ALERT: STREET KITCHEN

Street food has never been so appealing with the Meat Wagon, Daddy Donkey and various other food stalls all raising the game! Street Kitchen the first of its kind in the UK is the latest stall on everybody’s lips.

Street Kitchen sees Jun Tanaka and Mark Jankel taking to the streets in an Airstream kitchen to cook up gourmet food for you lucky Londoners. The kitchen arrives in Covent Garden on the 4th October as part of The London Restaurant Festival (4-18 October 2010) and up sticks to Old Spitalfields Market on 15th October where it will stay until the 18th October.

The New York-style street van will be selling a seasonal British menu - our personal highlight is the Cheesecake with Blackberries and Shortbread.

Dishes cost £4.50 - £6.50 so they won’t break the bank!

4-18 October 2010

Covent Garden & Old Spitalfields Market

www.streetkitchen.co.uk

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ALERT: LOVE COOKING FESTIVAL

Do you love cooking? If so the Love Cooking Festival on Nov 2nd is the place for you. Gary Rhodes, Richard Corrigan, Mark Hix, Oz Clarke, Ainsley Harriott, Rick Stein, Gini D’Acampo and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall will be taking the stage throughout the day to show you how to create some of their favourite dishes. Each chef will have a one hour slot, the timetable is available online with classes starting at 10am and finishing at 9:30pm.


Tuesday Nov 2nd
www.lovecookingfestival.com
Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, SE1


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ALERT: MALAYSIAN NIGHT

This Friday (24th September) Trafalgar Square hosts London’s very first ‘Malaysia Night’. If like us you like your Asian food and Malay curries then get down there to sample some of the best Malaysian food in the capital. Up to 20 restaurants will be running stalls which is quite something as there are only 70 Malaysian restaurants in the whole of the UK. As well as plenty of free samples there will be opportunities to purchase goodies and live entertainment.

Check out the website for more info:

www.malaysiakitchen.co.uk

Friday 24th September 3pm-10pm
Trafalgar Square, WC2N


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REVIEW: PRINCE ARTHUR

LondOntheInside like the Prince Arthur, we like it a lot. In fact we wished we lived on its street, we think every street should have a Prince Arthur!

The Prince Arthur is located in London Fields, one of the hippest areas around. On a Wednesday evening the pub contained a mixture of young and old locals with almost every table taken. The atmosphere was great, there were groups of friends drinking, couples on dates and old men standing at the bar. Quite a few people were eating so we thought we’d try it out.

The pub offers a two course meal including a glass of house wine for £15 Mon – Wed evenings and Friday lunchtime. There are no restrictions which is a bonus as most of the mains are over £10. So noticing Rice Pudding on the specials board we thought we would take advantage! We started with the Dorset brown crab on toast, the crab was fresh (all the fish is bought from the fish market that morning)and the dish was tasty and filling. Plate cleaned our mains arrived, Fish and Chips and a special of Sea Bass with buttered leeks and wild mushrooms didn’t disappoint. The chips are served in newspaper just like a real chippie and the portions are massive. Non greasy the battered fish and homemade chips went down a treat. The Sea Bass again was a generous piece of fresh fish, the only gripe being that the leeks were a little over buttered. The house wine, Torrontes is also worth a mention as it's reasonably priced and a decent tasting wine (only £16.50 a bottle).

We couldn’t finish our main so we skipped the desert which was a shame as we really wanted to try the Deep Fried Chocolate Sandwich and Rice Pudding. Maybe next time! We have already planned to go back to try the Sunday Lunch and take the ‘rents when they visit for the Monday night quiz. The Prince Arthur manages to get the gastro-pub mix just right, great food whilst still retaining its original pub décor. A big thumbs up from us!

The Prince Arthur • 95 Forest Road • London Fields • E8

www.theprincearthurlondonfields.com

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FRANSCHHOEK’S LE QUARTIER FRANCAIS...

Neil Jewell Head Chef of Bread & Wine, sister restaurant of The Tasting Room at Le Quartier Français - will host three exceptional evenings of South African inspired food and wine at The Loft Project in London this month.

On 23, 24 and 25 September, The Loft Project diners will enjoy 10 delicious courses including Baked Sweet Potato with Chakalaka and Calamari; Rooibos Smoked Chicken Croquettes with Grapefruit, Parmesan and Marinated
Brinjal and Oxtail Samp and Stoot all paired with Môreson's fine wines.

