GOING UNDERGROUND

New Year. New start.

Howdy folks and a happy 2016 to you.

January has gone super fast. I've turned the big two five this month and taken some time off to reflect.

I'm currently redesigning the blog and overcoming my writers block. My new direction will be focused on and around (but not limited to) my life and exploring London. Be that food, beer, culture or whatever else takes my fancy.

I hope you can join me on my new adventure.

THE RETURN

After a super busy year, including a relocation to London, I have decided to pick up the blog again.

Since moving down I have been working my socks off with various street food traders and learning the London industry. I've had the pleasure of working with several street food traders at markets, residencies and events.

I'm not really sure where this blog will go. I have a few ideas in mind, but I really just need a space to share my ideas, inspiration and great food finds. 

I would like to say a massive thank you to all the traders who have welcomed me with wide arms this Summer since my move to London. Big love to Zoe's Ghana Kitchen; Busan BBQ; Vinn Goute; Howard's Meat Co.; Squid Kitchen; and Rotlicrew.

You've been ACE!

OUT AND ABOUT | MANJIT'S KITCHEN YELLOW HORSEBOX LAUNCH PARTY

Yesterday I went to a very special event indeed. The official launch of Manjit's Kitchen new yellow horsebox, a result of their successful Crowdfunder campaign earlier this year after a horrific turmoil involving their previous mobile which was vandalised and written off.

Their Crowdfunder wooed the hearts of many locals but also of many up and down the country. Becoming the proud owners of a blue horsebox, Manjit's Kitchen needed to raise funds in order to make it into a mobile Indian chaat station which they could use at events and to indeed make a living from.

Reaching their target in only a matter of days, Manjit's Kitchen then went on to transform their little blue horsebox into a spanking new mobile kitchen in around three months. Just see below for the before and after pictures.

(Photo: Manjit's Kitchen)

Celebrations of their new horsebox were ideally placed at the venue and vegetarian haven Wharf Chambers, Manjit's Kitchen teamed up with friends That Old Chestnut and The Grub & Grog Shop to offer a delectable feast. Matched with great beer and some musical vibes from Mr J it made for a gloriously sunny afternoon.

Tucking in with my friend Diane, we first launched into The Grub & Grog menu. With two options on the menu, we opted for both. First up was the Beetroot in Stout (£4) served with braised barley, malt oil, hop syrup, herb sauce and pickled carrot. Beautifully sticky and succulent wedges of beetroot on a seasoned bed of barley - real healthy feel good food. I loved the sauteed leeks and pickled carrot which garnished it too adding a sharpness to the dish.

Next up were the Courgette and Chilli Fritters (£3) served with herb sauce and malt. The chilli was subtle but the herb sauce enhanced the flavour. It was like a mixture of a salsa verde and a chimichurri, a real beaut!

Onto the main appeal of the day, I joined the winding queue at Manjit's Kitchen and waited in line for my food from their shiny new yellow horsebox! On top of their show-stopping chilli paneer wrap, they had an option of five different small dishes where you could mix and match three of them for £10. We went for the Samoosa Chaat, Avocado Pani Puri and the Watermelon Chaat (£10).

Being served up an amazing platter of vegetarian Indian delights, I'm never left unsatisfied by Manjit's food. It's always pleasingley fresh, homely and filling - but definitely not lacking in flavour. We devoured the meal in a matter of minutes. Samosa Chaat was indeed my favourite but then Chaat is perhaps to me the most delicious Indian food to exist, so slightly biased!

With one of my favourite bakers at hand, That Old Chestnut, I had to get a slice of what I will just say is the best ginger cake you will ever grace your mouth with. Their Sticky Stem Ginger Cake (£1.50) was as always a moist, spicy, and scoffable treat. So scoffable that it didn't even get a chance at seeing my camera lens!

It was an afternoon full of community cheer and high spirits, which is what to me street food is all about. Congratulations to Manjit's Kitchen and to what the future holds for them and their yellow horsebox!

OUT AND ABOUT | MEAT BOARD AND WINE AT OUTLAWS YACHT CLUB

Last week myself and friend Diane went to go and check out an offer that we had been meaning to snap up for quite some time. Every Tuesday from 5pm, Outlaws Yacht Club have a offer of a meat or cheese board and a bottle of house wine for a mere £15 - perfect for sharing!

We went for the meat board option and for their house red. The house red was a Luis Felipe Edwards Lot 40 Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. Served at the right temperature this was pretty damn good for a house wine! 

Settling nicely into our bottle of wine, the Meat Board arrived about 10 minutes latter on a wooden platter with a plate of sourdough on the side.

A wooden board was ladened with Lonzino, Chorizo, Salami and a thinly sliced Pancetta - although I am not 100% sure if this is correct as the meats were not listed anywhere and did not match the description in the menu. Three little pots also accompanied the meat which were local producer Made by Jim's ale chutney, a red wine jam and olive oil.

The sourdough bread was served warm and slightly toasted. I would have prefered it to have been left un-toasted but the bread itself was delicious with a subtle flavour of aniseed drawing through - it was very good bread indeed.

