There’s a new food trend that’s slowly catching up in London- street food markets. They’re quite popular because a day off spent lazing around a food market, eating and drinking in the company of friends feels like bliss. Located in the land of hipsters aka Shoreditch High Street you cannot miss this place on a Saturday. I would advise you come here with an appetite as getting through 15 food stalls isn’t for the faint hearted! The place had a great buzz and everyone was enjoying themselves. Unlike other street food markets I’ve been to, the people here were thankfully much more civilised and laid back. Hats off to Jessica (founder extraordinaire behind Urban Food Fest) for starting such an amazing venture. A great way to bring the community together and I loved the level of detail in everything she has done with this food event- from the logo of Urban Food Fest to the research done on every single street trader manning their food stalls. Each stall was from a different country with a proud display of their delicious food.
The first stop on this food coma inducing food fest was the Peruvian stall. I’ve never tried Peruvian food before but I have to say- I am sold and will definitely be trying more of it. For all the health conscious people out there- quinoa mixed with fresh salad, grilled chicken and a side of crunchy nuts; you can’t really go wrong with that can you? The Argentine style empanadas were one of my favourites. Their beef empanada was packed with flavour. It was juicy and the meat was so tender it melted in my mouth. I would’ve tried every single one of them if I could… From a pocket pizza cooked in a dome shaped oven on site to a delicious vegetarian burger that was made of aubergine, portobello mushroom and (get this!) truffle mayo dressing(!!)- I was in a state of euphoria. By this point we were begging the guys to make small portions or else being rolled around was a close reality.
I’m quite proud of myself as I never thought I’d be adventurous enough to try FROG’S LEGS but I did! The Cajun deep fried frog legs tasted like chicken wings. The Portuguese stall had a delicious spread of sweet and savoury foods. I loved the Pastel Del Bacalhau which is a fishcake made of salted cod. It had a really soft and creamy texture. Yum…I was pretty much full at this point. Anything I ate beyond this point was very much Man Vs Food. Before I move onto the desserts, the stars of the whole food fest (and what everyone was queuing up to try) was the much anticipated Ramen burger. Was it worth the wait and hype!? Definitely! Even though I was bursting at the seams, I made sure I had a good few bites of this burger. Not only is the burger absolutely delicious, these boys came up with their own special packaging. The dessert was the best, chocolatey, gooey Oreo cheesecake I have ever eaten! I am a fan. The dessert stall is a husband and wife duo. They do an amazing selection of macarons and the ever popular cronuts (cross between a croissant and a donut=cronut!). Their macarons are not run of the mill and they have some very unusual flavoured ones like one that has wasabi in it (what?) and a beautifully crafted mint macaroon that was inspired by a dress at London Fashion Week. How amazing is that!? It had intricate flowers drawn on every single macaron. You can’t help but be amazed at the craftsmanship.
So even if you’ve been to one before, you’ll find a different set of stalls each time you visit. Take your friends and family to this street food fest and I guarantee you will love it. I had the most amazing time here and who knows you may find me eating myself into another food coma this Saturday!