The brainchild of Nuno Mendes, The Loft Project is a unique concept which
invites the worlds' top chefs to take up residence for two or three days at
a time. Stepping away from the traditional restaurant and supper club set-
up, The Loft allows chefs to showcase their talents and exhibit their
cuisine in the way that they want.

So we say sod Shaka Zulu and get yourself here! Well if you can afford it, at £120 we can’t but if we could, we would!

www.theloftproject.co.uk
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TINY ROBOT!

After our visit to Giant Robot we just so happened to be in Tiny Robots neighbourhood last night. Armed with our EC1 local card loaded with £25 of free credit we thought we had better check it out. I mean free food, it would have been rude not to! Tiny Robot is basically a smaller version of Giant Robot (I know, I know it’s in the name!) only it is a little posher and they serve French fries. We had the Meatballs and Spaghetti and Tortelloni both dishes we have tried before at Giant Robot. I have to say the food tasted better but maybe that’s just because they have been practicing at Giant Robot.

However even though the food was slightly nicer LondOntheInside still prefer Giant Robot as it has a much more relaxed atmosphere. If there is anybody who hasn’t heard of the EC1 Local card and work or live in EC1 then register now!

The group have also set up a Lobster card to include anyone working or living in zone one. The cards are loaded with money and offers every month whether it’s a free coffee, a £50 tab or £10 towards a weekend brunch - no strings attached freebies are always a winner in our book!

Tiny Robot, 78 Westbourne Grove, W2

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THE WINNERS!

The first British Street Food Awards winners have been announced. Congratulations to:

1. Best Pie - Eat My Pies.
2. Best Dessert - La Grotta Ices Commended Churros Garcia
3. Best Cold Drink - Ca Phe VN
4. Best Hot Drink - Indie Coffee
5. Best Main Dish - The Fish Hut
6. Best Sandwich - The Meatwagon
7. Best Looking Mobiler - Lulabelle's Lunches
8. Best Snack - Healthy Yummies
9. Best Of The Best, and overall winner - La Grotta Ices

For those of you wanting to sample the goodies, some of the winning finalists will be coming to London, to create a BSFA area at Brent Cross shopping centre in October. Watch this space!

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BRICK LANE CURRY FESTIVAL...

The Brick Lane Curry Festival kicks off this Sunday with a food lovers dream of all things hot and spicy. Going strong for over 15 years this curry hot pot brings together not only food lovers but musicians, artists and fashion-east-ers from all walks of life.

An impressive 42 restaurants are involved along with hundreds of chefs giving you the chance to taste some amazing curries. So if you have a mouth made from asbestos get down there for a cultural feast and a dance.

Make ours a Rogan Josh!

http://www.curryfestival.co/

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ALERT: LAMB LOVERS

Get down to The Butcher in Leadenhall Market tomorrow, where London chef, Joe Gray from Kenza (Levant Group) will be cooking a unique Welsh Lamb dish. This six week celebration of Welsh Lamb will take place every Wednesday from 12:00pm until 2:00pm, offering dishes inspired by cuisines of the world.The line-up includes some of London's top restaurants (such as Arbutus, Kenza, Café Spice Namasté and L'Anima) cooking dishes to sample free of charge. (Full lunch portions will also be available to purchase.)

Wednesday 15 September : Joe Gray, Kenza (Levant Group)
Muhammar, a slow roasted marinated lamb with organic couscous

Wednesday 22 September : Sophie Wright, Food writer
Herb marinated canon of lamb with flageolet and merguez ragu

Wednesday 29 September : Anthony Demetre, Arbutus, Wild Honey, and Les Deux Salons
Slow cooked shoulder of Welsh Lamb with fresh white coco beans

Wednesday 06 October : Francesco Mazzei, L'Anima
Lamb salmoriglio with quinoa

Wednesday 13 October : Cyrus Todiwala, Café Spice Namasté
Kharu gos, a braised lamb dish with crisp potatoes

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REVIEW: GIANT ROBOT

Giant Robot on Clerkenwell Road is the latest project from the people behind Milk & Honey, The Clubhouse and The Player. The décor is great, exposed brickwork, quirky lamps and we particularly liked the menu above the kitchen which looks like an old cinema board.

The bar specialises in meatballs which are washed down with large selection of cocktails and beers. There are other things on the menu but for us it was all about the ‘balls’. For £6.95 you get a small portion of pasta with three meatballs and although it isn’t the cheapest, the pasta is tasty and the small portion is sufficient for lunch.

