Soho is still probably the most exciting place to eat out in the country. Well, in London maybe. I can certainly say that nowhere else in the capital presents quite the condensed array of varied and exciting options available than the neighbourly west end. Once a year the Soho Food Feast rolls into the area, as a community support programme for the Soho Parish Primary School.
A friend had a spare ticket so I obliged and we spent the afternoon wandering between stalls, paying not much more than a few pounds for fare you'd usually find at Soho venues, repackaged for a festival atmosphere. In some cases, the restaurants were not from Soho but were London institutions keen on supporting a good cause. A half-cut Sean Bean opened the event (I don't think he knew much about this other than being asked to do so shortly before stepping up) and we got stuck in.
The first thing we tried were a couple of oysters from the
Wright Brothers, who have a franchise of their chain in Soho (left). These were your standard oyster fare for London: some shallot vinegar with lemon juice and were rather pleasant. Fresh, smooth, properly sea-salty and - as is my usual - one was just enough. When it comes to oysters, I can never eat more than maybe two or three but I always find that, if of sufficient quality, just one can set a meal up beautifully. In terms of this afternoon, it was a nice way to get started.
The next was an interesting-sounding dish from
10 Greek Street, a place I had yet to visit. This was a medley of salad themed around crab (right.) That's the honest description I would give it, because theirs - 'crab with chilli, asparagus, broad beans and mint' sounded a bit more lively than this was. Not the sort of dish I might usually order, my friend was keen and I'd heard enough good things about the restaurant to want to try it. In the event, it was too much greenery, not enough payoff. The idea was sound but the execution wasn't great.
The Union was next up. A place I was entirely unfamiliar with but very tempted by their dish on offer: a salt cod fritter with ailoi (left). This was certainly the first dish of the day where I was excited to get stuck in. It made sense, it looked great and happily it tasted great too. The salt cod was a combination of mild and flavoursome, combined expertly with the soft potato and sharpness of mayonnaise and lemon. For comfort food on a sunny Saturday, this kind of thing was just right.
The Dean Street Townhouse is a place I've often walked past and thought about how much I'd like to see what's inside. It revels in an alluring combination of bustling, chic, grandiose neighbourliness. That might be something of an incongruous description but that's what Soho does to people. In the case of the Food Feast, they'd gone for a home-styled comfortable classic in mince and potato (right). I'm not sure if they were going for a genuine appeal to the sort of traditional fare they offer at the Townhouse, or if they were trying to be overly kitsch and knowing with a simplistic treat. It wasn't bad but the potato could've been either crispier or creamier, dropping in the middle for a slightly confused finish to a dish which confused me.
I'd not heard of the
Pitstop Café before. They had a stall at the event and were serving dumplings (left). These were prawn-filled,
gyoza dumplings which had a pleasant enough mix of crispy and gelatinous outer layers and moist prawns inside. Finding out more about the Café itself, these became more impressive having eaten them. An exercise in the most appealing, modern take on Asian food which doesn't happen enough in this country, these were a smart representation of what one should be looking for when one goes towards a food truck.
The scent of grilled beef wafted across the parish churchyard and I was happy to embrace the call of burgers.
Meatwagon, the founding venture of
MeatLiquor had set up a stall on the day and their slider burger with cheese was impossible to resist (right). These were exceptional, happily reminiscent of my first visit to MeatLiquor, rather than the second. Medium-rare cook with proper seasoning and deliciously plastic cheese, these were worth the queue and a real treat.
Next up; some spicy chicken and sweet potato fries from
Cabana, a Brazilian barbecue joint with locations across the capital. The chicken was far too hot for me but I ate most of the sweet potato fries. Brazilian barbecue rarely appeals to me. Much of the food is cold by the time it reaches the table and often your seat in the restaurant dictates what you'll be eating depending on how servers are moving. That said, Cabana may be worth a visit some time down the line...