The meats were served at room temperature. We tucked in and started working our way through the different cured meats. The chorizo was served in chunky slices, it was quite subtle for a chorizo and was slightly underwhelming in flavour for me. I prefer chorizo when it is strong and smokey.

The other meats were all tasty enough but were personally not a selection I would have gone for if I had been able to choose. Some of the cuts were extremely fatty... as most cured meat is, but I prefer leaner cured meats (or at least without strips of fat) over these.

Working our way through the board this was great food to share and to talk over. We were offered more bread and chutney as we'd some how managed to demolish the plater of sourdough that came with the board and devour the very more-ish chutney.

The staff and service was great and the atmosphere was an overall pleasant one. For £15 this is a great option to go for if you want to share some food over a drink with a friend and want to enjoy a nice relaxed evening in nice surroundings. There is something about this place which I really like - it's not pompous or over hip and makes for a nice escape from some of the busier Leeds bars. I will be back to try out more of their menu soon.

OUT AND ABOUT | LAYNES ESPRESSO SUNDAY BRUNCH #3

Laynes Espresso, current residents at the Belgrave Music Hall, host a Sunday brunch service every month. My previous experiences (see my posts here and here) have been a bit hit and miss. The food is always great but there were a few problems with service when it launched earlier this year. After missing a the last few I was invited last weekend to join my friend Sarah and her family for her birthday brunch.

The menu looked very impressive. All five dishes sounded delicious but I was particularly eyeing up the French Toast again (I have had it before and it is the stuff of dreams!). With the menu changing for each service to adapt to available seasonal produce it was nice to see asparagus included.

We were a group of four and we decided to order all five dishes so we could try a bit of everything. 

Service was much quicker than in previous visits. All of the dishes came within thirty minutes of ordering them. More staff were on to take orders and the system had been ironed out to be a smooth and quick service. 

First up we have the heavenly French Toast (£7.50)! This came served as two slices of thick brioche which was crisp on the outside but moist and delicate on the inside without being soggy. It was topped with caramelised banana, an almond brittle, espresso mascarpone and maple syrup.

I loved all the flavours and textures in this dish. The espresso mascarpone was quite over powering but it's bitter taste cut through the sweetness of the rest of the dish, giving it a nice contrast and balance.

The next dish was the 36 Hour Pork Belly BLT (£8) - this was almighty in size and proportions. A thick wedge of focaccia was filled with cos lettuce, plum vine tomatoes, avocado, bacon mayonnaise and a slab of pork belly.

This looked extremely impressive. I'm not a massive fan of pork... and particularly pork belly so this wasn't the dish for me but it was received well by others on the table. The pork was melt-in-the-mouth and very tender. Even for pork belly though this was mainly just fat with a very small ratio of meat in the portion we were served.

The Heritage Tomato (£8) dish was delicately presented. A slice of toasted sourdough was topped with sliced heritage tomatoes served with an avocado mousse, salted ricotta, poached egg and then topped with puffed rice (yes they are not caterpillars!).

I love heritage tomatoes for their diversity in appearance and in flavour. With a few different tomatoes in this dish, the flavours were predominantly smokey, with the tomatoes having a meaty texture. 

On to the Beetroot Cured Salmon (£8) we were served a plate of beautiful dark pink salmon, naturally dyed by the beetroot, with a pea, feta and sweetcorn fritter, poached egg, avocado puree and dill creme fraiche. 

And last but not least was the English Asparagus (£8.50) which came served on a piece of toasted sourdough, topped with four stalks of asparagus coated in black sesame seeds and miso, a round of goats cheese and a poached egg which had been deep fried and coated in panko breadcrumbs.

This dish was the savoury winner for me. The goats cheese was slightly melted from the heat of the asparagus and the egg and made it all nice and gooey. The asparagus was cooked al dente and had a good bite to it. Delicately seasoned with the sesame seeds and miso the asparagus flavours shone through.The egg was a masterpiece, I loved the concept and the idea and was fascinated by how it had been made. This dish was a real beauty. 

Overall we were very pleased with the food, service and impressed with the menu. I look forward to seeing what the next menu brings!

OUT AND ABOUT | SARAH AND MIKE'S WEDDING FEAST

Last week I had the honour of helping a friend very close to me with preparing the food for her wedding.

Sarah, also known as breaker of diets and hearts with her baking business Noisette Bakehouse, has a career and main passion for life based around food. This meant that the food was an extremely important part of the wedding and it was both a pleasure and a privilege to be able to help and have an input with the feast that took place.

A lot of love went into this very special day and I'd like to say a big thank you to Sarah, Mike and the family for taking me in for a few days and for their kind hospitality. Another big thank you goes to Diane for the pictures.

... and a big congratulations to Mr and Mrs Lemanski!

Below is a round up of pictures of the wedding feast which followed the wedding. A buffet style affair with influences from Yorkshire, Poland and the Middle East (try and top that selection!).