The Tuna Crostini (the Italian version of a baguette only with less flour) at £4.20 is great value; we were surprised to find it contained a tuna steak! However the clear winners were the Sliders. A meatball served in small bun topped with cheese and sauce. Like a mini burger, they are a bite sized treat in a bun. If we were to go back we would just order three of these bad boys!

To finish we tried the ice cream sandwiches and we have to say these weren’t great, the cookies were a little too hard and the ice cream contained lots of frozen water crystals. To sum it Giant Robot is a great place to grab some lunch or for after work drinks and nibbles. They also do a staff meal between 5pm-7pm for only a fiver, a good move the week before pay day!

Giant Robot, 45-47 Clerkenwell Road, EC1M

http://www.gntrbt.com

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REVIEW: NOW

If you want healthy Chinese food (emphasis on healthy), and you want it right now then head along to NOW.

NOW is a Chinese street-food takeaway owned by the people behind London chain Ping Pong. It serves up dim sum, savoury & sweet buns, rice dishes, soups and Chinese teas in a flash. In fact quicker than a flash.

LondOntheinside went along to try the food and we liked what we found. The Hot and Spicy Soup was full of flavour and had just the right amount of kick, perfect for winter days. The Chicken Rice Pot was fresh, healthy and quite a large portion for under £4.

The selection of Chinese teas is impressive although we stuck to the Hong Kong beer, research shows it’s best not to be too healthy! The only grumble we had was that the Lychee and Citrus fruit jelly hadn’t set so it was more like a thick sauce than a wobbly jelly.

If you're in Liverpool Street and you happen to be looking for a healthy, filling, cheap takeaway meal try NOW. Especially if you're eating on the run, much better than any packaged sandwich!

NOW, 22/23 Liverpool Street, EC2M
Mon-Fri 7am-9pm
Sat-Sun and Bank Holiday 9am-6pm

http://www.nowstreetfood.com/index.html

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REVIEW: TORTILLA

Tortilla was one of the first take-away style Burrito restaurants in London, although recently new joints seem to be popping up all over the city! The concept is simple first you choose your meal, Burrito, Fajita, Salad or Tacos. Then you choose your fillings, toppings and sides. The whole food process is completed by a human conveyor belt, each member of staff is assigned to a stage .

We tried the Steak and Pork Fajita Wraps which went down a treat. Both meats were cooked well, although the pork was the clear winner so tender and tasty, exactly how carnitas should be served. The Gucamole and Salsa are made fresh and for 50p you get a fair amount for your pennies. There is an impresses selection of salsas available ranging from mild to hot, hot heat! We opted for medium size wraps, which were still fairly big and washed them down with a couple of Mexican beers. They also serve Magaritas for £4.25, not bad.

Tortilla is a great place to go if your looking for a healthy alternative to take away food. All of the ingredients are fresh and it is great value for money. For just over £15 you can get two meals and a couple of beers. Perfect for the day before payday or if your looking for a quick, nice, food fix!

LondOntheinside visited the Islington branch, which just so happens to be on our route home. There are also branches in Southwark, Canary Wharf and Oxford Circus. We will be back, after all it is on our route home...

Tortilla, 13 Islington High Street, N1

http://tortilla.co.uk/

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NEWS: BRITISH STREET FOOD FINALISTS ANNOUNCED

The list of finalists in the first British Street Food Awards have been announced today! The list includes a pink VW camper van serving up tea and handmade cupcakes, a polished Airstream trailer with the fattest, pinkest burgers you ever tasted, and a bedouin tent offering up "the ultimate British stir-fry" with split peas.

Food journalist and broadcaster Richard Johnson and his judging panel of Marco Pierre White, Antony Worrall Thompson, Mark Hix and Thomasina Miers, have put together a list of finalists from all over the UK.

The street food sellers will be put to the test on Sept 11th and 12th at Ludlow, where the judgesand the general public will vote for an overall winner.

The finalists are Banh Mi 11, Ca Phe Vn, Chipper, Churros Garcia, Daddy Donkey, Eat My Pies, Fire In The Hole, Greengages, Healthy Yummies, Jamon Jamon, Laughing Stock, Lulubelles Lunches, Manic Organic, Meatwagon, Mother Bhumi, Prufrock Coffee, Rocket And Relish, Sporeboys, The Fish Hut, Indie Coffee and La Grotta Ices.

Goodness we can’t decide who to choose! For us it has got to be between Daddy Donkey, Meatwagon and Banh Mi 11!

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