Apart from Sean Bean, there was another celebrity in the churchyard, with
St John's Fergus Henderson pottering about - usually to periodically grab another Pisco sour. The great restaurant group had a stall, serving a dish which was reassuringly rustic and uncomplicated: ox heart bun with watercress and horseradish (right). The combination was predictably excellent and celebrated a pleasant cheap cut of meat with simple side accompaniments. I took too big a bite at one point and got that inimitable feeling of too much mustard destroying one's nose. I did enjoy it and there's something nice about seeing Fergus Henderson in a chef's jacket in person.
Upmarket food retailer
Natoora had a stall at the event, and I could not resist the temptation of mozzarella and cherry tomatoes with a little olive oil (left). It was inexpensive and a refreshing dish for a summer day. However, since it had been cut earlier in the day, there was a slight dryness to the outside of the cheese. Having said that, as an advertisement for decent produce from a proper food shop, it worked well.
One place I had heard plenty about before the event was Peruvian canteen
Ceviche and we didn't hesitate to sample their signature raw seabass (right). Ceviche as a dish is something I'm never sure about but it's more trepidation around something I've had little exposure to in the past. The dish was enjoyable, a light and fresh-flavoured marinade coating the soft fish. Citrus notes cut through with the addition of onion and sweet potato adding some substance to the dish. If nothing else, I certainly need to try this place out at some point.
Another of London's prominent restaurateurs in Mark Hix was represented with something called a
Fish Dog (left). As it turns out, this is simply a case of a snack food being lifted to something fashionable and marketable at various outdoor events. Basically a take on a fish finger sandwich, this was special. Perfectly deep fried fish with mushy peas and tartare sauce in a bun, it was comfort festival food at its best. Plus I was able to adapt an
Arrested Development reference and spent the rest of the day referring to them as "F-Hounds".
Naturally,
Polpo was present with a casual summer bruschetta (right). This was served with soft cheese, asparagus, peas, broad beans & mint. It was a surprisingly pleasant combination which worked quite well as a finish to the savoury portion of the day. Freshness was the most important part of the dish, as tends to be the case when something as raw and open as this is concerned.
Amongst running into some friends, listening in on St. John co-founder Trevor Gulliver delivering a wine tasting and an unfortunate incident involving a youngster throwing up beer on my shirt, we found our way to desserts. This opened with a black forest pot from
The Ivy (left). A festival adaptation of an old classic from a restaurant renowned for their interpretation of classics, this was not bad at all. Some chocolate popping candy as a topping was a nice touch, and the fruit wasn't overly acidic or alcoholic.
There wasn't much I wanted to try in the way of pudding, but 10 Greek Street were back in the mix with an enticing-sounding salted chocolate and caramel tart with crème fraiche (right). It was delightful. Whilst I've never been as enthralled with salted caramel as many seem to be these days, chocolate with salt is something I adore. In this case, the Soho kitchen had got it just right. Dark chocolate with salt contrasted perfectly with the sweetness of the caramel and the pastry was perfect.
We had a few tokens leftover so I headed to the venerable
Gelupo cart to see what essentially £2 could buy me. In the event, it was
one scoop of ice cream which I thought was a bit rich. I opted for their more simple milk
fior de latte (left). It was as delicate, natural and light as ever. A proper, sensible way to sign off a day of eating.
It was a really fun afternoon about the Soho parish churchyard. More reasonable than something like
Taste of London, albeit without the top names and demonstrations, it's certainly recommended. Since it's the only big food event I've done in recent times, I feel something akin to a 'menu of the day' would be suitable. As such...
Starter: Polpo - Summer bruschetta. Proper ingredients and edible with just a couple of bites. This is the sort of thing I'd eat inside or out with the days getting longer
Main Course: The Union - Salt cod fritter. Excellent balance of pleasurable, comfortable food and properly dressed to boot
Dessert: 10 Greek Street - Salted chocolate caramel tart. An excellently-made tart with deliciously complimentary touches. I could've eaten several slices
The Soho Food Feast
