BAO and more Street Food Fetivals [Street Food]

Hey, come on! Let's go! I thought we were going to take a steam

Cosmo Kramer (Seinfeld episode “The Outing”) 

The street food festival frenzy keeps its pace. Every week you have at least two festivals, Feast, Realfood, Street Feast, Kerb, Burger Mondays, and so on. I just wonder when we are going to saturate of all this, just less than a year ago there was one every quarter now we seem to get into the top of the trend, but who really knows it might just be the beginning. 

Gizzi's full in action

One of this is Street Feast, based in East London, they have a weekly night market on Fridays and a noon to 10pm on Saturdays. One of their main attractions is Ben Spalding’s Stripped Back every Friday, and some quite notorious events that go against our waistlines such as Taco Wars, Gizzi’s Barn Party, Gin Stock, Rib Stock, etc. 

Bao

John Salt

I went to Gizzi’s Barn Party with only one objective to finally try BAO’s steam buns. Everyone is talking about them, highly marks, one of the new additions to the street food frenzy for sure, even though they are active since 2012. Their menu is based on small eats or Xiao Chi, and the specialty is the traditional Taiwanese street food snack Gua Bao (steamed pork bun). How could I resist I die for pork buns, have tracked them since I lost my steamed bun virginity with Momofuku in NYC. 

Finally

They had two specials that day beef skirt and cumin lamb ribs, so guess what I had one of each. The steamed bun was great. The beef skirt was marinated on shacha sauce, nice balance, with all the trimmings, coriander, peanut powder, and home pickles. The lambs were amazing, tender, perfectly cooked, and the touch of cumin was spot on. 

Bun time

Ribs

Anatomy of a Bun

To end the day I also tried the Salt Yard Group burger. The group just in case you don’t know are the owners of Opera Tavern. The burger was great, wonderful flavours, the patty from Basque beef with chorizo and carefully smoked. Really nice. 

Salt Yard Burger

My humble suggestion don’t miss BAO, you will need to track them down through their site or twitter as they keep moving. Regarding the food market explosion I just love it, I have to come back to Street Feast to try Ben's menu.

BAO

Taiwanese Cuisine / Street Food

Approx Damage: £7pp

Twitter: bao_london

Street Feast

T: 078 1169 0012

Street Food Market

Area: Dalston

Borough: Hackney

Twitter: StreatFeastLDN

---

View Larger Map

---

The Long Table Project: A Midwinter Night Market in Dalston

Yesterday was the first night of four Fridays of London’s finest night market. A hawker style market between Dalston’s two overground stations. The Long Table bringing together in one spot some of the top London street food vendors, restaurants, and even the famous Portuguese chef Nuno Mendes. Massive queues everywhere, I was lucky enough to get early and avoid the entrance queue but at that time 6:30ish the market was already completely full which stayed that way until I left 4 hours later and probably after that, a completely different fate for the ones arriving 20min after I did, I had a glimpsed of the queue when I left and it was massive, it filled completely the entire Abbot street. Besides the big queues the market is a must for any foodie or passionate with food.

Food Night Market

Light My Fire

So what did I try? Basically everything, I stopped eating because I ran out of money. I started the night with the Yum Bun residents of Broadway Market offering pillow soft steam buns filled with slow roast pork belly, hoi sin sauce, cucumbers, spring onions, and shiracha. The Asian arepa as I call it was amazing, big queues but worth it, the flavour of the pork belly with the hoi sin is awesome.

Give me Steam!

Yum Bun

Buns Yum!

The Slow Pork Belly Bun

My second stop was for The Bowler, the mobile meatball machine or as they call it meatballs on the move. I got the great balls of fire sample style as I still wanted to try everything, but it was so good I almost got the whole meal, these amazing spiced pork and beef meatballs with tomato and onion sauce, sour cream, and parmesan tastes like heaven. Sadly they didn’t have there their amazing grass fed van on the place. 

The Bowler

Meatballs of Fire

The Great Gig "Meatball" in the Sky

Third stop and basically the best one of the night, the main event was Nuno Mendes’ The Loft Project, yes the supper club which highlight new talented chefs to show their skills and creations. Not a big queue to be honest, but in front of me on the queue Gizzi Erskine. The Loft’s creation was BBQ short rib with a mushroom caramel and salted peanut praline, it was sublime, superb, I have no more adjectives to describe this awesomeness, go and delight yourself. The short rib was like butter melting away from the bone and the praline was perfect. 

Nuno's Menu

Short Rib Exquisite

The Loft Project Grill

Four stop Moro the restaurant from Exmouth Market offering Moorish cuisine. I got the chestnut and chorizo soup. It was good but not great, I think it needed a punch, something else to bring it all together.

Moro's Chestnut and Chorizo Soup

Finally, yes I got more! A pizza slide from the new residents of Netil Market Home Slice Pizza. Using a modified and portable Wood fire oven to bring to life their thin dough creations. Got the Serrano and Stilton pizza slice, excellent I could have more if I hadn’t run out of money. I will be going for more when in London Fields area.

Pizza Time

Homeslice

There are many more stalls in the market including one of my two favourite burgers Lucky Chip and Hawksmoor, and the excellent Big Apple Hot Dogs. In the middle of all these amazing food two very long tables for the patrons to sit and enjoy. Events like this are why I love London. Head early to avoid the queue and be sure you're hungry enough to try everything.

Lucky Chip

One of the Long Tables 

Street Art in the Venue

While in the market the Bengali Curries from Gastrogeek had in their menu Mutton, I couldn't resist to tell my friends about the Seinfeld episode “The Wink”

Gastrogeek's Mutton

Elaine: My cousin Holly is completely insane. She keeps calling and accusing me of stealing her napkins. 

George: Napkins? 

Elaine: I mean, why? Why would I take her stupid napkins. 

Jerry: Because they were in the pockets of my jacket. 

Elaine: They were? 

Jerry: Yes. I was using them to spit out the mutton. 

Elaine: Spit it out? I had dogs chasing me for that mutton. I was almost mauled because of that mutton. 

George: What exactly is mutton? 

Jerry: I don't know and I didn't want to find out.

The Long Table

Night Food Market

Area: Dalston

Borough: Hackney
Twitter: TheLongTableAS

---

View Larger Map

---