dressing, and taste absolutely amazing in the wrap. This is a must, and great warm up for two to share before heading into the main market area.  Amongst the most popular stands is Northfield Farm, which always has a long line. When I saw the sign for their Wangus Burger, a mixture of wagyu beef and angus beef. With this, I decided I had to join the queue and try it. I got served after around 10 minutes, and once I dug in I was disappointed with the very first bite. The meat was chewy and kind of springy in consistency, and it seemed like no thought had been put into the garnishes; a bit of rocket and onion just doesn't cut it. When I checked their website now, it seems that the item has been taken off the menu, so perhaps I wasn't the only one who didn't like it. However, the salt beef sandwich from the same place is spectacular, an example of English bread and meat at their best. Clearly, Northfield has good quality ingredients, they just have to put effort into serving it in the right way. Once I've tried a few mains, I usually walk around and look for produce to take home. There's a great selection of juices, chocolates, vegetables and bread to set you up for the rest of the weekend.

www.boroughmarket.org.uk

BIG APPLE HOT DOGS

London, UK

I had heard Big Apple Hot Dogs described as the best hot dogs in London, so I googled them to see where I could find them. Unfortunately they are only open in Old Street from Tuesdays - Fridays from 12 - 6pm, making it hard to get there during lunch hour for anyone not in the area. I considered cycling there to be able to get there and back in my break, and quickly eat it as well, but luckily I didn't need to. From February this year, Big Apple Hot Dogs started serving their full menu every day at the hipster-filled Owl & Pussycat Pub in Shoreditch. It's difficult to find a table, but only because the other ones are taken by people having drinks. Curiously, every time I've been there I haven't seen anyone else eating. The hot dogs are hand made in London, and the website states that 94-98% of the contents is meat, which I assume is quite a lot more than your average street vendor hot dog. The buns are made fresh by local bakers, and all in all it sounds like a wholesome, guilt-free sausage. I have been a few times now, and tried the Big Dog and Huge Pole, both mixes of pork and beef, and the pure beef Pimp Steak. Despite their different sizes and shapes, they all come in the same size bun, meaning the proportion of bread cannot be right for all of them. You can add a range of toppings for 80 p each, including fried onions, kimchi and my favourite; sauerkraut. The hot dogs are all tasty, but a bit too big, and it's difficult to bite over the large bun without getting ketchup and mustard all over. The fries are soggy, so I only ordered those once. Big Apple Hot Dogs are definitely up there with the best I've tried in London, but they still can't compete with the real deal in New York.

  www.bigapplehotdogs.com

SPIT & ROAST

London, UK

Spit and Roast manages to satisfy two cravings I almost always have; a craving for a good burger and for fried chicken. In London, burgers are all over its food grid, but when it comes to fried chicken, it still remains a rarity to come across that excellent piece of juicy and crispy poultry. This is not say there aren't any good places serving fried chicken; it’s just not as common as finding a good burger, which makes the experience of finding a place that perfects it ever the more precious and enjoyable. Enter Spit and Roast, which I had the pleasure of trying on one of my lunch breaks from work at my new favorite eating spot in London: the Kerb food market in Granary Square. The Kerb is also home to The Grilling Greek, and the previous home of Bleecker Street Burger, both of which have been reviewed on the Food Grid. It was a sunny Wednesday, and arriving at the Kerb the queue stretched quite far back, but I happily waited eager to try the food emerging from the van with the longest line. Thirty minutes later, I ordered their classic and most famous dish, the fried chicken bap alongside an order of French fries, naturally. Ready within five minutes, I rushed to find a place to sit and dig in. The burger not only looks delicious, it tastes amazing. The fried buttermilk chicken is tender, crispy and just the right amount of oily, complemented with their crunchy slaw and Korean hot sauce, making this burger a fusion burger I suppose. With the summer season upon us, I have no doubt the lines ahead of Spit and Roast will keep getting longer, but I will gladly wait to have another one of their delicious fried chicken baps. 

