Tuesday, 19 March 2013

FEAST

 

Last weekend FEAST food festival returned with a bang, a very big bang. This time round the 4 day event was held at tobacco dock, this was a somewhat last-ish minute change of venue (they announced the change in venue shortly before tickets went on sale) and it is easy to see why they did. The venue offers both intimate underground vaults downstairs and a warehouse style upstairs with lofted semi open ceilings, the perfect setting for what was so much more than just a food festival.
The FEAST experience offers a mix of the top names in street food and some of the most exciting new restaurants as well as live bands and fully stocked bars, a great mix that creates an exciting and buzzy atmosphere, so much more than a lifeless food festival in an exhibition centre.
If you haven’t been before I would highly recommend going to the next one, I have heard rumours that they have already started planning one in June, it seems each event is getting bigger and more popular so keep an eye out for the announcement of tickets.
Here’s my take on the food stalls I managed to get round:
First up was Beard to Tail, the meat centric restaurant based on Curtain Road were offering pulled pork sliders and wild boar faggots, I went for the pulled pork slider. I have to say pulled pork is always a winner and a bit of a safe bet so I though it was going to be hard to make a judgement, however I only managed to get half way through my slider before the rest was demolished by my friends, all of whom ended up getting their own afterwards which says it all. The pork was nice and tender and dripping in a sweet flavoursome sauce, defiantly one of the better pulled pork buns I have tried. Although I have read mixed reviews about their restaurant I think they are defiantly worth a go after trying their pulled pork.
 



Next I tried Beagle the restaurant / bar / coffee shop opening its doors under 3 railway arches in Hoxton later this month. James Ferguson previously head chef at Rochelle Canteen will be heading up the kitchen offering a daily-changing menu based on seasonal produce-led British dishes. I opted for their buttermilk fried rabbit with black bean salad. The rabbit was nice and succulent whilst the batter beautifully crispy without distracting from the meat, the bean salad was nice and fresh and a good accompaniment to the rabbit. Defiantly worth a visit when it opens its doors.


 
Being the burrito lover I am and missing my regular burrito lunch to save room for the night’s feastivities it was inevitable that I was going to have a Luardos burrito, the street food vendor based in Whitecross Street. Having heard great things about these burritos they have been on my burrito hit list for some time now and boy they did not disappoint, the tortilla was fluffy, the meat was succulent and tender with a good choice on offer, the fillings fresh and the guacamole was smooth and refreshing. However it was the little touches that made this burrito stand out, as they heat the tortilla they add the cheese allowing it to melt, they add a sprinkle of fresh coriander to liven things up and they have very good sauces, beware the hot is not for the faint hearted. The one regret I had about the burrito was that I shared half of it with a friend, big mistake!
 
 
After a quick drink and a listen to the band I opted to try Pizza Pilgrims the street food operation based in Berwick Street serving freshly baked pizzas out the back of their 3 wheel van. I opted for the ‘Nduja’, dubbed the bad boy sausage pizza which as it turns out has a bit of a kick to it which was a nice surprise and I have to say it was an exceptional pizza, the dough was soft and all the ingredients excellent, defiantly one of the best and most authentic pizzas I have had in London.
 


I had room for one more little portion, having been to a few of these events but never getting round to trying them I went for a HIX's Fish Dog, the posh fish finger street food joint, well actually they were doing doughnuts as well so I tried both. For me fish fingers have always been just good comfort food, something you enjoy when you can’t be bothered cooking which is probably why they were never my first choice at these events. However after tucking in I realised how good simple comfort food can be if done properly, the addition of mushy peas and a vibrant tartar sauce to a freshly prepared fish finger took the simple fish finger sandwich to a new level. The doughnuts weren’t bad either.


 
Before being ushered out of the venue I was lucky enough to be offered a free Big Apple Hot Dogs! These guys have several street food stalls around London and are the big hitters when it comes to hot dogs. Having a few dogs left and not wanting to want to waste they gave them out to the last few people in the venue, you wouldn’t see your high street chain doing that! I have had BAHDs before and have to say they are the best in town, proper dogs made from proper ingredients, if you haven’t tried one do, they will change your perception of the simple hot dog.

 

 
Although not having had one on the night myself most of my friends did so I thought it only right to give a shout out to Patty & Bun, the newish burger joint based behind Bond Street tube. I was lucky enough to find this place soon after it opened and before the queues got to big. They are great burgers and one of my favourites in town, they seemed to have managed to get the balance of different ingredients and toppings just right. The massive queue they had all night spoke volumes about the quality of their burgers.

 

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