Street Feast hits Dalston as weekly night market begins

Street Feast Dalston. Pic: Chris McIntosh

London’s street food movement has arrived in Dalston with the launch of Street Feast London this month.

Organiser Dominic Cools-Lartigue has brought together 16 of London’s best street vendors to serve up street food from around the world – in its mission to “inspire a night market culture to London.”

“We have great night life and street food but no real night markets. We want to bring that culture to East London,” he explained.

The pop up food festival is making a ramshackle car park on Hartwell Street its home every Friday night for the rest of the summer and will be serving up everything from Mexican tacos to Baja sea bass and Bengali street snacks.

With the focus on “having fun while filling our bellies,” communal tables, live art, table tennis, music and a bar add to the festival atmosphere.

London’s street-food scene has enjoyed a recent surge in popularity. While street side food vendors have traditionally existed to serve cheap, often greasy food to workmen around the city; this new generation of street vendor thrives on producing fresh, well sourced and exciting plates – often of gourmet restaurant standard.

Angus Denoon, the charismatic owner of The Everybody Love Love Jhal Muri Express, dices up fresh Bengali limes for his classic Calcuttan street snack of puffed rice and spices. Using quality ingredients, he learnt his trade in India where “nice, tasty street food made from cheap ingredients” is standard fare.

The event follows on from the success of similar projects around the city, such as The World Street Food Festival on London’s Southbank in June this year and the newly-formed Eat Street collective at Kings Cross.

Ellen Monroe, 28, from Islington said: “This is my first ‘Street Feast’ experience but I’ll definitely come again. The food has been amazing, there is a really nice atmosphere and the standard of the dishes I’ve tried have been as good as a restaurant.”

Street Feast London, every Friday 5pm – 12am, at Thames House, Hartwell St, E8 3DU.
www.streetfeastlondon.com

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