www.kerbfood.com/traders/spit-roast

THE GRILLING GREEK

London, UK

Lately, around my area of work, Kings Cross, I have grown quite bored of the usual lunching options and so The Kerb has become my saviour whenever I wanted to try something new and refreshing. The Kerb King Cross is a food market located just off the newly completed Granary Square, and attracts many food vans and karts that spread their deliciousness across London. It has become the place where up-and-coming restaurateurs and newly established food places go to promote their name. On my latest visit to the Kerb I finally got to try The Grilling Greek, a food van serving delicious souvlakis (Greek style fast food wraps), which I’ve been hearing a lot about lately. I went at 12:30 pm on a Tuesday and to my relief there wasn’t much of a line ahead of me. The van itself with its blue colours and Greek accessories screams Greece and was very in tune with the culinary offerings about to be enjoyed. The menu options are threefold where you can choose a pork, chicken or halloumi souvlaki. All are served with red onions, tomatoes, and Tzatziki (Greek yoghurt mixed with garlic, cucumber and mint) wrapped in pita bread. I was particularly hungry on that day so I opted for both the chicken souvlaki and the halloumi wrap, as well as a side order of the French fries that are cooked with oregano and topped with feta cheese.  The friendly staff prepared the food quite quickly and within five minutes of ordering my food I was ready to dig in. Both wraps were exceptionally delightful and refreshing (thanks to the Tzatziki), very easy to eat and not messy at all since they were cleverly wrapped. The halloumi was grilled and very light, and the chicken was nicely grilled although a bit burnt in some parts. What I didn’t particularly enjoy was the pita bread, as it was a bit too doughy and at many instances disguised the flavours of the other ingredients. Also, the French fries were excessively oily and over-cooked, and I only managed to eat a few, so I would not recommend them. As an alternative to my usual lunch spots, the Grilling Greek has proven to be a successful lunch option, but I would not go as far as travelling out of my way to go to it, but I will definitely return on my lunch breaks when I am strapped for choice to have another souvlaki.

 

Kerb @ Kings Cross

BLEECKER STREET BURGER

London has recently been drowning in an overflow of new burger places. They are popping up on a weekly basis, and each one seems to be the ‘newest’ and ‘hottest’ burger in town. This week we introduce you to Bleecker Street Burger, which isn’t a newcomer as it established itself right around the 2012 Olympics, but it has now developed a new cult following amongst many Londoners in the know. Not a restaurant but a burger van, Bleecker Street Burger moves around London during the week spreading its deliciousness across the capital. Bleecker Street Burger is a black van serving simple American ‘New York’ style greasy burgers. You have the options of the cheeseburger, the double cheeseburger and the blue cheeseburger, which is naturally served with blue cheese. On my latest lunchtime visit to Bleecker Street Burger, where it was parked on the ‘Kerb’ by Kings Cross St Pancras, I opted for the double cheeseburger with French fries. The double cheese burger is cooked medium rare and comes served in a glazed sesame bun with American cheese and nothing else; no disguises. The burger was delicious, the meat was phenomenal and the overall experience was nothing short of explosive. The meat literally melted in my mouth, and the bun was flawlessly toasted and crispy; it was an amazing burger, and an incredibly generous portion. The hand cut fries were also good but did not live up to the quality of the main dish. My only complaint about the burger is that I would have preferred it to be slightly more cooked, although it did not bother me so much. Bleecker Street Burger is highly recommended and I urge you all to log onto their website and try to catch them at a London location near you; it’s definitely worth travelling to and will not leave you disappointed.

All Over London

BROADWAY MARKET

Broadway Market is a bustling Saturday street market with about 80 stalls selling food from all over the world and various vintage and antique objects. It is a true representation of the gentrification of East London; once I heard a local man yelling at the crowd for taking over his neighbourhood. It is clear that the visitors have thought through their outfits carefully before going for lunch, and if you’re not prepared you can stop at the racks of vintage clothes at the beginning of the market for the necessary hipster attire. I used to go every weekend when I lived in the area, and I still try to make the trip now. I developed a sort of set repertoire of dishes to eat, and made sure I always had someone to share with in order to be able to try as many things as possible. I’m not going to go over all my favourites now, just what I ate the last time I went. I started with the Scallop + Bacon Bap because the Fin & Flounder shop was out of supply for my regular Tuna Roll. The Cornish scallops are deep fried and served with crispy bacon and chilli mayo. It is a really good sandwich, but they serve it with the roe, which I’m not completely comfortable with. I then tried the Vietnamese Baguette with pork from a stall that always has a long line. They were stingy on the fillings so the fresh Bánh mì bread had to do most of the work, and the overall taste was not spectacular in any way. 

There are some amazing dessert vendors along the market, such as the organic Cinnamon Tree Bakery and the delicious Coco&Me. I haven’t been able to pick my favourite out of their brownies. Beware of the dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free bakeries though. Some of these might look enticing, but I’ve learnt to stay away. I once had a carrot cake cupcake with coconut icing, which sounded like it had potential to be amazing. Alas, it was a huge and solid lump, with zero taste.  I’ve been conditioned to feel strongly against throwing away food, but I had to give up on this, as I didn’t want to waste precious space in my stomach for the many other delicious cakes around the market. I had a slice of flourless chocolate cake at Coco&Me, and by this point I was already getting quite full. Walking further North up the market, I shared the Stilton and Pork Burger with my friend. This is a really juicy burger where the cheese is already mixed in with the meat before grilling. For dessert number two I got ice cream from the friendly vendor at Chateaux Gelato. The pistachio ice cream and blood orange sorbet was a refreshing end to another successful day at Broadway Market. 

 

Broadway Market, Hackney, London E8 4QJ

LA CREPERIE DE HAMPSTEAD 

La Crêperie de Hampstead is a permanent outdoor stall, based in Hampstead since 1980. It has become a staple of Hampstead High Street, and is never seen without a queue. They serve a large selection of savoury Galettes and sweet Crêpes, and it is difficult to choose what to go for. For the indecisive, I recommend going with a friend and sharing one Galette and one Crêpe, although it does get messy. I’ve visited on rainy days when the queue is tolerable, but that means compromising on the comfort of eating outside, as there is no seating, and the next door pub is not too excited about Crêpe eating freeloaders. Thus, if you are not in a rush, go there on a sunny day. My favourite Galette so far has been the Mushroom Garlic Cheese With Ham Too. For the sweet Crêpes I enjoyed the Banana, Dark Chocolate and Coconut. Next time I would tell them to go easy on the chocolate though, as it became a bit overwhelming in the last few bites where all the melted chocolate had gathered at the bottom. I wouldn’t go so far as to describe the French staff as friendly, but they have a lot of people waiting and do a good job. La Crêperie de Hampstead is a wonderful quick meal well worth the trip to this area. Its popularity is undeniable and is reflected in the little white paper cones that constantly litter the streets within a 500 m radius.

 

77 Hampstead High Street, London NW3  1RE

MALTBY STREET MARKET 

Maltby Street Market is a collection of stalls and shops located under the railway arches of Ropewalk in Bermondsey. It is not easy to come by, and it is unlikely to even notice it unless you are already aware of it. I went on a cold Saturday for lunch. Most stalls and bars close at 4 in the afternoon, so one has no choice but to start drinking early. There are the usual stalls of olive oils and sauces to take home, but as with any market, I mainly come for the ready-made and ready to eat snacks. I walked up and down the market to familiarise myself with the options on offer, and recognised a few stalls from Broadway Market. I opted for the Ox Burger by The Woolpack, which is actually a beef burger with braised oxtail on top, making it runny and difficult to eat without the aid of lots of napkins. It didn't look very appetising either; I would have preferred an actual oxtail burger patty, but it was nevertheless good.

We sat down for cocktails at the Little Bird gin bar. The gin is distilled in London, and each individual drink is served in a different glass. This quirky little place has a short and excellent cocktail list, with prices of only £5. A hot water bottle kept us warm under the dark brick arch. The Rhubarb Robin Negroni is refreshingly bitter, the Breakfast Martini is a bit too sweet for my liking, but definitely goes down a treat as well. After drinks we moved onto the Spanish jamon bar: Bar Tozino. It looks very authentic, but still follows London prices. The friendly staff gave us some sides and sherry for free, so I was more than pleased. Bar Tozino stays open later, and is worth the trip on its own, even when the rest of the market is closed. We even watched a vintage dance class performing, hidden within an antique furniture store. The overall atmosphere of Maltby Street Market is friendly and eclectic, and it is worth going there for an experience further to eating.

Maltby Street, Ropewalk, London SE1